Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant
	Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2014
Personal information
Born	August 23, 1978; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	January 26, 2020 (aged 41); Calabasas, California, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school	Lower Merion; (Ardmore, Pennsylvania)
NBA draft	1996: 1st round, 13th overall pick
	Selected by the Charlotte Hornets
Playing career	1996–2016
Position	Shooting guard / small forward
Number	8, 24
Career history
1996–2016	Los Angeles Lakers
Career highlights and 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); Gatorade National Player of the Year (1996);
Career statistics
Points	33,643 (25.0 ppg)
Rebounds	7,047 (5.2 rpg)
Assists	6,306 (4.7 apg)
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
	Basketball Hall of Fame as player
Men's basketball
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
FIBA Americas Championship

Kobe Bean Bryant (/ˈkoʊbi/ KOH-bee; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) 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 players in the history of the sport, Bryant won five NBA championships and was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. He also led the NBA in scoring twice and ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. Bryant was posthumously voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.

The son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, Bryant was born in Philadelphia and partly raised in Italy. Recognized as the top American high-school basketball player while at Philadelphia suburb Lower Merion, Bryant declared for the 1996 NBA draft and was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick; he was then traded to the Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned a reputation as a high-flyer by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest and was named an All-Star by his second season. Despite a feud with teammate Shaquille O'Neal, the pair led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002.

In 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault, the alleged victim being a 19-year-old hotel employee. Criminal charges were dropped after the accuser refused to testify, and a lawsuit was settled out of court, with Bryant issuing a public apology and admitting to a sexual encounter he maintained was consensual. The accusation tarnished his reputation, resulting in the loss of several of Bryant’s endorsement contracts.^[3]^{[contradictory]}

After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was traded and Bryant became the cornerstone of the franchise. He led the NBA in scoring in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons and was named league MVP in 2008. On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points, the second most points scored in a single NBA game behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game. Bryant led the team to consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, and was named NBA Finals MVP on both occasions. He continued to be among the premier players in the league through the 2012–13 season when he suffered a torn achilles tendon at age 34. Bryant’s next two seasons were cut short by injuries to his knee and shoulder, respectively. Citing physical decline, Bryant retired after the 2015–16 season. In 2017, the Lakers retired both his Nos. 8 and 24, making Bryant the only player in NBA history to have multiple numbers retired by the same franchise.

The all-time leading scorer in Lakers history, Bryant was the first guard in NBA history to play 20 seasons. His 18 All-Star designations are the third most all time, and Bryant has the second most consecutive appearances as a starter. His four NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards are tied with Bob Pettit for the most in NBA history. Bryant gave himself the nickname Black Mamba in the mid-2000s, and the epithet became widely adopted by the general public. He won gold medals on the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams. In 2018, Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for the film Dear Basketball (2017).^[4]

In 2020, Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.^[5] A number of tributes and memorials were issued, and the All-Star MVP Award was renamed in Bryant's honor.^[6]

^ Mallozzi, Vincent (December 24, 2006). "'Where's Kobe? I Want Kobe.'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021.
^ Ding, Kevin (January 8, 2008). "Kobe Bryant's work with kids brings joy, though sometimes it's fleeting". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on November 25, 2012.
^ "Where does a rape allegation fit in the legacy of Kobe Bryant?". The Washington Examiner. January 27, 2020. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
^ Cite error: The named reference Oscar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Kobe Bryant helicopter crash post-mortem released". BBC. May 16, 2020. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
^ Golliver, Ben (February 15, 2020). "NBA renames All-Star Game MVP award after Kobe Bryant". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2021.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

[1] Mallozzi, Vincent (December 24, 2006). "'Where's Kobe? I Want Kobe.'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021.

[2] Ding, Kevin (January 8, 2008). "Kobe Bryant's work with kids brings joy, though sometimes it's fleeting". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on November 25, 2012.

[4] "Where does a rape allegation fit in the legacy of Kobe Bryant?". The Washington Examiner. January 27, 2020. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.

[Oscar-5] Cite error: The named reference Oscar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[6] "Kobe Bryant helicopter crash post-mortem released". BBC. May 16, 2020. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2020.

[7] Golliver, Ben (February 15, 2020). "NBA renames All-Star Game MVP award after Kobe Bryant". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2021.

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