Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant
	Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2014
Personal information
Born	August 23, 1978; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	January 26, 2020 (aged 41); Calabasas, California, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school	Lower Merion (Ardmore, Pennsylvania)
NBA draft	1996: 1st round, 13th overall pick
Drafted by	Charlotte Hornets
Playing career	1996–2016
Position	Shooting guard
Number	8, 24
Career history
1996–2016	Los Angeles Lakers
Career highlights
	5× NBA champion (2000–2002, 2009, 2010); 2× NBA Finals MVP (2009, 2010); NBA Most Valuable Player (2008); 18× NBA All-Star (1998, 2000–2016); 4× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011); 11× All-NBA First Team (2002–2004, 2006–2013); 2× All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2001); 2× All-NBA Third Team (1999, 2005); 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006–2011); 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2001, 2002, 2012); 2× NBA scoring champion (2006, 2007); NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (1997); NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1997); NBA 75th Anniversary Team; Nos. 8 & 24 retired by Los Angeles Lakers; Naismith Prep Player of the Year (1996); Gatorade National Player of the Year (1996); McDonald's All-American (1996); First-team Parade All-American (1996); Fourth-team Parade All-American (1995);
Career statistics
Points	33,643 (25.0 ppg)
Rebounds	7,047 (5.2 rpg)
Assists	6,306 (4.7 apg)
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball Reference
	Basketball Hall of Fame
Men's basketball
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
FIBA Americas Championship

Kobe Bean Bryant (/ˈkoʊbi/ KOH-bee; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential basketball players of all time, Bryant won five NBA championships and was an 18-time All-Star, four-time All-Star MVP, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), two-time NBA Finals MVP, and two-time scoring champion. He ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. 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, as a player in 2020 and as a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team in 2025.^[3]

The son of NBA player Joe Bryant, Bryant was born in Philadelphia and partly raised in Italy. Recognized as the top American high school basketball player while at Lower Merion High School in the Philadelphia suburb of Ardmore, Bryant declared for the 1996 NBA draft and was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick; he was then traded to the Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned a reputation as a high-flyer by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest and was named an All-Star by his second season. Despite his contentious relationship with teammate Shaquille O'Neal, the pair led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. In 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault. Charges were dropped after the accuser refused to testify, and a lawsuit was settled out of court, with Bryant issuing an apology and admitting to a sexual encounter he maintained was consensual.

After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was traded and Bryant became the franchise's cornerstone. 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 second most scored in a single NBA game behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game. Bryant led the team to championships in 2009 and 2010, and was named NBA Finals MVP both times. He continued to be among the league's premier players through the 2012–13 season when he suffered a torn achilles tendon. The last years of his playing career were hampered by injuries and limited playing time. Bryant retired after the 2015–16 season, capping off his illustrious career with a 60-point performance in his final NBA game, leading the Lakers to a comeback victory over the Utah Jazz. In 2017, the Lakers retired both his Nos. 8 and 24, making Bryant the only player in NBA history to have multiple numbers retired by the same franchise.

The all-time leading scorer in Lakers history, Bryant was the first guard in NBA history to play 20 seasons. His 18 All-Star designations are the third most ever, and his four NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards are tied with Bob Pettit for the most in history. Bryant gave himself the nickname Black Mamba in the mid-2000s, and the epithet became widely adopted by the public. He won gold medals on the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams. In 2018, Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball (2017).^[4]

In January 2020, Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people who died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.^[5] A number of tributes and memorials followed, and the All-Star Game MVP Award was renamed in Bryant's honor.^[6]

^ Mallozzi, Vincent (December 24, 2006). "'Where's Kobe? I Want Kobe.'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021.
^ Ding, Kevin (January 8, 2008). "Kobe Bryant's work with kids brings joy, though sometimes it's fleeting". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on November 25, 2012.
^ "Bird, Moore, Anthony, Donovan top '25 Basketball Hall of Fame class". ESPN.com. Associated Press (via ESPN). April 5, 2025. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
^ Cite error: The named reference Oscar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Kobe Bryant helicopter crash post-mortem released". BBC. May 16, 2020. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
^ Golliver, Ben (February 15, 2020). "NBA renames All-Star Game MVP award after Kobe Bryant". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2021.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

[1] Mallozzi, Vincent (December 24, 2006). "'Where's Kobe? I Want Kobe.'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021.

[2] Ding, Kevin (January 8, 2008). "Kobe Bryant's work with kids brings joy, though sometimes it's fleeting". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on November 25, 2012.

[RedeemHOF-5] "Bird, Moore, Anthony, Donovan top '25 Basketball Hall of Fame class". ESPN.com. Associated Press (via ESPN). April 5, 2025. Retrieved April 5, 2025.

[Oscar-6] Cite error: The named reference Oscar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[7] "Kobe Bryant helicopter crash post-mortem released". BBC. May 16, 2020. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2020.

[8] Golliver, Ben (February 15, 2020). "NBA renames All-Star Game MVP award after Kobe Bryant". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2021.

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