On Monday, January 5^th, the LA Lakers released a statement reporting some tragic news. General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced that his daughter, Alina, passed away. Now the NBA team's players are speaking out on the unfortunate loss of their GM's daughter.

Alina Kupchak was 15-years-old when her long battle against an unknown illness came to an end. In a statement, the Los Angeles NBA team said, "The family asks for and appreciates their privacy at this difficult time, and would like to express their gratitude for everyone's love, support, thoughts and prayers."

Immediately, Kupchak's family was flooded with heartfelt messages of support. Lakers Shooting Guard, Kobe Bryant, was one of the first basketball players to send his sympathies. Bryant tweeted his sympathies to the grieving family: "My prayers are with the Kupchak family. There are no words to describe such a loss R.I.P Alina #LakerFamily."

Even retired, "Magic" Johnson still felt a bond towards the Lakers. He expressed his sympathies through Twitter, writing, "My condolences go out to a super friend and teammate, Mitch Kupchak and his wife Claire on the passing of their 15 year old daughter Alina."

Mitch and his wife, Claire, have not released a statement about their daughter or the show of support.

Kupchak has been with the L.A. Lakers since 1985 when he was the team's power forward. He became the general manager in 2000 and has stood with the NBA team as they championship titles in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2010. His daughter, Alina, has left behind a grieving father, mother, younger brother, and the rest of her Lakers family.