Kobe Bryant was one of the most renowned basketball players in history, transcending the sport to become a successful entrepreneur and Oscar winner.
Bryant, 41, was died in a helicopter accident with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people in Calabasas, California, on Sunday.
He spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, becoming one of the most well-known individuals in the United States.
Kobe Bryant, a double Olympic champion and 18-time NBA All-Star, retired from basketball in 2016, but his tale did not end there.
He founded a multimedia original content firm and received an Academy Award for Best Short Animated Film for ‘Dear Basketball’ in 2018.
Bryant was born in Philadelphia in August 1978 to father Joe, an eight-year NBA veteran, and mother Pam.
His parents called him after the famed steak from Japan’s Kobe area, which they allegedly saw on a restaurant menu. His middle name, Bean, is taken from his father’s nickname, ‘Jellybean’.
Bryant lived in Italy for eight years, from the ages of six to fourteen, while his father played in the Italian Basketball League.
But the Lakers – he said his loyalty to its player Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson had made them his favorite team – appeared an unavoidable destination following a successful high school career.
Bryant was the all-time top scorer in the history of South Eastern Pennsylvania basketball and entered the NBA right out of high school.
In June 1996, the Charlotte Hornets chose him with the 13th choice in the first round of the NBA draft, and he was traded to the Lakers within a week.
Bryant, a 6’6″ guard, became the NBA’s youngest player at the time, at the age of 18 years, two months, and eleven days.
“I was a scrawny kid,” Bryant said in a 2010 interview with ESPN.
“I knew for me to get any type of edge whatsoever I had to be more prepared than the person I was matching up against.”
Bryant’s self-determination and desire to succeed helped him swiftly establish himself in the harsh atmosphere of NBA basketball.
The accolades and medals poured in as the Chicago Bulls’ 1990s domination, spearheaded by Michael Jordan, gave way to Lakers supremacy in the new century.
Between 2000 and 2002, the Lakers won three consecutive NBA titles, with Bryant averaging more than 25 points per game and a career-high 46.9 percent shooting.
In 2002, he was selected All-Star MVP for the first time, a feat he repeated in 2007, 2009, and 2011.
“It’s very difficult for teams to double me in the post because of the amount of talent we have,” Bryant said of his scoring abilities.
“If I’m sitting on the perimeter guys can trap and zone up, but if I catch it down on the block, with the fakes I have and the ability I have to shoot, I’m going to give you fits.”
Bryant’s image was tarnished in 2003 when he was accused with the sexual assault of a 19-year-old hotel employee.
He lost valuable endorsements as a consequence, but prosecutors dropped the case after the accuser refused to testify during the trial.
Bryant eventually apologized for the incident, claiming that he felt the interaction was consensual, and a related legal complaint against him was resolved confidentially.
Bryant maintained his dominance on the floor. In 2006, he scored 81 points in a 122-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors and earned a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing as a member.
