Kobe “Black Mamba” Bryant is one of the most decorated players in the NBA. Bryant was the face of the most successful franchise in the NBA for over 10 years. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were an unstoppable duo in the league when in full-form. Kobe Bryant with 5 NBA Championships, 1 Most Valuable Player, and 18 NBA All-Star Appearances was a legend of the game. The world shook at the news of Kobe Bryant’s untimely death on 26th January 2020 due to a horrific helicopter crash. This article is written as a tribute to this legend of the game.
Kobe Bryant Family: –
Kobe Bryant was one of three siblings. He was the youngest and only son of the family. Kobe Bryant was born to former NBA players Joe Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant. His maternal uncle was also an NBA Player named John “Chubby” Cox. His two lovely elder sisters were named Shaya Bryant and Sharia Bryant. Kobe later in life married Vanessa Laine in 2001. Vanessa met Kobe when Kobe was preparing for his first album. Vanessa Laine was working in one of the videos as a background dancer. They dated for 6 to 7 months.
Vanessa Laine and Kobe Bryant married each other in the St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, California. The wedding was attended by none of Kobe’s family members or teammates. The reason cited was that Kobe’s parents were against him marrying at such a young and tender age. Also, Vanessa Laine wasn’t an African-American, hence the reason. Later however the marriage was accepted after the birth of their first daughter in 2003. Kobe Bryant had 4 daughters. The first one is Natalia Bryant, the second being Gianna Maria-Onore, and the third was born in 2016 named Bianka Bryant. Bryant was blessed with a 4th daughter on 20th June 2019. She was named Capri Bryant.
Kobe Bryant Early Career: –
Kobe Bryant spent most of his early life in Italy. Bryant picked the basketball when he was 3 years old. His father retired from the NBA when Kobe was 6 years old. The family then moved to Italy where Kobe’s father got his further playing contracts from. Kobe spent most of his childhood in Italy. He was very fluent in the Italian language as well. Kobe played school-level basketball at his Italian schools itself. His grandfather used to send him videotapes of NBA games to practice and learn from the best. Kobe Bryant was also inspired by the animated characters in the comics.
Kobe and his family then moved back to Philadelphia when he was in high school. Bryant enrolled at the Bala Cynwyd Middle School. Kobe earned national recognition when he had an exquisite high school career at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, located in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. Bryant averaged 31.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. He was also named Pennsylvania player of the year. Kobe Bryant was also named Gatorade Player of the year, Naismith Player of the year, and McDonald’s All-American. He was the 13th Pick in the NBA Draft picked by the Hornets and drafted to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kobe Bryant Professional Career: –
Kobe Bryant when played his first game in the league was the second youngest to do so. He made a case for him after dominating the Summer Pro League in Long Beach. And from there it was only onwards and upwards. Kobe Bryant immediately became a starter in the team and the 1999 season, a change was seen. The three-peat time had begun. Many colleagues of Kobe Bryant have commented on the work ethic that he possessed.
Kobe Bryant was a hurricane in the gym. He used to begin his workout in the early hours of the day. Bryant used to practice in phases of two hours, give his body some recovery time, and again practice. There are several instances of players seeing Kobe at the court at 4 am. Shaquille O’Neal has often shared that Kobe Bryant made him shy of not working out enough. Kobe Bryant challenged every individual at the gym.
Kobe Bryant Awards and Achievements: –
Here is the list of Awards won by Kobe Bryant over the years: –
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)
Kobe Bryant Net Worth: –
At the time of his death, Kobe Bryant’s net worth was expected and estimated to be 600 million dollars. He earned this amount by his work in the NBA and by making smart investments. He had a 10% stake in the Bodyarmor SuperDrink company. Kobe started this investment at 6 million dollars which later inflated to 200 million. Bryant also launched his music production label named Granity Studios in 2013.
Kobe Bryant Death: –
On 26th January 2020, the horrific news of Kobe Bryant’s death struck the world. Kobe and his daughter Gianni along with several other esteemed Americans were victims of an unprecedented helicopter crash.