JERUSALEM, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Former NBA star Amare Stoudemire said here Monday that the death of legendary player Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter accident on Sunday in California along with his daughter, "is a big loss for me and my family."

Stoudemire, who recently joined Israeli champion Maccabi Tel Aviv, received the tragic news during a game in the Israeli league.

"When I heard the news I was devastated," Stoudemire told Maccabi's official website. "Kobe and I have long history of playing with each other with the U.S. Olympic team, I know his family very well, his wife Vanessa and his children."

He added: "I played against him many times, against the Lakers of Shaq and Kobe, he was such a well-pronounced individual, a very intelligent person and player, he was a very dedicated husband to his wife and father to his children. My family is crying, this is definitely a hurtful feeling."

Stoudemire's teammate, Quincy Acy, who played in the NBA from 2012-2019, eulogized Kobe: "The way he approached the game of basketball with respect and tenacity is unmatched as this game has done a lot for a lot of people.

"Everybody can say they learned something from Kobe, everyone knows what he meant by the game, his legacy will never be matched, and there will never be another Kobe Bryant."

Maccabi's player Omri Casspi, the first Israeli in the NBA (2009-2019), said: "It's an unparalleled tragedy, I have no words to describe what I feel. Kobe was one of the greatest athletes in the world, a recognizable figure."