By ANDREW FOERCH Staff Reporter Mamba Sports Academy and Vanessa Bryant have formed Mamba on Three, a charity for the families of the victims of last month’s tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas that killed nine people, including NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant. The Newbury Park sports training complex and Bryant’s wife Vanessa issued public statements announcing the new charity on Jan. 31. Mamba on Three’s web page serves as a donations portal for the families and loved ones of the seven other victims: John Altobelli, a baseball coach at Orange Coast College; his wife Keri; daughter Alyssa, who played on the same basketball team as Gianna Bryant; Christina Mauser, an assistant coach of the Team Mamba girls’ basketball team; helicopter pilot Ara Zobayan; and Orange County mother and daughter Sarah and Payton Chester, also a teammate of Gianna Bryant. The group was on their way to a basketball tournament at the academy when the crash occurred. Kobe Bryant had served as head coach for Team Mamba for several years, and entered a partnership with the Sports Academy, as it was previously known, in 2018 after bringing Gianna and the team there to practice. The name “Mamba on Three” comes from a chant Team Mamba used during practices and games, which the charity’s page describes as representing “togetherness, sisterhood and the ability to take on every challenge.” Mamba on Three is separate from Mamba Sports Academy’s other charitable subsidiary, Mamba Sports Foundation, which provides funding for underserved athletes and establishes sports programming in underserved communities. “We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on (Jan. 26), and we share in their grief intimately,” Vanessa Bryant shared on Instagram. Mamba Sports Academy posted on its website an official statement mourning “not only one of the greatest athletes of all time, but an active and engaged member of our community.” “Through the shared values of attention to detail, relentless pursuit of passions and dedication to excellence, we remain committed to honoring Kobe’s mission of inspiring the next generation of leaders in the world of sports and beyond,” the statement said.
