This morning, Matt Mauser — whose wife Christina was among the nine people who died in the helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Sunday morning that killed Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna — spoke out about his devastating loss this morning on the Today show.
According to an NBC News report, Matt held back tears as he discussed his wife and what she meant to their family.
“It’s horrible. I got three small kids and am trying to figure out how to navigate life with three kids and no mom,” he said this morning. “I’m scared. I think more than anything. I’m a little scared about the future.”
Matt and Christina’s children are 11, 9, and 3. He and his wife both worked as teachers at the private school that Kobe’s daughters attended.
“She was beautiful, smart, funny,” he said of Christina. “She was incredibly deep… just an amazing person.”
The 38-year-old mother of three served as the assistant coach alongside Kobe for Gianna Bryant’s Mamba Academy basketball team. The helicopter was bound for the academy at the time of the crash yesterday. Matt revealed that Kobe personally selected Christina for the role of assistant coach.
“He picked her because she was amazing,” Matt said. “I was so proud of her, and she was so happy.”
Matt was the Spanish teacher and basketball coach at the school. Christina was the assistant coach. Kobe noticed Christina’s mind for the game, which is what caused him to choose her to coach the AAU team, The Mambas, alongside him.
“He asked her to teach the kids defense,” Matt said of his wife. “They called her the mother of defense.”
The grieving husband noted that defense wasn’t the late Los Angeles Lakers star’s specialty.
Because of the overwhelming amount of coverage surrounding the tragic helicopter crash, Matt tried to keep the television off at his house yesterday. However, last night he briefly had SportsCenter playing, and one of his daughters took comfort in knowing that the rest of the city, nation, and world grieved and hurt alongside the Mauser family.
Others who perished in the crash include head baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, John Altobelli , and his wife, Keri, along with their daughter, Alyssa, who was a member of The Mambas. Mambas player Payton Chester and her mother, Sarah , were also on board the ill-fated flight. Finally, the pilot, Ara Zobayan , who was an experienced flyer rated to fly in fog and clouds, was also killed.
