I doubt Kobe had any direct relation to the Standard Hotel.  It's more likely he's cabal controlled.  I think they got him out of the rape scandal that happened back in the early 2000s.    I know a bit about Kobe's life in the OC. Kobe's wife grew up in the area and her parents live there as well.  Kobe lives in a gated community in Newport Coast CA.  (Same neigborhood as Terry Dubrow, the TV plastic surgeon.  Dennis Rodman also lived there but was booted out a few years ago).  It's a beautiful area but far away from the LA hedonism.  When that rape story broke, his wife threatened divorce which was estimated to cost him $75 million.  He wooed her back and made promises that he would go on the straight and narrow, dedicate himself to sports and his family.  All accounts are that he indeed did this.  He goes to church.  He owns several properties in the area and transfered some into his wife's name in a show of faith that he wasn't ever going to cheat again.  He spent tons of money on her too.  Lots of local stories on that. As for the cartoons depicting Kobe's death in a h-copter crash, I think that was just poking fun at him.  It was well known that he used a helicopter to get from the OC to LA every day for games.  The traffic is ungodly there and that drive can take up to 2-3 hrs on an average day in heavy traffic.  Kobe stayed in OC for his wife Vanessa.  That meant he had no choice but to find a way to get to and from LA quickly and he chose a helicopter for his ride.  The drive to LA can be dangerous -- often you will see objects in the road that fell off trucks (illegals tend to drop crap like furniture and appliances).  IMO, he was as likely to die in an LA car crash as he was in a helicopter.