When Kobe Bryant retired in 2016, he had scored 33,643 points, making him the fourth-leading scorer in the NBA history. He was in third until Jan. 25 when Lebron James passed him. Bryant called James to congratulate him and even posted the same message on his social media.
The next day, Bryant was gone. The sports world and beyond were shocked and saddened by the news that the helicopter he was taking to his daughter’s basketball tournament crashed in the hills near Calabasas, Calif. All nine people on board, including Bryant’s daughter Gianna, were killed.
The news predictably rocked the NBA. A titan of the game of basketball, Bryant leaves behind a remarkable legacy for many reasons. He’s remembered as a fierce competitor who earned five NBA championship a record 18 straight All-Star Game selections and four All-Star Game MVP Awards. His life was not without controversy, and even as the arc of his basketball career seemed almost mapped out, his personal journey was anything but.
Read ahead for some of Bryant’s significant moments that shaped him into one of the greatest players in basketball history.
Kobe Bryant’s Childhood
Born in Philadelphia in 1978, Bryant spent much of his childhood in Italy, watching his father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, play professional basketball there. He returned to the US in 1991 for high school and gained national attention for his undeniable talent in basketball.
Draft Day Trade That Changed the NBA History
Bryant joined the NBA in 1996. He entered the NBA Draft straight from Lower Merion High School at 17 years old. At the time, he was only the second player to make the jump over the previous 20 years, joining Kevin Garnett.
The Charlotte Hornets selected Bryant 13th in the draft, but a trade had already been arranged to ship Bryant to the Lakers, with whom he signed a three-year contract for $3.5 million.
Start of Lakers Dynasty
For his first two seasons after joining the league, 18-year old Bryant came off the Lakers bench. By his third year, he joined the starting lineup and established himself as a star in the league.
With Shaquille O’Neal playing as center and him in shooting guard position, the Los Angeles Lakers proceeded to defeat the Indiana Pacers. This was the first of three straight NBA championships during the Bryant-O’Neal era.
By his fifth season, Bryant truly entered his prime, upping his scoring average to 28.5 from 22.5. It was also during this time when the Lakers won the 2001 NBA championship against the Philadelphia 76ers.
A season, a Western Conference semifinals loss and some in-team rift later, the Lakers rebuilt their roster for the 2003-04 season. However, the team still lost to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals that season in one of the biggest upsets in league history.
Issues and Controversies
Being a fierce athlete especially in his early NBA days, Bryant did not retire without getting involved in a number of rifts with other players. Perhaps the most popular of them all was his conflict with his former Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal.
Bryant reprimanded O’Neal for not playing hard enough and a simmering power struggle between the two All-Stars overflowed. Following the loss to the Pistons, O’Neal accused the Lakers of prioritizing Bryant’s requests ahead of his. He then demanded a trade, which the Lakers granted sending the All-Star center to the Miami Heat for a package that included Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, and Bryan Grant. The next day, Bryant signed a 7-year, $136 million deal to remain with the Lakers following free-agent overtures by the rival Clippers.
Aside from this, Bryant’s career was also followed by a rape allegation from a 2003 incident in Colorado. Bryant claimed it was consensual, while the accuser described it as otherwise. A year later, prosecutors dropped charges after the accuser declined to testify. Bryant and the accuser reached an agreement in 2005.
Image Rehab On and Off Court
After the settlement, Nike brought Bryant back into the forefront of its campaigns. He also dropped his No. 8 jersey in exchange for No. 24, a speculated image rehabilitation move.
This turbulent time also saw the Lakers struggle on the court as they failed to make the playoffs in the 2004-05 season for the first time in Bryant’s career.
But the 2007-08 season marked a new beginning for Bryant and the Lakers. He won his only league MVP that season, averaging 28.3 points. The LA team then beat the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals the next season and repeated in 2010 in a seven-game Finals victory over the Celtics for Bryant’s fifth and final championship. He was named Finals MVP of both championships he won alongside Pau Gasol.
Kobe Bryant’s Numbers and Life After Retirement
On his final game with the league, Bryant scored 60 points, a fitting finish to a stellar career. Over 20 seasons –all of them with the Lakers -Bryant tallied five championships, 18 All-Star appearances, 15 All-NBA honors, 12 All-Defensive Team honors, two scoring titles, two Finals MVP trophies, and one league MVP trophy. His 81-point effort against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 is the second-highest individual scoring performance in NBA history.
Off-court and since his retirement, Bryant won an Oscars for writing the animated short “Dear Basketball,” based on a poem he wrote about his love of the game. At 41, he’s also launched a production company, built a sports academy, and became a vocal champion of women’s sports.
Kobe’s Legacy
Kobe Bryant’s sudden death is one of the great tragedies in the history of sports. His fellow NBA players and wept publicly. Murals of him and his daughter appeared in various US states. In Los Angeles, thousands gathered to light a candle outside the Staples Center. Since Jan 26th, checking social media platforms became synonymous with seeing tributes to him and his daughter Gigi from people all around the world.
His legacy indeed is a complicated one, but his achievements cannot be denied. Even his most fervent basketball critics grant him his spot among the all-time greats. He inspired countless of aspiring basketball players and served as a role model for many of the NBA’s young players today.
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