Husband of coach killed in Kobe Bryant crash talks about future: “I got three small kids … and no mom”
Matt Mauser, the husband of Christina Mauser – who died in the tragic helicopter crash with Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna last week – has shared his grief.
He was a special guest on the Today Show on Monday and talked about the “beautiful, smart, funny,” person that his wife was.
“It’s horrible,” Matt said. “It’s horrible. I’ve got three small kids, and I’m trying to figure out how to navigate life with three kids and no mom.”
Christina was one of the nine passengers on the helicopter that crashed in Calabasas, California.
She worked as a girls basketball coach for Harbor Day School, Orange County.
Katrina Foley, the mayor of Costa Mesa, had the following to say,
“I just learned that our amazing Matt Mauser of TiajuanaDogs lost his wife Christina in the crash,” she wrote on Twitter. “She coached the girls’ team. This devastating tragedy gets worse by the hour. So much pain for so many local families. Our hearts are broken & grieving for the families impacted.”
Even though emergency services responded, none of the people on board survived, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed.
Other victims include John Altobelli, head basketball coach at Orange Coast College, his wife Keri and their daughter Alyssa, the school stated on their website.
Please join us in supporting the Altobelli family: https://t.co/j20YvjMfck
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/g7MJqdMNEk
— Red Sox (@RedSox) January 27, 2020
According to ESPN, the helicopter was headed towards a travel youth basketball game.
In Monday’s interview, Matt said,
“I’m scared, I think, more than anything, I’m a little scared about the future.”
“Christina — well, [Bryant] didn’t choose Christina for just any ordinary reason,” he shared. “She was extraordinary. She was witty, incredibly witty. Funny — funny like nobody you’ve ever met … She was warm. She was incredibly bright. She was technologically incredibly savvy, she could figure out anything.”
He added, “My wife could break you down in two seconds, she knew how to figure you out. … She was incredibly deep.”
Matt revealed that he and Kobe met while he was working as a Spanish teacher for the private school their daughters were going to.
According to him, Bryant had asked to volunteer as a parent on a field trip, and eventually connected with Christina, who Matt said, “had an amazing mind for basketball.”
Christina was one of the people who helped coach Kobe’s Mamba Sports Academy team, Matt shared, noting,
“They called her the mother of defense.”
Matt said that the victims of the crash: “all really cared about each other.”
“They loved their kids and they were so proud that they were growing, and becoming, you know better basketball players,” he recalled adding of Kobe, “He was dedicated and so was my wife.”
The sorrow-filled father and husband added that while he preferred not to watch TV with his children on Sunday, they briefly turned on ESPN’s SportsCenter, which aired a heartwarming confession from his daughter.
“Everything was about how much everybody was mourning and hurting, and she said it was nice to know everybody was hurting along with us. And I know that sounds odd, but it did kind of help,” Matt shared while crying.
“It’s horrible. I’ve got three small kids, and I’m trying to figure out how to navigate life with three kids and no mom.” -Matt Mauser, husband of Christina Mauser, who is one of the victims in LA-area helicopter crash pic.twitter.com/TxESfk5VvU
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 27, 2020
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