By the time he returns to the team lodge across the street, a lot of the gamers are hanging out on the lodge lobby bar. Kobe spent his 20-year career with the Lakers the place he won five NBA championships. His different accomplishments embrace surpassing Michael Jordan for third place on the NBA all-time scoring list in December 2014 and profitable an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball in 2018. On January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter have been among a gaggle traveling to a ladies basketball game in a helicopter when it crashed, killing all nine people aboard. Bryant rejoined the nationwide group for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Shortly afterward, Bryant was a half of the memorial service to honor friend and music celebrity Michael Jackson. The following year, the Lakers gained their second straight title by defeating the Celtics. The classic card-collecting mode is back and loaded with countless hours of customizable fun. Draw from the past and present using today’s All-Stars and all-time legends to form a squad capable of dominating single player and multiplayer modes.

But maybe Bryant’s most mythological moment came in how he responded to a probably career-altering injury. But being a “great friend” is something I will never be. A nice friend will call you daily and keep in mind your birthday. I’ll get so wrapped up in my shit, I’ll by no means remember that stuff. And the people who are my pals perceive this, and they’re normally the identical means. But the sort of relationships you see in movies—that’s unimaginable for me.

After finishing 50–32 in the regular season, the Lakers floundered in the playoffs and lost in the Western Conference semi-finals in six video games to the eventual NBA champions San Antonio Spurs. The son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, he was born in Philadelphia and partly raised in Italy. As a rookie, Bryant earned a reputation as a high-flyer by profitable the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, and was named an All-Star by his second season. In the 1996 Western Conference Semifinals with the sport on the line, Bryant shot four airballs to the chagrin of his teammates and Laker followers. He later recounted in his "Muse" documentary that when he obtained again to Los Angeles, he went to a close-by highschool, and spent the complete day capturing within the health club. It was a defining second that modified the trajectory of his profession with him popping out stronger the following season.

The subsequent day, the Lakers performed their first recreation after the crash against the Trail Blazers. James also delivered a speech to the gang before the game, and each participant within the Lakers beginning lineup was introduced with Bryant's name. The sport was the second-most-watched in ESPN history, averaging 4.41 million viewers. Through his first sixteen seasons, his body was resilient, and he exhibited a high ache threshold whereas typically playing through injuries.

This brought on Bryant to overlook some games due to court docket appearances or attend court earlier within the day and journey to play games later in similar day. Bryant made two buzzer beaters to win the sport and the Pacific Division title. At the tip of the fourth quarter, Bryant made a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to send it into extra time. The sport eventually went to a second extra time, in which Bryant made one other 3-pointer as time expired to carry the Lakers past the Blazers, 105–104. Kobe Bryant is legendary for being top-of-the-line basketball players in the history of the NBA.

The Brooklyn rapper sat down with The Starting Five podcast on Saturday , the place he fondly remembered the NBA great as the host talked about basketball trend in Hip Hop . HISTORY.com works with a variety of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are frequently reviewed and up to date by the HISTORY.com group.

Jackson utilized the triangle offense he used to win six championships with the Chicago Bulls, which might help each Bryant and O'Neal rise to the elite class of the NBA. The three resulting championships received consecutively in 2000, 2001, and 2002 further proved such a fact. Bryant is the all-time main scorer in Lakers franchise history.