Kobe Bryant (1978-2020)

Kobe Bryant (1978-2020)

Being a shooting guard for 20 years, he exhibited a lot of talent and athleticism. He was a total competitor. In the midst of any basketball game, he showed no fear on the court. Kobe Bryant played basketball against the best NBA Players in human history like Lebron James, Dwayane Wade, the GOAT Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson, and other human beings. Plus, he held his own. Kobe Bryant's contributions existed beyond basketball as well. He worked on entertainment, education, teamwork, technological development, and other endeavors. Kobe Bryant publicly spoke out against police brutality (after being encouraged by heroic people like Jemele Hill) and helped so many lives behind the scenes. He encouraged his daughter Gianni to be the best basketball player possible (in showing the message that fathers helping their daughters achieve their aspirations is always a blessing). From his time in Philadelphia to California, his lifelong legacy consisted of growth, strength, perseverance, and achieving excellence at such a young age. From August 28, 1978 to January 26, 2020, Kobe worked hard to promote his best life after 41 years on this Earth. This work is about outlining his life, his accomplishments, his lessons, and his positive evolution as a basketball player and as a man. He loved his wife Vanessa and his daughters unconditionally. Now, it is the perfect time to make manifest the truth. Many people know of his 5 NBA Championships, his 2 NBA Finals MVPs, his 2 Olympic gold medals, and his retired 8 plus 24 jerseys for the Los Angeles Lakers. Others may not know about his philanthropy, literature, and other things that he did outside the court that made other people's lives better. As a very intelligent person, he organized programs to assist the youth, he was multilingual, and he planned more for the world. Now, he belongs to the ages as an icon of humanity.

Early Life

Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the youngest of three children. His father was the former NBA player Joe Bryant and his mother is Pamela Cox Bryant. He was the maternal nephew of basketball player John Cox. His parents named him after the famous Kobe beef of Japan that they saw in a restaurant. Kobe's middle name was Bean after his father's nickname of "Jellybean." A lot of people don't know that Kobe Bryant was Roman Catholic, and his parents are Roman Catholic. By the time that he was 3, Kobe played basketball. When he grew up, his favorite team was the Los Angeles Lakers. His father retired from the NBA when he was six. His father moved his family to Rieti, Italy to continue his basketball career in a lower level. After 2 years, the family moved to Reggio Calabria and then to Pisoia plus Reggio Emilia. During this time, Kobe Bryant spoke Italian fluently. He adjusted to his surroundings. Kobe loved the place of Reggio Emilia. At that place, he made a decision to place basketball on a serious level. That is why his grandfather would mail him NBA games for Kobe Bryant to study.

Kobe Bryant played soccer and A.C. Milan was his favorite soccer player. During the summer time, he would go to the States to play in a basketball summer league. His family moved back to Philadelphia when he was 13 years old. Kobe Bryant's high school basketball career was extraordinary. He gained national attention. He played at Lower Merion High School at Ardmore, which is a Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. As a freshman, he was on the varsity team. He was the first freshman in decades to start for Lower Merion's varsity team. Yet, the team finished with a 4-20 record. That would change. During the next 3 years, the Aces had a 77-3 record. Bryant played all five positions. During his junior year, he averaged 31.1 points a game, 20.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. He was named Pennsylvania Player of the Year and earned a fourth team Parade All-American nomination. Many recruiters from Duke, Michigan, North Carolina and Villanova wanted him to play for their colleges. This was after Kevin Garnett came into the 1995 NBA Draft. Then, Kobe Bryant later decided to go into the NBA.

At the Adidas ABCD Camp, Bryant earned the 1995 senior MVP award. He played alongside future NBA teammate Lamar Odom. During high school, then 76ers coach John Lucas invited Kobe Bryant to work out and scrimmage with the team. He played one on one with Jerry Stackhouse. During his senior year of high school, Bryant led the Aces to their first state championship in 53 years. During the run, he averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4 steals, and 3.8 blocked shots in leading the Aces to a 31–3 record. 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. During his senior year at Lower Merion, he received many awards for his outstanding skills. He was named Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Men's National Basketball Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American, a first team Parade All-American and a USA Today All-USA First Team player. Bryant's varsity coach, Greg Downer, commented that he was a "complete player who dominates." He praised his work ethic, even as team's top player. In 1996, Bryant took the  singer Brandy to his senior prom. The 17 year old Bryant to make the decision to go directly into the NBA combing only the 6th player in NBA History to do so. The news was met with much publicity. His basketball skills and SAT score of 1080 would have made him admissible to any college that he wanted. He didn't visit any campuses officially. In 2012, Bryant was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald's All-Americans.

The NBA

By the 1996 NBA Draft, he was in a new era. Before the draft, he worked out in Los Angeles. He scrimmaged against former Lakers players Larry Drew and Michael Cooper. According to then Lakers manager Jerry West, Kobe Bryant defeated these basketball players badly. 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. Bill Branch, the Charlotte Hornets' head scout at the time, said that the Hornets agreed to trade their draft selection at #13 to the Lakers the day before the draft. Before the trade agreement, the Hornets never considered drafting Bryant. During the draft, the Lakers told the Hornets whom to select minutes before the pick was made.  Bryant was the first guard drafted directly out of high school. After the draft, the trade was put in jeopardy when Divac threatened to retire rather than be traded from Los Angeles. 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. Since Bryant was still 17 at the time, his parents had to cosign his contract with the Lakers until he was able to sign his own when he turned 18 before the season began. Bryant signed a three-year rookie contract totaling $3.5 million.

Kobe Bryant debuted at the professional level in the Summer Pro League in Long Beach, California. He scored 25 points in front of standing room only crowd. Defenders struggled to stop him. His performance made then Lakers coach Del Harris become happy. Kobe scored 36 points in the finale. He finished with averages of 24.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in 4 games. As a rookie in the NBA, Kobe Bryant (in the 1996-1997 season) mostly came of the bench. He was behind the guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Excel. During the time, he was the youngest player ever to play in an NBA games (being 18 years and 72 days. This record was broken by Jermaine O'Neal and former teammate Andrew Bynum). He was the youngest NBA starter being only 18 years old and 158 days. At first, Kobe played in limited minutes. He saw more playing time as the season went on. By the end of his rookie season, he averaged 15.5 minutes a game. During the All-Star weekend, Kobe Bryant was in the Rookie Challenge and won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. He was the youngest dunk champion at the age of 18. Kobe was on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight. The Lakers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals in the playoffs against the Utah Jazz when Bryant was pressed into a lead role at the end of Game 5. Byron Scott missed the game. He had a sprained wrist. Robert Horry was ejected for fighting with Utah's Jeff Hornacek. Shaquille O'Neal fouled out with 1:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. Kobe Bryant shot four air balls at the end of the game. The Jazz won 98-93 in overtime to eliminate the Lakers 4-1. He first missed a game winning two point jump shot in the fourth quarter, and then misfired 3 three point field goals in overtime. He missed two tying shots in the last minute. O'Neal said that Kobe Bryant had guts at the time to take shots like that.

Kobe Bryant's 2nd season would be much better. Kobe had more playing time. He showed more of his basketball skills as a player. His point averages came up from 7.6 to 16.4 points per game. He had more minutes. Bryant was the runner-up for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award, and through fan voting, he also became the youngest NBA All-Star starter in NBA history. 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. Bryant's 15.4 points per game was the highest of any non-starter in the season. His second 1997-1998 season was when Michael Jordan had his final year as a Chicago Bull to put it in perspective.

The 1998 NBA All Star Game was very historic. It was held at MSG or Madison Square Garden in New York City. There was the Rookie s Games and the Three Point Shootout. The All Star Game occurred on February 8, 1998. Bob Costas, Isiah Thomas, and Bill Walton hosted the game. It was a celebration of older legendary players (like Karl Malone, Vin Baker, Mitch David Robinson,  Michael Jordan etc.) and the new generation of players (like Antoine Walker, Anfernee Hardway, Kobe Bryant, Eddie Jones, etc.) in that arena. The Western Conference was coached by Seattle Supersonics head coach George Karl, and the Eastern Conference was coached by Indiana head coach Larry Bird. The game featured the debuts of Kobe Bryant and then rookie Tim Duncan. Kobe Bryant made exciting movies, never backed down, and played one on one against Michael Jordan.The East won the game with the score of 135-114. Michael Jordan won the MVP award in the game at the age of almost 35 years old. Jordan had 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists. Kobe Bryant had a team high 18 points. Jeff Hornacek won the 3 point competition. By 1998, Kobe Bryant took the country by storm as the next great, superstar player of the NBA. He was already a great player by this time.

The 1998–99 season marked Bryant's emergence as a premier guard in the league. With starting guards Van Exel and Jones traded, Bryant started every game for the lockout-shortened 50-game season. During the season, Bryant signed a six-year contract extension worth $70 million.This kept him with the Lakers until the end of the 2003–04 season. Even at an early stage of his career, sportswriters were comparing his skills to those of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. The playoff results, however, were no better, as the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Ups and Downs

Kobe Bryant's 1999-2000 would start the first of his three 3-peat Championships as a Los Angeles Laker. Phil Jackson took over as coach of the LA Lakers in 1999. This changed everything. Phil Jackson had the massive experience needed for the young Laker team. Kobe had the talent while Phil Jackson had the coaching experience to allow Kobe to reach into the next level. Shaq and Kobe were a duo who made the championships possible. They are the greatest basketball duo of the 21st century in the NBA. By this time, Kobe Bryant was the premier shooting guards of the NBA. He was a great defensive player too. The Lakers were championship contenders. Jackson used the triangle offense that he used to allow the Chicago Bulls to win 6 Championships. This offensive allowed Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal to rise to the elite class of the NBA. They won rings in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Bryant was sidelined for six weeks prior to the start of the 1999–2000 season due to a hand injury that he had incurred during a preseason game against the Washington Wizards. When Bryant was back and playing over 38 minutes a game, he had an increase in all statistical categories during the 1999–2000 season. This included leading the team in assists per game and steals per game. The duo of O'Neal and Bryant backed with a strong bench led to the Lakers winning 67 games, tied for fifth-most in NBA history. This followed with O'Neal winning the MVP and Bryant being named to the All-NBA Team Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Team for the first time in his career (the youngest player to receive defensive honors).

Shaq, during this time, was in the peak of his career. 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.He also threw an alley-oop pass to O'Neal to clinch the game and the series. In the 2000 Finals, against the Indiana Pacers, Bryant injured his ankle in the second quarter of Game 2 after landing on the Pacers' Jalen Rose's foot. Rose later admitted he placed his foot under Bryant intentionally. Bryant did not return to the game, and he also missed Game 3 due to the injury. In Game 4, Bryant scored 22 points in the second half and led the team to an OT victory as O'Neal fouled out of the game. Bryant scored the winning shot to put the Lakers ahead 120–118. With a 116–111 Game 6 victory, the Lakers won their first championship since 1988.

Statistically, the 2000–01 season saw Bryant perform similarly to the previous year, but he averaged six more points per game (28.5). It was also the year when disagreements between Bryant and O'Neal began to surface. Once again, Bryant led the team in assists, with five per game. The Lakers, however, only won 56 games, an 11-game dropoff from the previous year. The Lakers would respond by going 15–1 in the playoffs. They easily swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. In the semifinals round, the Lakers swept the Sacramento Kings. In Game 4 against the Kings, Bryant recorded 48 points, 16 rebounds and 3 assists in a 119–113 series-clinching win. They swept the San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals to advance to the Finals, before losing their first game against the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime. They would go on to win the next four games and bring their second championship to Los Angeles in as many seasons. During the playoffs, Bryant played heavy minutes which brought his stats up to 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. In the playoffs, teammate O'Neal declared Bryant the best player in the league. Bryant ended up making the All NBA Second team and All NBA Defensive Team for the second year in a row. In addition, he was also voted to start in the NBA All-Star Game for the third year in a row (no game in 1999).

During the 2001-2002 season, Kobe Bryant played 80 games for the first time of his career. He made 56 points on January 14, 2002. He defeated the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 25.2 points, 5.5. rebounds, and 5.5. assists per game. He had a career high 46.95 shooting. He led his team in assists. He won his first All Star MVP trophy after making 31 points in Philadelphia. He made the All-NBA Defensive team again. The Lakers won 58 games. He was suspended one game after he and Reggie Miller fought after the March 1, 2002 victory over the Pacers. The road to the Finals would prove a lot tougher than the record run the Lakers had enjoyed the previous year. While the Lakers swept the Blazers and defeated the Spurs 4–1 in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Lakers did not have home-court advantage against the Sacramento Kings. The series would stretch to seven games, the first time this had happened to the Lakers since the 2000 Western Conference Finals. However, the Lakers were able to beat their division rivals and make their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance. 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. At age 23, Bryant became the youngest player to win three championships. Bryant's play was notable and praised for his performance in the fourth quarter of games, specifically the last two rounds of the playoffs. This cemented Bryant's reputation as a "clutch player."

After the 3-peat, Kobe Bryant would face ups and downs. During the first games of the 2002-2003 season, Kobe Bryant  recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in an 87–82 loss to the visiting Spurs. On November 1, Bryant recorded a triple-double of 33 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in a 108–93 win over the LA Clippers. He also set an NBA record for three-pointers in a game on January 7, 2003, when he made 12 against the Seattle SuperSonics. Bryant averaged 30 points per game and embarked on a historic run, posting 40 or more points in nine consecutive games while averaging 40.6 in the entire month of February. In addition, he averaged 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, all career-highs to that point. Bryant was once again voted to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive first teams, and came in third place in voting for the MVP award. After finishing 50–32 in the regular season, the Lakers floundered in the playoffs and lost in the Western Conference semi-finals in six games to the eventual NBA champions San Antonio Spurs. By the 2003-2004 season, the Lakers gained NBA All-Stars Karl Malone and Gary Payton. They wanted an championship. Before the season started, Kobe Bryant had the sexual assault scandal.  Kobe was accused of raping a woman in Colorado. Kobe Bryant said that he was guilty of adultery not rape. In the final game of the regular season, the Lakers played the Portland Trail Blazers. Bryant made two buzzer-beaters to win the game and the Pacific Division title. At the end of the fourth quarter, Bryant made a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to send it into overtime. The game eventually went to a second overtime, in which Bryant made another three-pointer as time expired to lift the Lakers past the Blazers, 105–104. With a starting lineup of O'Neal, Malone, Payton, and Bryant, the Lakers were able to reach the NBA Finals. However, they were upset in five games by the Detroit Pistons, who won their first championship since 1990. The Pistons back then had Rasheed Wallace and an outstanding defense. In that series, Bryant averaged 22.6 points per game and 4.4 assists. He shot 35.1% from the field. Phil Jackson's contract as coach was not renewed, and Rudy Tomjanovich took over. O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant. The following day, Bryant declined an offer to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers and re-signed with the Lakers, on a seven-year contract.

From 2004 to 2007, the career of Kobe Bryant reached a new era. Even Phil Jackson criticized him in his book The Last Season: A Team in Search of its Soul. Tomjanovich resigned as Lakers coach because of health issues and exhaustion. Frank Hamblen was the coach for a time. Kobe Bryant was having a season in the 2004-2005 season of 27.6 points her game. He missed the playoffs. Kobe had verbal disputes with Karl Malone and Ray Allen during this time. During the 2005-2006 season, Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson reunited as coach and player. The Lakers came into the playoffs. On December 20, 2005, Bryant scored 62 points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks. Entering the fourth quarter, Bryant outscored the entire Mavericks team 62–61, the only time a player has done this through three quarters since the introduction of the shot clock. When the Lakers faced the Miami Heat on January 16, 2006, Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal made headlines by engaging in handshakes and hugs before the game, signifying a change in the feud that had festered between them. That showed that the media-hyped up "feud" was over. A month later, at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, the two were seen laughing together. On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points in a 122–104 victory against the Toronto Raptors. In addition to breaking the previous franchise record of 71 set by Elgin Baylor, Bryant's 81-point game was the second-highest point total in NBA history, surpassed only by Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. Whereas Chamberlain was fed repeatedly by teammates for inside shots in a blowout win, Bryant created his own shot—mostly from the outside—in a game which the Lakers trailed at halftime by 14 and did not pull away until the fourth quarter.

In that same month, Bryant also became the first player since 1964 to score 45 points or more in four consecutive games, joining Chamberlain and Baylor as the only players to do so. For the month of January, Bryant averaged 43.4 points per game, the eighth highest single month scoring average in NBA history and highest for any player other than Chamberlain. By the end of the 2005–06 season, Bryant set Lakers single-season franchise records for most 40-point games (27) and most points scored (2,832).  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.

Kobe Bryant and the Redeem of the 2008 USA Olympic Basketball game came about for one missing. They wanted gold medals, and they fulfilled their goals via grit, talent, and determination. By 2008, Kobe Bryant won NBA MVP Award.  You always have to have a powerful will to achieve your goals. 

Triumphs

Kobe Bryant changed his jersey number form 8 to 24 in the 2006-2007 season. He won the NBA All Star Game in 2007. Throughout the 2006–07 season, his jersey became the top selling NBA jersey in the United States and China. A number of journalists have attributed the improved sales to Bryant's new number, as well as his continuing All-Star performance on the court. The 2007-2008 season would change everything. On December 23, 2007, Bryant became the youngest player (29 years, 122 days) to reach 20,000 points, in a game against the New York Knicks, in Madison Square Garden, after scoring 39 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 8 assists. His record has since been broken by LeBron James. Paul Gasol joined the Lakers and the Lakers made a 57-28 record. In 2008, he was the NBA MVP at the age of 30 years old. In 2008, he lost to the Celtics in six games. In the 2008-2009 season, he would get his ring again. He scored 61 points in Madison Square Garden to be the player with the most points scored at MSG on February 2, 2009. The Lakers had a 65-17 record. He was the runner up to the MVP to Lebron James. Kobe and the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in five games by 2009. He was the NBA Finals MVP. He was the first player since Jordan to average 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists for a title winning team in the finals. He won another championship in 2010 against the Boston Celtics. By this time, he helped the USA Basketball Team to win gold at Beijing in 2008. He was the youngest player to reach 25,000 points at 31 years and 151 days during the seasons surprising Chamberlain. He became the most all time scorer in Lakers history.  In a rematch against the 2008 Champion Boston Celtics, Bryant, despite shooting 6 for 24 from the field, led the Lakers back from a 13-point third-quarter deficit in Game 7 to win the championship; he scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 15 rebounds. Bryant won his fifth championship and earned his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award. This marked the first time the Lakers won a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant said that this was the most satisfying of all of his five championships.

Kobe Bryant won 5 NBA Championships by 2010. Winning NBA Finals is never easy. It takes a team effort and hard work. 

From 2010 to 2016, it would be the final era of Kobe Bryant's NBA career. Kobe wanted 6 championships to match Michael Jordan, but no man is like Michael Jordan. The Lakers won its first 8 games in the 2010-2011 season. He was the youngest player to reach 26,000 points. He was also the youngest player to reach 27,000 points at January of 2010. He won his 4th All Star Game with 37 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 steals. The Dallas Mavericks swept them in the 2nd round of the playoffs. In 2011-2012 season, the Lakers lost to the Thunder with Durant in the playoffs. By December 5, 2012, Kobe was the youngest player to reach 30,000 points at 34 years old and 104 days. Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Karl Malone reached that milestone. His last years had him experiencing injuries like the torn Achilles tendon. He soon was the third leading scorer by 2014. His final season was in the 2015-2016 season. He played 20 years in the NBA. He had the most seasons in the same team surpassing John Stockton's league record of 19 years. Bryant was the fourth NBA player over 37 years old to have at least 35 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a game. His last game was on April 13. Bryant scored 60 points against Utah in his last game. He won it in 101 to 96. He was the oldest player to score 60 points or more in a game at 37 years and 234 days. The NBA legacy of Kobe Bryant is extensive. He was one of the greatest players in NBA history. He was the best player of his generation. He was the 2nd greatest shooting guard of all time after Michael Jordan. He also won the 2008 Summer Olympics at Beijing, China and the 2012 Summer Olympics gold medal in London. The NBA All-Star MVP award is now the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player award in honor of Kobe Bryant.

After the NBA


After Kobe Bryant left the NBA, his life became better. He become more introspective about his life. He continued to care for his wife Vanessa Bryant and his children. The children's names are: Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, Bianka Bella Bryant, Natalia Diamante Bryant, and Capri Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant is close to his two older sisters whose names are Sharia and Shaya. Bryant was a lifelong fan of his hometown NFL team of the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a fan of the soccer teams of Barcelona, AC Milan, and Manchester City. According to Forbes, Kobe Bryant's $680 million in career earning was the most ever by a team athlete during their playing career. By 2018, Kobe Bryant wrote, produced, and hosted a multi-season television series called "Detail" which aired on ESPN and ESPN+. It featured Bryant's insights into the game of basketball and indepth analyses of games plus individual players. He has became a great philanthropist too. He was the official ambassador for After School All-Stars (ASAS). This was an American non-profit organization that gives people after school programs in 13 cities. He has worked with the Soong Ching Ling Foundation to help Chinese people with education and health programs via the Kobe Bryant China Fund. On November 4, 2010, Kobe Bryant was with Zach Braff to present a $1 million check to the Call of Duty Endowment. This was an Activision founded nonprofit organization that helps veterans transition to civilian careers after their military service has ended. He and his wife founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation (KVBFF) to help young people develop physical and social skills. It also helps people involving sports and works to assist the homeless.

Kobe Bryant spoke out in public to help the homeless. Kobe was a founding donor of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. He has granted over 200 hundred requests for the Make A Wish Foundation. Kobe Bryant has worked in capital firm actions in developing businesses, media institutions, gaming, data, and technology with $100 million in funding. He was the first African American in 2018 to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. He was the first former professional athlete to have done so for the film Dear Basketball. He released his book on October 23, 2018 called "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play" with photographs and an afterword by Andrew D. Bernstein. The introduction was made by Phil Jackson and a forward was created by Pau Gasol. It was published by MC/Farrar, Satauss, and Giroux. Just before his passing, he wanted to create children books to inspire the underprivileged children with Brazilian author Paula Coeltho. He co-wrote and produce many adult novels too. The fourth novel was released posthumously from March of 2020.

His Passing

Kobe Bryant last day was very sad. At 9:06 am. Pacific standard time, on January 26, 2020, he left from a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter. It left from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California. The helicopter has 9 people abroad. They include Kobe Bryant, his 13 year old daughter Gianna, 6 family friends, and the pilot. The California Secretary of State business database said that the helicopter was registered to the Fillmore based Island Express Holding Corporation. The people on the aircraft wanted to go to the Camarillo Airport in Ventura County for a basketball game at Bryant's Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks.  Because of the light rain and fog that morning, the Los Angeles Police Department helicopters and most other air traffic were grounded. The flight tracker showed that the helicopter circled above the LA Zoo due to heavy air traffic in the area. At 9:20 am., the pilot contacted the Burbank Airport's control tower. He notified that the tower of the situation and was told he was flying too low to be tracked by radar. At that time, the helicopter experienced extreme fog and turn south towards the mountains. At 9:40 am, the helicopter climbed rapidly from 1,200 to 2,000 feet. It flown at 181 knots or 185 mph. At 9:45 am, the helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain in Calabasas about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It started to burn. Bryant, his daughter, and the other 7 occupants passed away. Witnesses reported hearing a helicopter struggling before the crash. The cause of the crash is unknown now. The helicopter didn't have a black box. The Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and the FBI have all investigated the crash. Bryant's identity was confirmed using fingerprints. The following day, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner stated that the official cause of death for him and eight others on the helicopter was blunt force trauma. Many people mourned nationwide in America and worldwide. It was a very shocking, tragic day.

On February 7, 2020, Kobe Bryant and his daughter were buried in a private funeral in Pacific View Memorial Park in the Coronoa del Mar neighborhood of Newport Beach, California. Their graves were unmarked to protect their privacy. Later, there was a large public memorial service on February 24, 2020. It was held at the Staples Center, which is the Lakers' home arena in downtown Los Angeles. Many people spoke including Vanessa Bryant. I will give great credit to Shaquille O'Neal to honoring Kobe Bryant's parents, because without Kobe's parents, Kobe would not have been what he was. They gave birth to him. Michael Jordan gave an emotional tribute to Kobe with history, facts, personal stories, and humor. The loss of Kobe Bryant and the others in the helicopter should motivate anyone to fight for excellence in their own lives.

Kobe Bryant's Legacy


From his youth to his passing, he always loved basketball. Yet, his life was much bigger than basketball. Kobe Bryant's story is a story of improvement, overcoming obstacles, and promoting excellence in daily life. He transformed a team into a future Championship dynasty never seen before for the Lakers since the 1980's. His 3 peat was done with the help of Shaq and other players too. He competed at a very exceptional level against the best players in NBA history. Kobe was very much brutally honest about how he felt. Every time that he was on the basketball court, he wanted to perform at a high level. After his injuries, he never quit. From his first to last NBA game, he wanted to place everything on the court. Also, he took care of his family. He loved his wife and his children. Kobe reconciled with his parents. Kobe Bryant also worked hard to support the WNBA. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said that Kobe wanted to promote women being involved in athletes. He supported WNBA player Breanna Stewart. WNBA Player Skylar Diggins-Smith remembered Kobe Bryant as a legend too. From watching WNBA Games in the stands to talking with WNBA players, The new generation of WNBA players have fought for criminal justice reform, pay equity, and other legitimate causes like Maya Moore, Neka and Chiney Ogwumike, and Layshia Clarendon. Professional WNBA women's basketball player Talia Calwell wrote an article about Kobe's legacy involving the WNBA on January 27, 2020 entitled, 'Why the WNBA Loved Kobe Bryant." Kobe Bryant respected women's basketball. Many don't know that he was a super intelligent person. He apologized like a man face to face to Trayvon Martin's family about his previous statements. He publicly opposed police brutality. He was involved in many political causes via his own insights. Also, Kobe was willing to learn from others about multiple subjects. In life, you have to learn from other people, because no living human has all of the answers about the complexities of life in general.

By Timothy

 

Kobe Bryant was competitive and made many records. Also, Kobe had an unconditional love for his children. In terms of the NBA, he was the GOAT of his generation. Eight other people passed away as well. We send condolences to these eight people's family and friends. We are reminded how valuable life is.

Rest in Power Brother Kobe Bryant.