Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bean Bryant (/ˈkoʊbiː/ KOH-bee; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020)[3] was an American former professional basketball player. He most recently played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. Bryant played as a shooting guard. During the 2005-2006 season, he scored 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors. He is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Kobe Bryant
Bryant smiling in his uniform
Bryant playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in December 2015
Personal information
Born(1978-08-23)August 23, 1978
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
DiedJanuary 26, 2020(2020-01-26) (aged 41)
Calabasas, California, USA
NationalityAmerican
Listed height198 cm (6 ft 6 in)[lower-alpha 1]
Listed weight96 kg (212 lb)
Career information
High schoolLower Merion
(Ardmore, Pennsylvania)
NBA draft1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13th overall
Selected by the Charlotte Hornets
Playing career1996–2016
PositionShooting guard
Number8, 24
Career history
1996–2016Los 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)
  • Nos. 8 & 24 retired by Los Angeles Lakers
  • Naismith Prep Player of the Year (1996)
  • First-team Parade All-American (1996)
Career statistics
Points33,643 (25.0 ppg)
Rebounds7,047 (5.2 rpg)
Assists6,306 (4.7 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2008 Beijing Team
Gold medal – first place2012 London Team
FIBA Americas Championship
Gold medal – first place 2007 Las Vegas Team

Bryant retired on April 13, 2016 after scoring 60 points in a Lakers win the Utah Jazz. He won an Oscar and Emmy for his movie Dear Basketball.[4]

Bryant was born in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. He is the youngest child of three children of his family.[5] His father was a basketball player and coach Joe Bryant.

Championships and awards

Kobe Bryant won five championship rings from 2000-2002 and again in 2009-2010. He was awarded the Most Valuable Player in the 2007-08 NBA season after the Los Angeles Lakers went to the 2008 NBA Playoffs as the first seed in the Western Conference was the winner of 18 times NBA all-star, 15-time member of the NBA, 12-time member of the all-defensive team and 1-time slam dunk champion.

In 2008, Bryant won a gold medal with the United States national team at the Olympics in Beijing.[6]

Bryant earned 14 selections for All-NBA teams and 12 for All-Defensive teams. He led the league in scoring twice. He received 4 all-star game MVPs in 14 appearances. He also won 2 finals MVP awards. He was also the youngest player to reach 30,000 points, passing Shaquille O Neal and Michael Jordan and becoming third on the all-time scoring list. Bryant is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history.

Sexual assault investigation

In the summer of 2003, the sheriff's office of Eagle, Colorado, arrested Bryant in connection with an investigation of a sexual assault complaint filed by a 19-year-old hotel employee.[7][8] In September 2004, the assault case was dropped by prosecutors after the accuser refused to testify at the trial. It later came out the accuser lied about said allegations.

Helicopter crash

On January 26, 2020, Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California that was intended to go to the Camarillo Airport, at the age of 41.[9] His 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, and seven others also died in the crash.[10]

Notes
  1. In 2006, Bryant said that he was 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m).[1] In 2008, he stated he was "probably" 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) in shoes.[2]

References
  1. Mallozzi, Vincent (December 24, 2006). "'Where's Kobe? I Want Kobe.'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013.
  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 February 21, 2013.
  3. "Kobe Bryant Stats, News, Videos, Highlights, Pictures, Bio - Los Angeles Lakers - ESPN". espn.go.com. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
  4. "Kobe Bryant". espn.go.com. ESPN. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  5. "Kobe's basketball roots in Philly might run deeper than you realize". WHYY. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  6. "Kobe Bryant Olympics - Kobe Bryant commits to 2012 Olympics - Los Angeles Times". articles.latimes.com. 2 November 2010. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
  7. SI Staff (December 23, 2003). "Bryant distracted, scared amid sex assault case". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
  8. Moore, David Leon (February 12, 2004). "Shaq, Kobe still main keys to Lakers' fortunes". USA Today. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
  9. Lambe, Stacy. "Kobe Bryant Dies in Helicopter Crash: Report". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
  10. "NBA, sports worlds mourn the death of Kobe Bryant". ESPN.com. January 26, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2020.

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