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Basketball star LeBron James wept on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday after the LA Lakers learned on a flight home that their former teammate Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash. 

The Lakers were returning from a road game in Philadelphia when they received word of the NBA legend's death and the grieving players were visibly shocked and upset when they landed at LAX. 

Coach Frank Vogel had addressed his players in mid-air after the news of Bryant's death - less than four years after the end of his glittering 20-year Lakers career - began to filter through.  

An emotional LeBron James, who had swapped tributes with Bryant just hours earlier after passing his NBA scoring record, hugged a woman on the tarmac before walking off to wipe away his tears.