In Game 4 against the Kings, Bryant recorded 48 points, 16 rebounds and 3 assists in a 119113 series-clinching win. Bryant suffered multiple injuries throughout the season and as a result, missed nine games. [f] Bryant was the leading overall vote-getter for the 2016 All-Star Game with 1.9 million votes, ahead of Stephen Curry's 1.6 million. [304][305], Bryant requested that opposing teams on the road not hold any on-court ceremonies in his honor or present him any gifts in public. [294], After recovering to play in the 201516 preseason,[295] Bryant suffered a calf injury and missed the final two weeks of exhibition games. The series would stretch to seven games, the first time this had happened to the Lakers since the 2000 Western Conference Finals. He started in all 10 of the USA's FIBA Americas Championship games. Kobe Bryant Officially Introduces His 'Little Princess' Daughter Capri Kobe", "Kobe Bryant's Wife Vanessa Gives Birth, Welcomes Fourth Daughter", "Remembering Kobe Bryant at the Church Where He Prayed Before Helicopter Crash", "Before fatal flight, Kobe and daughter attended California church, took communion, priest says", "Kobe Bryant's private funeral service likely at same Catholic church he went before boarding chopper", "Kobe Bryant tras anunciar su retiro: "Ahora me siento relajado", "Kobe Bryant and, Robert Rodriguez talk about Black Mamba Nike ads, six-minute film", "Rapid Reaction: Lakers 113, Trail Blazers 106", "Kobe Bryant and Lakers soar to new heights (or at least .500)", "Kobe Bryant Buys Home For More Than $4 million", "Kobe Bryant sets price record with Newport Coast home sale", "Kobe Wins Battle to Prevent Mom From Auctioning His Stuff", "Kobe auction suit settled; parents apologize", "Kobe: I'm staying an Eagles fan despite L.A. team | PhillyVoice", "Kobe Bryant credits soccer for his extraordinary basketball court vision", "Laker News: Former Laker In ICU Fighting Covid-19", "Bryant distracted, scared amid sex assault case", "Shaq, Kobe still main keys to Lakers' fortunes", "Fans Shunning Kobe Bryant's Jersey Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment", "Article: Basketball Star Leaps into Global Ventures", "Information and results for 'Adidas, Basketball Star Kobe Bryant Part Ways. For us to honor him, being on the floor, this is what it's all about. Bryant was drafted out of high school by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick in 1996, then was traded to the Lakers. People can say he stole his moves from Michael Jordan, but Kobe did it in a great way and always showed. Then she fell in love with a phenomenon", Cupcake Magazine interview with Vanessa Bryant, "Kobe Bryant Divorce: Kobe and Vanessa Through the Years [PHOTOS]", "Kobe Bryant divorce: Vanessa cites 'irreconcilable differences', "Kobe Bryant, wife Vanessa call off their divorce", "Kobe Bryant and Wife Vanessa Welcome Third Child", "Kobe Bryant Shares Adorable First Pic of Newborn Daughter Bianka", "Meet Baby 'KoKo!' In the playoffs, teammate O'Neal declared Bryant the best player in the league. Bryant was runner-up in the MVP voting behind James,[184] and was selected to the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team for the seventh time in his career. During the 200910 season, Bryant made six game-winning shots including a buzzer-beating, one-legged 3-pointer against the Miami Heat on December 4, 2009. [38][39] The following three years, the Aces compiled a 7713 record, with Bryant playing all five positions. [264], Bryant resumed practicing in November 2013, after the 201314 season had already begun. My love for this city, this team and for each of you will never fade. [46] Bryant ended his high-school career as Southeastern Pennsylvania's all-time leading scorer at 2,883 points, surpassing both Wilt Chamberlain and Lionel Simmons. . Bryant began the season playing with an injured wrist. Three championships were won consecutively in 2000, 2001, and 2002, further cementing this view. [261] Bryant had surgery on April 13 to repair the tear, and it was estimated he would miss six to nine months. Bryant, his daughter, and the other seven occupants were all killed on impact. [292][293] The Lakers finished the season with a record of 2161, surpassing the franchise record for most losses in a season that they had set the previous year. However, on June 30, Divac relented on his threat and the trade was made final on July 9, 1996, when the league's off-season moratorium ended. [248][249] His defense disrupted opponents and freed Nash from unfavorable matchups. [139] In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers played well enough to reach a 31 series lead over the Phoenix Suns, culminating with Bryant's overtime-forcing and game-winning shots in Game 4. This followed with O'Neal winning the MVP and Bryant being named to the All-NBA Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Team for the first time in his career (the youngest player to receive All-Defensive honors). [550] Bryant was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021, with Vanessa delivering the acceptance speech on Bryant's behalf.[551]. In the 200102 season, Bryant played 80 games for the first time in his career. [237] He returned three games before the end of the regular season. [41], At Adidas ABCD Camp, Bryant earned the 1995 senior MVP award[43] while playing alongside future NBA teammate Lamar Odom. [103] In the final game of the regular season, the Lakers played the Portland Trail Blazers. [172] In the first game of the next round, against the Jazz, Bryant scored 38 points as the Lakers beat the Jazz in Game 1. [289] Though he was right-handed, he returned to play in the game and ran the offense while shooting, dribbling, and passing almost exclusively with his left hand. [445][446], The accusation tarnished Bryant's reputation, and the public's perception of him plummeted; his endorsement contracts with McDonald's and Nutella were terminated. [393] He was just the third player in NBA history to average 40 points in a calendar month, which he accomplished four times. Bryant won his fifth championship and earned his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award. To avoid media scrutiny, she finished high school through independent study. "[158] Three hours after making that statement, Bryant stated in another interview that after having a conversation with head coach Jackson, he had reconsidered his decision and backed off his trade request. [458] Bryant was also the cover athlete for NBA '07: Featuring the Life Vol. Afterward, Bryant co-founded an independent record label, Heads High Entertainment, but it folded within a year. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jason Terry is still going at age 38 . The first single, "K.O.B.E'", featured supermodel Tyra Banks singing the hook. [109] The following day, Bryant declined a six-year, $100 million offer to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers and re-signed with the Lakers on a seven-year, $136.4 million contract. [347][348] In a 2012 annual survey of NBA general managers, Bryant was selected for the 10th consecutive season as the player general managers would want to take a clutch shot with a game on the line. [519] The group was traveling to Camarillo Airport in Ventura County for a basketball game at Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks. Those nine NBA All-Defensive First Team nods didn't come by accident. Bryant's first high-school number was 24 before he switched to 33. After Kobe's homecoming game in Philly this week, Kobe Bryant was surprised by his former high school point guard, the very funny Evan Monsky, during the post game conference. [134] He won the league's scoring title for the first time by averaging 35.4 points per game, becoming just the fifth player in league history to average at least 35 in a season. [47], Bryant received several awards for his outstanding performance during his senior year at Lower Merion. [164], Despite an injury to his shooting hand's small finger, described as "a complete tear of the radial collateral ligament, an avulsion fracture, and a volar plate injury at the MCP joint" that occurred in a game on February 5, 2008, Bryant played all 82 games of the regular season instead of opting for surgery. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter. [38] Bryant's news was met with a lot of publicity at a time when prep-to-pro NBA players were not very common (Garnett being the only exception in 20 years). [55], The Lakers were looking to trade their starting center Vlade Divac for a player's draft rights to free up salary cap space to make an offer to free-agent center Shaquille O'Neal. [188] Bryant was the league's leading scorer throughout the 2000s decade, accumulating 21,065 points in regular season play between the 1999-00 and 200809 seasons. [507][508] In 2018, Bryant and Sports Academy launched Mamba Sports Academy, a joint athletic-training business venture. "[490], Bryant was the subject of Spike Lee's 2009 documentary film Kobe Doin' Work, which chronicled Bryant during the 200708 NBA season. [391] Bryant led the NBA in scoring during the 200506 and 200607 seasons. [398] Bryant was also a 12-time All-Defensive Team selection, trailing only Duncan's 15, and nine times he was named to the All-Defensive First Team, tied with Jordan, Garnett, and Gary Payton for the most all time. Russell Westbrook 's Los Angeles Lakers tenure hasn't been the smoothest. However, after high schooler Kevin Garnett went in the first round of the 1995 NBA draft, Bryant also began contemplating going directly to the pros. [213] It was the Lakers' first victory of the season against one of the league's top four teams, as they entered the game 05 in previous matchups and had been outscored by an average of 11 points. [72] He was joined by teammates O'Neal, Van Exel, and Jones, making it the first time since 1983 that four players on the same team were selected to play in the same All-Star Game. By finishing off the Denver Nuggets in the Conference Finals in six games, the Lakers earned their second straight trip to the NBA Finals. [38] His basketball skills and SAT score of 1080 would have ensured admission to any college he chose,[16][52] but he did not officially visit any campuses. Bryant admitted to an adulterous sexual encounter with his accuser but denied her sexual assault allegation. [27][28] Bryant began to play basketball seriously while living in Reggio Emilia. A security guard opens a steel door leading into a vault containing hundreds of collectibles at Collectors Vault, a new company that is making it easier for collectors to store and trade. [140] Despite Bryant's 27.9 points per game in the series, the Lakers broke down and ultimately fell to the Suns in seven games. [329], On June 23, 2008, he was named to the USA Men's Senior National Team for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The #BlackMamba @KobeBryant is in the building!. They would go on to win the next four games and bring their second championship to Los Angeles in as many seasons. [191] Bryant also became the youngest player (31 years, 151 days) to reach 25,000 points in his career during the season, surpassing Chamberlain. [421][422], Bryant was a practicing Catholic. [281][283] He was suffering from soreness in his knees, feet, back, and Achilles tendons and Scott planned to reduce his workload going forward. Having moved to small forward that season, Bryant was selected as a frontcourt starter for the first time. The pump fakes began in earnest when Kobe Bryant got stuck with the ball against Denver this month. [530] A public memorial service was held on February 24 (2/24, marking both Kobe's and Gianna's jersey numbers) at Staples Center with Jimmy Kimmel hosting. [272], Bryant returned for the 201415 season, his 19th season with the Lakers,[275] who had replaced D'Antoni with Bryant's former Lakers teammate, Byron Scott. [383] He also won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1997 and was its youngest winner. [48][49] Bryant's varsity coach, Greg Downer, commented that he was "a complete player who dominates" and praised his work ethic, even as the team's top player. [494] In addition to future animation projects, he had been in talks with animator veteran Bruce Smith for the last six months before his death about starting his own animation studio. [29][30] Bryant's grandfather would mail him videos of NBA games for Bryant to study. While the Lakers swept the Blazers and defeated the Spurs 41 in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Lakers did not have home-court advantage against the Sacramento Kings. [357] Bryant rarely drew charges when he played defense, which he believed spared his body and contributed to his longevity. Playing without Bryant, the Lakers were swept in four games by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. [174] The Lakers then won the next two games to win the semifinals. [241] He was replaced by Mike D'Antoni, who Bryant knew as a child when Bryant's father was playing in Italy and D'Antoni was also a star player there. [349][350] Bryant enjoyed being the villain, and reveled in being booed and then silencing the crowd with his play. - https://discord.gg/xskRj4SSUBSCRIBE. [82] While playing second fiddle to O'Neal in the playoffs, Bryant had some clutch performances, including a 25-point, 11-rebound, 7-assist, 4-block game in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. [46][50] In 1996, Bryant took R&B singer Brandy to her Hollywood High senior prom. [46] Bryant ended up making the All-NBA Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Team for the second year in a row. In the 2002 Finals, against the New Jersey Nets, Bryant averaged 26.8 points, 51.4% shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists per game, which included scoring a quarter of the team's points. That was the time he teamed up with Shaquille O'Neal to form one of the best center and shooting guard duos of all time. [390] He was the first player in NBA history to have at least 30,000 career points and 6,000 career assists,[373] and was one of only four players with 25,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, and 6,000 assists. [325] In the following summer, he had to withdraw from the Olympic team because of his sexual assault case. Connect with us. They were headed to a . [270] He had played six games since returning from his Achilles injury, which included time at point guard after injuries to Nash, Steve Blake, and Jordan Farmar. [60] He scored 36 points in the finale and finished with averages of 24.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in four games. The group was signed by Sony Entertainment, but the company's ultimate goal was to eliminate the group and have Bryant record on his own. However, The New York Times called his leading of the Lakers back into playoff contention "perhaps some of the finest work of his career. [204] This marked the first time the Lakers won a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Byron Scott missed the game with a sprained wrist, Robert Horry was ejected for fighting with Utah's Jeff Hornacek, and Shaquille O'Neal fouled out with 1:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. . By the end of the season, he averaged 15.5 minutes a game. Chamberlain had 50 points 45 times in 196162 and 30 in 196263. When he walked into the gymnasium he was escorted by his entourage. The deal involved Bryant being in a promotional film to be aired in over 80 countries in addition to his being used in digital, print and billboard advertising. . [34][35] During summers, Bryant would come back to the United States to play in a basketball summer league. [83] He also threw an alley-oop pass to O'Neal to clinch the game and the series. [113] Without Tomjanovich, stewardship of the remainder of the Lakers' season fell to career assistant coach Frank Hamblen. His next two seasons were cut short by injuries to his knee and shoulder, respectively. The superstar player clearly played far longer than Michael . [451][452] His first signature shoe was the Equipment KB 8. [260] On April 10, 2013, Bryant became the first player in NBA history to get 47 points, eight rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and three steals in an NBA game. [341][352] Throughout his career, Bryant was disparaged for being a selfish, high-volume shooter;[350][353][354] he missed more field goal attempts in his career than any other player in NBA history. In 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault;[9] with the alleged victim being a 19-year-old hotel employee. [290] Prior to the injury, Bryant had been rested in 8 of 16 games. [76], Bryant's fortunes would improve when Phil Jackson took over as coach of the Lakers in 1999. [157] However, three days later, on Stephen A. Smith's radio program, Bryant expressed anger over a Lakers "insider" who claimed that Bryant was responsible for Shaquille O'Neal's departure from the team, and publicly stated, "I want to be traded. [273] However, he missed playing in the game, still hampered by his knee. When his shot is off, Kobe will pound away relentlessly until his luck turns. [287] For the season, Bryant had been shooting just 37 percent from the field, and the team's record was only 819. [177] In the 200809 season, the Lakers opened the campaign by winning their first seven games. Bryant had grown close with D'Antoni during their time with Team USA. 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