Kobe Bryant was an American professional basketball player.
A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Kobe Bean Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Named after a city in Japan, Bryant is the son of former NBA player Joe “Jellybean” Bryant.
In 1984, after ending his NBA career, the elder Bryant took the family to Italy, where he played in the Italian League.
Full Name: Kobe Bean Bryant
Date Of Birth: August 23, 1978
Education: Lower Merion
(Ardmore, Pennsylvania)
Nationality: American
Age: 41
Place of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Networth: $600 Million
Died: January 26, 2020
Career:
Bryant decided to go straight to the NBA from high school. He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick of the 1996 NBA draft and was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In his second season with the Lakers, Bryant was voted a starter for the 1998 All-Star Game, becoming the youngest All-Star in NBA history at 19.
The shooting guard then teamed up with superstar center Shaquille O’Neal to win three consecutive NBA championships and was voted first-team all-NBA from 2002-2004. He also inked multi-year endorsement deals with Adidas, Sprite and other top sponsors.
Although the Lakers struggled after O’Neal left in 2004, Bryant performed brilliantly. He scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006, the second-highest single-game mark in NBA history, and led the league in scoring that year and the next.
In 2008, Bryant was named Most Valuable Player and carried his team to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics.
In the 2009 NBA Finals, the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic to win the championship. Shortly afterward, Bryant was part of the memorial service to honor friend and music superstar Michael Jackson.
The following year, the Lakers won their second straight title by defeating the Celtics.
Bryant played on both the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams, winning consecutive gold medals with teammates Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, among several other top players.
Retirement:
In November 2015, he announced that he would retire at the end of the season.
On April 13, 2016, Bryant dazzled a sold-out crowd at the Staples Center and fans everywhere in the last game of his career, scoring 60 points and leading the Lakers to a win against the Utah Jazz.
It was Bryant’s sixth 60-point game of his career.
Personal Life:
Bryant married 19-year-old Vanessa Laine in April 2001.
The couple became parents to four daughters: Natalia Diamante, Gianna Maria-Onore Bianka, and Capri.
Death:
On January 26, 2020, Bryant was onboard a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter that crashed in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas.
Nine people, including Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna “Gigi,” died. The helicopter was on its way from Orange County to Thousands Oaks, California where Bryant was scheduled to coach a tournament game at Mamba Sports Academy.
His dead body photos in the crash site were leaked and caused a huge controversy.
Awards:
5× NBA champion (2000–2002, 2009, 2010)
2× NBA Finals MVP (2009, 2010)
NBA Most Valuable Player (2008)
18× NBA All-Star (1998, 2000–2016)
4× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011)
11× All-NBA First Team (2002–2004, 2006–2013)
2× All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2001)
2× All-NBA Third Team (1999, 2005)
9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006–2011)
3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2001, 2002, 2012)
2× NBA scoring champion (2006, 2007)
NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (1997)
NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1997)
NBA 75th Anniversary Team
Nos. 8 & 24 retired by Los Angeles Lakers
Naismith Prep Player of the Year (1996)
First-team Parade All-American (1996)
Fourth-team Parade All-American (1995)
McDonald’s All-American (1996)