[521] Initial reports indicated that the helicopter crashed in the hills above Calabasas in heavy fog. Playing without Bryant, the Lakers were swept in four games by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. (Beckett/BAS & PSA/DNA LOAs)", "As Kobe returns home, his old coach urges Philadelphia to give him proper sendoff", "Kobe may already be the greatest Laker ever and he's not done yet", "Wilkins Honored as One of 35 Greatest McDonald's All Americans", "How Kobe Bryant almost became Boston Celtic", "Lakers' trade for Bryant has been misconstrued", "Kobe Bryant Will Retire With Record $680 Million In Career Earnings", "Kobe Bryant's farewell season has been painful to watch", "How Kobe, LeBron and other NBA stars fared in Summer League debuts", "The Youngest NBA Basketball Player Records", "Kobe Bryant: Perfect time for All-Star break as 'everything' aches", "Kobe Bryant's 'airball game' in 1997 was as defining moment in his career", "NBA Playoffs; A Dilemma for Kobe; NBA playoffs: The Lakers can still go small with Bryant in the frontcourt, but it could come at a price against the bigger Schrempf", "Basketball: N.B.A. [438][439][440], Bryant was a lifelong fan of his hometown NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles. [41] Duke, Michigan, North Carolina and Villanova were at the top of his list. [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. However, The New York Times called his leading of the Lakers back into playoff contention "perhaps some of the finest work of his career. [53], "If you closed your eyes and thought a little bit, you might have thought you were watching Michael Jordan. Kobe Unveils Investment Fund With Business Partner Jeff", "Sports Academy retires 'Mamba' name out of respect to Kobe Bryant", "Legendary photographer Andrew Bernstein talks collaboration with Kobe Bryant on Mamba Mentality", "Author deletes children's book co-written with Kobe Bryant", "Kobe Bryant brought sports to page, podcast and film through Costa Mesa production company Granity Studios", "Kobe Bryant Book For Children And Young Adults Hits No. [126][127] Chamberlain, playing in an era when the games were paced faster and scoring opportunities were more plentiful,[127][128] accounted for 59 percent of his team's points in Philadelphia's 169147 win, compared to Bryant scoring 66 percent of the Lakers' 122 points. Kobe Bryant Stats and news - NBA stats and news on Los Angeles Lakers Forward-Guard Kobe Bryant. The academy established locations in Thousand Oaks and Redondo Beach, California. [196] Two weeks later, he made his sixth game-winning shot of the season, against the Toronto Raptors. [192] He continued his dominant clutch plays making yet another game-winning three-pointer against the Sacramento Kings,[193] and what would be the game-winning field goal against the Boston Celtics. [11], Bryant died, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, in 2020. Regarding his injury, he stated, "I would prefer to delay any surgical procedure until after our Lakers season, and this summer's Olympic Games. Bryant had grown close with D'Antoni during their time with Team USA. [453] Bryant's other, earlier endorsements included deals with The Coca-Cola Company to endorse their Sprite soft drink, appearing in advertisements for McDonald's, promoting Spalding's new NBA Infusion Ball, Upper Deck, Italian chocolate company Ferrero SpA's brand Nutella, Russell Corporation,[454] and appearing on his own series of video games by Nintendo. [383] He also won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1997 and was its youngest winner. [329], On June 23, 2008, he was named to the USA Men's Senior National Team for the 2008 Summer Olympics. [239], The Lakers in 201213 acquired center Dwight Howard and point guard Steve Nash. After the draft, the trade was put in jeopardy when Divac threatened to retire rather than be traded from Los Angeles. Player Responds to Kobe Bryant", "Bryant to appeal $100K fine for slur, but takes responsibility", "Kobe Bryant, Lakers teammates appear in PSA touting diversity", "Dallas Mavericks sweep Lakers from NBA playoffs", "Yankees say A-Rod had shoulder treatment, too", "Lakers' Kobe Bryant won't give in to age", "Chris Paul-led Clips win L.A. clash despite Kobe Bryant's 42", "NBA Recap Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs Apr 20, 2012", "Kobe Bryant chooses not to go for NBA scoring title", "Bryant Raises Bar, but Thunder Clear It Easily", "Chris Paul, Clippers deal Lakers third straight loss to open season", "The Lakers Change Direction and Hire D'Antoni as Coach", "Mike D'Antoni to be next coach of the Lakers", "Kobe Bryant (30 pts. [138][139] After the Lakers' season ended, Bryant said on TNT that he wanted 24 as a rookie, but it was unavailable as it was worn by George McCloud, as was 33, retired with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. [330] This was his first time going to the Olympics. including a pair of sneakers worn and signed by the late NBA great Kobe Bryant. [458] Bryant was also the cover athlete for NBA '07: Featuring the Life Vol. [13], Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia,[14] the youngest of three children and the only son of Pamela Cox Bryant and former NBA player Joe Bryant. [73], The 199899 season marked Bryant's emergence as a premier guard in the league. I'm very proud to represent this organization, to represent this city. [495], Beginning in 2018, Bryant wrote, produced and hosted the television series Detail, which aired for multiple seasons on ESPN and ESPN+. [25] In 1999, Bryant appeared on a remix of "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child on the Maxi single version of the song. [519] The group was traveling to Camarillo Airport in Ventura County for a basketball game at Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks. Reportedly Bryant's parents had problems with him marrying so young, especially to a woman who was not African-American. [58] Bryant signed a three-year rookie contract totaling $3.5 million.[59]. Bryant was drafted out of high school by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick in 1996, then was traded to the Lakers. He said his faith and a priest helped him through difficult times, such as the period following his accusation of rape. [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. He performed at a 1997 concert by Sway & King Tech and recorded a verse for a remix of Brian McKnight's "Hold Me". [79] The Lakers became championship contenders behind the center-guard combination of Bryant and O'Neal. [359][360][361], Bryant was also lauded for his relentless work ethic, dubbed the "Mamba mentality". [34][35] During summers, Bryant would come back to the United States to play in a basketball summer league. In all, $200 million in collectibles are stored in two vaults . Rare Pikachu, Kobe's sneakers a hidden vault guards it all. [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. [102] This caused Bryant to miss some games due to court appearances or attend court earlier in the day and travel to play games later on the same day. [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. [g] Phil Jackson, who coached Bryant for many years, stated that Bryant "tends to force the action, especially when the game isn't going his way. "[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. 1,126 Security Guards jobs available in Tempe, AZ on Indeed.com. [206], Bryant wanted a sixth championship to match Jordan's total. [437] Before the scheduled trial, a settlement was reached allowing the auction house the sale of less than 10% of the items. Bryant admitted to an adulterous sexual encounter with his accuser but denied her sexual assault allegation. [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. [244] On December 18, in a 101100 win over the Charlotte Bobcats, Bryant scored 30+ points in his seventh consecutive game, the longest streak by an NBA player after turning 34 years old; it was the fourth-longest such streak in his career. [88] Once again, Bryant led the team in assists, with five per game. However, the Lakers were able to beat their division rivals and make their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance. [245] His streak would be snapped at 10 on December 28 in a 10487 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, when he scored 27 points, sitting out the whole fourth quarter. Bryant scored the winning shot to put the Lakers ahead 120118. [491], In 2018, Bryant became the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and the first former professional athlete to be nominated and to win an Academy Award in any category for his film Dear Basketball. [100], In the following season, the Lakers were able to acquire NBA All-Stars Karl Malone and Gary Payton to make another push at the NBA championship. Games. [159] Bryant was later shown in an infamous amateur video saying that center Andrew Bynum should have been traded for All-Star Jason Kidd. He gave himself the nickname "Black Mamba" in the mid-2000s, and the epithet became widely adopted by the general public. [395] He won another gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. [266] Bryant's contract became a polarizing topic, with detractors arguing that stars should take less money to allow their team more financial freedom, while supporters countered that the NBA's biggest stars were being paid less than their true value. The following day, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner stated that the official cause of death for him and the eight others on the helicopter was blunt force trauma. During the season, Bryant signed a six-year contract extension worth $70million. "[490], Bryant was the subject of Spike Lee's 2009 documentary film Kobe Doin' Work, which chronicled Bryant during the 200708 NBA season. [444], 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. [525], The Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and the FBI[518] launched investigations into the crash. [322], Bryant declined to play in the 2000 Olympics because he was getting married in the off-season. [63][64] Initially, Bryant played limited minutes, but as the season continued, he began to see some more playing time. [116] During the season, Bryant also engaged in public feuds with Malone and Ray Allen. [358] However, some critics have suggested that Bryant's defensive accolades in his later years were based more on his reputation than his actual play. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Irving . [309][310][311][312] Previously, Bryant was respected but not beloved,[313][314] and he was astonished at the cheers he was now receiving. [95] At age 23, Bryant became the youngest player to win three championships. He continued to be among the premier players in the league through the 201213 season, when he suffered a torn achilles tendon at age 34. [12] A number of tributes and memorials were subsequently issued, including renaming the All-Star MVP Award in his honor. [492] The film also won the Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject and a Sports Emmy Award. [464] In 2010, Bryant was ranked third behind Tiger Woods and Jordan in Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid athletes with $48million. The all-time leading scorer in Lakers history, Bryant was the first guard in NBA history to play 20 seasons. [38][39] The following three years, the Aces compiled a 7713 record, with Bryant playing all five positions. The #BlackMamba @KobeBryant is in the building!. 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