A sports legend and a pop culture icon is gone.

One of the NBA's greatest players, former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, died in a helicopter crash that killed eight other people on Sunday morning in Calabasas, Calif. He was just 41.

A five-time NBA champion nicknamed "Black Mamba," Bryant was an 18-time All-Star during a 20-year career that began when he was drafted 13th in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft as a 17-year-old. He ranks fourth on the NBA's career scoring list with 33,643 points, a mark that was passed just yesterday by Lakers star LeBron James. Both of Bryant's uniform numbers -- Nos. 8 and 24 -- were retired by the Lakers and he remains the franchise's leader in points, three-pointers, steals and free throws made.

“Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames,” Bryant tweeted last night. “Much respect my brother.”

The National Basketball Players Association offered its condolences on Sunday as tributes poured in from around the world.

"We are stunned and devastated by the news of the sudden passing of Kobe Bryant," read the NBPA statement. "Words cannot express his impact on our Players, the NBA and the game of basketball. This is a monumental loss for the entire basketball community and our hearts are quite simply broken. We send love and prayers out to his wife, Vanessa, and the entire family."

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After a rough start to his 20th season in the NBA, a 37-year-old Kobe Bryant confirmed in a Players Tribune essay published Sunday night that this year will be his last.

It's probably not a surprise to most NBA fans given his injuries in recent years, but an end to a career doesn't mean an end to cardboard, either. In fact, we're probably just getting started with this Panini America spokesman.

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With what might be Kobe Bryant's final season in the NBA -- a record 20th campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers that started last night -- it's inevitable that some collectors will be looking to land an autograph of the guy who's already among the league's greats.

But what about a perfect BGS 10 copy of Bryant's first autographs -- cards signed all the way back in 1996 for Score Board when he was just a traded draft pick of the Charlotte Hornets on his way to Los Angeles in exchange for the esteemed Vlade Divac?

Well, based on this eBay auction for a pair of perfect BGS 10 copies, you might need a Vlade-esque kind of salary to land them.

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