Before Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing Sunday (January 26), it was well-known that he frequently flew his helicopter around Los Angeles. Now, we’re learning a little bit more why he used the mode of transportation.

In a 2018 interview with Barstool Sports’ podcast The Corp, Bryant said that Los Angeles traffic would prevent him from getting to important events. 

“Traffic started getting really, really bad and I was sitting in traffic and I wound up missing like a school play, because I was sitting in traffic... I had to figure out a way where I could still train and focus on the craft but still not compromise family time,” he said. “So that’s when I looked into helicopters, to be able to get down and back in 15 minutes and that’s when it started.”

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Bryant went on to say that his routine then changed and he’d drop his kids off at school, fly to practice, and then fly back to “get back in the carpool line.” He also insisted his wife Vanessa that he be the one to pick up his kids up from school.

“You have like road trips and times where you don’t see your kids,” he said. “So, every chance I get to see them, to spend time with them ― even if it’s 20 minutes in the car ― I want that.”

Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, along with seven other people, were killed yesterday while taking a helicopter to the Mamba Academy for basketball practice in nearby Thousand Oaks. The aircraft crashed in Calabasas, killing everyone on board. Bryant and his daughter are survived by Vanessa, as well as daughters and sisters Natalia, Bianka and Capri.

Watch a segment of the Barstool interview below.