[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). Before the trade agreement, the Hornets never considered drafting Bryant. [166] He said, "It's been a long ride. [259] The Lakers finished the season at 4537, good for seventh in the West. This included leading the team in assists per game and steals per game. [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. Firefighters work the scene of a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California where Kobe Bryant and eight others died. On December 17, Bryant matched his season high of 21 points in a 9692 win over Memphis, but he suffered a lateral tibial plateau fracture in his left knee that was expected to sideline him for six weeks. [38] During his junior year, he averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 3.8 blocks and 2.3 steals[40] and was named Pennsylvania Player of the Year while also earning a fourth-team Parade All-American nomination,[41][42] attracting attention from college recruiters in the process. [521] Initial reports indicated that the helicopter crashed in the hills above Calabasas in heavy fog. Check It Out. [181] In a game against the Knicks on February 2, 2009, Bryant scored 61 points, setting a record for the most points scored at Madison Square Garden. Reportedly Bryant's parents had problems with him marrying so young, especially to a woman who was not African-American. ESPN Says It Was Someone on Inside With the Initials Kobe Bryant", "Phil Jackson's new book focuses a lot on (who else?) [382] He was the Lakers' all-time leading scorer, and his five titles are tied for the most in franchise history. Bryant was also the first choice for the role of Jesus Shuttlesworth in Spike Lee's 1998 film He Got Game, but he turned down the role, saying "this summer is too big for me. Mr. Harding was employed to Secure World Security Company. [73], The 199899 season marked Bryant's emergence as a premier guard in the league. [479], In 2011, Bryant was featured in Taiwanese singer Jay Chou's single "The Heaven and Earth Challenge" (, pronounced "Tian Di Yi Dou"). [237] He returned three games before the end of the regular season. However, Bryant's lawyers asked the auction house to return the items. [306] Prior to announcing his retirement, he had been steadfast about not wanting the fuss of a staged farewell tour, preferring to hear boos instead of cheers. Monsky asked Kobe who the best point guard is he ever played with and Kobe jokingly said Monsky was the best with Nash in a close second. [197], On April 2, 2010, Bryant signed a three-year contract extension worth $87million. [162][163] This record has since been broken by LeBron James. [178] Bryant led the team to tie the franchise record for most wins to start the season going 172,[179] and by the middle of December they compiled a 213 record. On January 28 while attempting to draw contact on a potential game-winning jump shot, he flailed his arm, striking San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginbili in the face with his elbow. dummy help@azsecuritygroup.com. [150] Bryant finished the year with a total of ten 50-plus point games, surpassed only by Chamberlain. had 23. . 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. [205] Bryant said that this was the most satisfying of all of his five championships. [46][50] In 1996, Bryant took R&B singer Brandy to her Hollywood High senior prom. [210] On January 30 against the Celtics, he became the youngest player to score 27,000 points. The ordinary brown brick building, tucked within a nondescript block on a street in Delaware, would probably not garner much . [538] In May 2020, the Mamba Sports Academy was renamed to Sports Academy out of respect for Bryant. 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. [145] Later, on March 6, he seemed to repeat the motion, this time striking Minnesota Timberwolves guard Marko Jari. [16][17] His middle name, Bean, was derived from his father's nickname "Jellybean". [65] Bryant's performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight. [144] On March 7, the NBA handed Bryant his second one-game suspension. He did not say how many pages had been written or whether the book had a title. [83] He also threw an alley-oop pass to O'Neal to clinch the game and the series. The two began dating and became engaged six months later in May 2000,[406] while Laine was still a senior at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California. The story of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan sharing the court the last time on March 28, 2003, when the kid scored 55 points and the G.O.A.T. In addition to the trading cards, there are baseball . [173] The Lakers won the next game as well, but dropped Games 3 and 4, even with Bryant putting up 33.5 points per game. [460] After promoting Nike's Hyperdunk shoes, Bryant came out with the fourth edition of his signature line by Nike, the Zoom Kobe IV. "[168] In addition to winning his MVP award, Bryant was the only unanimous selection to the All-NBA team on May 8, 2008, for the third straight season and sixth time in his career. He did everything well beyond well. [261] Bryant had surgery on April 13 to repair the tear, and it was estimated he would miss six to nine months. Due to an ectopic pregnancy, Vanessa suffered a miscarriage in the spring of 2005. [196] Two weeks later, he made his sixth game-winning shot of the season, against the Toronto Raptors. Bryant's mother received $450,000 from the auction house for the items, and contended Bryant had given her the rights to the items he had remaining in her home. [27][28] Bryant began to play basketball seriously while living in Reggio Emilia. [25] Sony abandoned plans for the album, which was never released, and dropped Bryant later that year. ", Celtics general manager Jan Volk on Kobe Bryant during a pre-draft workout in 1996. After the draft, the trade was put in jeopardy when Divac threatened to retire rather than be traded from Los Angeles. A fourth novel, The Wizenard Series: Season One, was released posthumously in March 2020. But Bryant only embodied his Black Mamba persona years after he moved out of . Fans were upset at the omission, especially as actors Naya Rivera and Chadwick Boseman had been featured prominently in both;[543][544][545][546] after Rivera and Boseman's unexpected deaths in July and August 2020 respectively, the three young black celebrities were popularly compared. [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. including a pair of sneakers worn and signed by the late NBA great Kobe Bryant. "Not bad for the seventh-best player in the league", said Bryant, referring to a preseason ESPN ranking of the NBA's top players. The all-time leading scorer in Lakers history, Bryant was the first guard in NBA history to play 20 seasons. [23] When Bryant was six, his father retired from the NBA and moved his family to Rieti in Italy to continue playing professional basketball. Bryant did not feel he was deserving of the selection, and some likened it to a career achievement award for his past performance. Its goals are "helping young people in need, encouraging the development of physical and social skills through sports and assisting the homeless". [412] The birth resulted in a reconciliation between Bryant and his parents. The son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, he was born in Philadelphia and partly raised in Italy. [502][503] During his lifetime, Bryant granted over two hundred requests for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Afterward, Bryant co-founded an independent record label, Heads High Entertainment, but it folded within a year. "[301], At the time of his announcement, he was second on the team in minutes (30.8) behind Jordan Clarkson and leading the team with 16.7 field goal attempts per game, while averaging just 15.7 points and shooting a career-low 31.5 percent. Bryant's four NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards are tied with Bob Pettit for the most in NBA history. Bryant's 15.4 points per game was the highest of any non-starter in the season. They easily swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. [207] The Lakers started the 201011 season by winning their first eight games. [175] The Lakers then lost to the Boston Celtics in six games.[176]. [33], Bryant also learned to play soccer, and his favorite soccer team was A.C. [352][377] Players including Kevin Durant,[378] Dirk Nowitzki,[379] Dwyane Wade,[313] and Derrick Rose called Bryant their generation's version of Jordan. (Chicago Tribune)", "Los Angeles Lakers at Sacramento Kings Box Score, May 13, 2001", "Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers Box Score, January 14, 2002", "Lou Williams-led 76ers spoil Kobe Bryant's milestone night", "Love him or not, Kobe Bryant a Philly player", "Bryant's heroics, deference pay off for Lakers", "Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs May 12, 2002 Game Summary", "San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers Box Score, October 29, 2002", "Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers Box Score, November 1, 2002", "NBA Single Game Leaders and Records for 3-Pt Field Goals", "NBA Playoffs 2003 Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs", "Lakers Sign Free Agents Gary Payton and Karl Malone", "Kobe Bryant Arrested For Alleged Sexual Assault", "Bryant's, Lakers' survival go hand in hand", "Minnesota Timberwolves (1) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (2)", "It's Official: Shaq traded to Heat for three players, draft pick", "Coach and Star Savor Success in Collaboration", "Off the Dribble: Bryant Now Deals with Mediocrity", Kobe 'upset' about Malone's comments to wife, "Basketball: Kobe Bryant Profile and Information", "Eighty-One! It might seem shocking that Kobe Bryant leads all shooting guards for the most rebounds in the regular season by a shooting guard. [394] In the 2008 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. men's basketball team, occasionally referred to as "The Redeem Team". Nearly one year later, the facts . In 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault;[9] with the alleged victim being a 19-year-old hotel employee. Bryant suffered multiple injuries throughout the season and as a result, missed nine games. [211] On February 1, 2011, Bryant became one of seven players with at least 25,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, and 5,000 assists. Mark J. Terrill, The Associated Press. In the airline's latest commercial, the duo competes to win the attention of a young boy. The single debuted in January 2000, and was performed at NBA All-Star Weekend that month; the song was not well received. [21], Bryant and his wife Vanessa were founding donors of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, with Bryant also donating his uniform he that he wore in the 2008 NBA Finals, the year he was named the league MVP. [364][365] A fierce competitor, Bryant made opponents and teammates alike the objects of his scorn. A year ago, Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others boarded a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter at John Wayne Airport in Orange County. Follow Kobe Bryant On: Quotes By Kobe Bryant | Quote Of The Day | Top 100 Quotes In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz in five games and the Houston Rockets in seven games in the opening two rounds. Doesn't surprise me one bit. Entering the fourth quarter, Bryant outscored the entire Mavericks team 6261, the only time a player has done this through three quarters since the introduction of the shot clock. Kobe would work at the games as a ball and mop boy and would practice shooting at halftime, with Douglas sharing, "At every one of our games at halftime, it was the Kobe show. A few other guards recently played into their late 30s. After finishing 5032 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. [38] Bryant became the first freshman in decades to start for Lower Merion's varsity team, but the team finished with a 420 record. Bryant shot four air balls at the end of the game; the Jazz won 9893 in overtime to eliminate the Lakers 41. [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. 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. The initial investment was a 10% stake in the Bodyarmor SuperDrink company for $6 million in March 2014. [531][532][533], The NBA had postponed the Lakers' game against the Clippers just two days after the accident on January 28the first time an NBA game was postponed for any reason since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing led to the postponement of a Celtics game. 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