Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals was followed by O'Neal's trade from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following O'Neal's departure Bryant became the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring in the course of the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring data in the course of. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high eighty one factors towards the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point sport in 1962. He was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award in 2008.

Several months later Bryant was accused of raping a young woman in Colorado. He maintained his innocence, and all expenses were ultimately dropped when the woman refused to testify after a monthslong campaign of harassment by followers of Bryant and a few members of the media. (Bryant later apologized, admitting that he realized his accuser did not consider their sexual encounter was consensual, and a civil swimsuit was settled in 2005.) The incident greatly tarnished his image.

The latest edition is about to come back out Sept. 8 — preorder it from GameStop now. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are both on that listing as nicely – and rightfully so. It’s likely that fans will continue to debate who’s one of the best between the 2. But I suppose most would most likely agree that Bryant and Jordan are each in a league of their own. "I'm excited to go inside the building, see it, actually play where he played all those years and did so much for the city of Los Angeles." It's inconceivable to know precisely how many individuals are named Kobe.

When you break anyone's nose in an All-Star Game, it's aggressive. But then getting to play on the identical team in '08 within the Olympics was like the final word for me and I suppose for him as properly. When he finally noticed the greatest way I labored and we just received a chance to expertise being around each other, our chemistry and continuity on the court docket was just second to none, like we have performed collectively our entire life.

Despite the harm, Bryant elected to proceed enjoying, somewhat than take any time off to rest the damage. Five days after his finger damage, he made another game-winning shot, after missing on a chance in regulation, this time towards the Milwaukee Bucks in an extra time sport. Bryant additionally grew to become the youngest participant to achieve 25,000 factors in his profession in the course of the season, surpassing Chamberlain. He continued his dominant clutch performs making yet one more game-winning three-pointer towards the Sacramento Kings, and what can be the game-winning area objective towards the Boston Celtics. The following day, he surpassed West to become the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. After being sidelined for five games by an ankle harm, Bryant made his return and made one other clutch three-pointer to provide the Lakers a one-point lead with 4 seconds remaining towards the Memphis Grizzlies.

January 26, 2023, is the third anniversary of the dying of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and 7 others who perished in a helicopter crash in California. NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant was announced Thursday as the cover athlete for NBA 2K24. It's the fourth time Bryant might be on the duvet of NBA 2K.

Among his philanthropic endeavors, the basketball great partnered with the non-profit After-School All-Stars as part of the Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation. He additionally ran an annual summer season camp referred to as the Kobe Basketball Academy. In July 2003, Bryant was charged with one count of sexual assault on a 19-year-old feminine lodge employee in Colorado.

His mentality — his killer intuition — is what separates him from the opposite guys on this list, as a end result of as quickly as Kobe is conscious of he has you, he’s going to maintain attacking you. He’ll throw you down, beat you up and even when you’re knocked out, he’ll maintain hitting you. His sister and I are nearer in age, so we frolicked on an everyday basis when Kobe was nonetheless 18, 19.