Kobe Bryant

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The son of NBA player Joe Bryant and his wife Pam, he was born in Philadelphia and spent part of his childhood in Italy. Bryant played high school basketball at Lower Merion High School outside of Philadelphia. He opted out of college basketball and declared for the 1996 NBA draft. He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick; he was then traded to the Lakers. Following his rookie season, he earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors and won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. He was named an All-Star in his second season. He had a feud with teammate Shaquille O'Neal that was well-documented. Nevertheless, the pair led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. In 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault; the criminal charges were ultimately dismissed. In a related lawsuit, he settled and issued an apology while maintaining that the encounter was consensual. After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was traded and Bryant became the franchise's centerpiece. He led the NBA in scoring in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points, the third most in an NBA game. He adopted the nickname Black Mamba during this time. Bryant won the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, but lost the NBA Finals that same season. He followed the defeat by leading the Lakers to consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, and was named NBA Finals MVP both times. His remaining playing career was hampered by injuries and reduced playing time. He retired after the 2015–16 season. In 2017, the Lakers retired both his jersey numbers: 8 and 24, making him the only NBA player to have multiple numbers retired by one franchise. In 2018, Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball (2017).

In Their Own Story

In December 2019, a video captured Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna sitting courtside at a Brooklyn Nets game. They were seen talking intensely while watching the action unfold on the hardwood. This moment occurred just weeks before their tragic death in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. The image of them together at that specific game became significant after they passed away, symbolizing their shared passion for basketball. Unlike his time with the Lakers, where he was a five-time champion and the face of the franchise, Kobe's presence at the Nets game was that of a supportive father and fan. The source notes that Gianna, known as Gigi, played point guard for the AAU and Harbor Day School under her father's coaching, focusing on her own future in the WNBA rather than any connection to the Nets.

Reader's Guide

Bryant's individual accolades include 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, and two-time scoring champion. He ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. He is the Lakers' all-time leading scorer and the NBA's first guard to play 20 seasons. His 18 All-Star designations are the third most ever, and his four NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards tied Bob Pettit's record. In January 2020, Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Tributes and memorials followed his death, including murals throughout Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant Day (8/24), and two statues outside Crypto.com Arena. The NBA All-Star Game MVP was also renamed in Bryant's honor. Bryant was posthumously named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021 and was a two-time inductee to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, once in 2020 for his individual career, and in 2025 as part of the 2008 United States men's Olympic basketball team ('Redeem Team').

Did You Know?

• Bryant was named after the Kobe beef from Japan, which his father saw on a restaurant menu.
• He was fluent in English, Italian, and Spanish.
• He scored a career-high 81 points on January 22, 2006, the third most in an NBA game.
• He is the only NBA player to have multiple jersey numbers (8 and 24) retired by one franchise.
• He won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball in 2018.