[433][434], In January 2002, Bryant bought a Mediterranean-style house for $4million, located on a cul-de-sac in Newport Coast, Newport Beach. The son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, he was born in Philadelphia and partly raised in Italy. Navigation Toggle NBA. "[431][432] During the 201213 season, he began referring to himself as "vino" to describe how his play had been aging like a fine wine. In Game 4, Bryant scored 22 points in the second half and led the team to an OT victory as O'Neal fouled out of the game. [138][139] After the Lakers' season ended, Bryant said on TNT that he wanted 24 as a rookie, but it was unavailable as it was worn by George McCloud, as was 33, retired with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. [213] It was the Lakers' first victory of the season against one of the league's top four teams, as they entered the game 05 in previous matchups and had been outscored by an average of 11 points. A year ago, Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others boarded a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter at John Wayne Airport in Orange County. Home; Tickets; Schedule. 1,126 Security Guards jobs available in Tempe, AZ on Indeed.com. They came within six seconds of eliminating the second-seeded Suns in Game 6, however, they lost that game 126118 in overtime. [450], Before starting the 199697 season, Bryant signed a six-year contract with Adidas that was worth approximately $48million. James, 35, scored 29 points to move to 33,655. He played on the varsity basketball team as a freshman. It was also the year when disagreements between Bryant and O'Neal began to surface. It was as if the other players were now his partners, not his personal spear-carriers. The book detailed the events of the Lakers' tumultuous 200304 season and has several criticisms of Bryant. [155], On May 27, 2007, ESPN reported that Bryant stated that he wanted to be traded if Jerry West did not return to the team with full authority. [514], At 9:06a.m. Pacific Standard Time on January 26, 2020, a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter departed from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, with nine people aboard: Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, six family friends, and the pilot, Ara Zobayan. [509], The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards went ahead as scheduled at the Staples Center on the day of the crash, but included tributes by multiple artists and groups, including host Alicia Keys opening the show with a tribute speech in which she called Staples Center "the house that Kobe Bryant built" and joining Boyz II Men to sing "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday". Not to be confused with the American football player, Scoring records and playoff upsets (20042007). [494], On August 22, 2016, Bryant and his business partner Jeff Stibel launched Bryant-Stibel, a venture capital firm focused on different businesses including media, data, gaming, and technology, with $100 million in funding. [102] This caused Bryant to miss some games due to court appearances or attend court earlier in the day and travel to play games later on the same day. Games. [16][17] His middle name, Bean, was derived from his father's nickname "Jellybean". [19][20][21][423] Bryant and his family were regular attendees at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach. [112] Midway through the season, Tomjanovich suddenly resigned as Lakers coach, citing the recurrence of health problems and exhaustion. The following day, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner stated that the official cause of death for him and the eight others on the helicopter was blunt force trauma. [18] Bryant's family was Catholic and he was brought up with this faith. [95] Bryant's play was notable and praised for his performance in the fourth quarter of games, specifically the last two rounds of the playoffs. [322], Bryant declined to play in the 2000 Olympics because he was getting married in the off-season. [133] By the end of the 200506 season, Bryant set Lakers single-season franchise records for most 40-point games (27) and most points scored (2,832). [141][142], During the 200607 season, Bryant was selected to his ninth All-Star Game appearance, and on February 18, he logged 31 points, 6 assists, and 6 steals, earning his second career All-Star Game MVP trophy. . "[401], On January 26, 2022, coinciding with the 2nd anniversary of his death and the helicopter crash, a statue of Bryant and his daughter Gianna was placed at the site where the crash occurred. Bryant had grown close with D'Antoni during their time with Team USA. [45] In his senior year of high school, Bryant led the Aces to their first state championship in 53 years. [103] In the final game of the regular season, the Lakers played the Portland Trail Blazers. He said his faith and a priest helped him through difficult times, such as the period following his accusation of rape. On April 12, Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon against the Golden State Warriors, ending his season. Kobe became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak fluent Italian. [73] This kept him with the Lakers until the end of the 200304 season. including a pair of sneakers worn and signed by the late NBA great Kobe Bryant. "[374] Reuters called him "arguably the best player of his generation",[347] while both Sporting News and TNT named him their NBA player of the decade for the 2000s. On March 28, Bryant scored a season-high 53 points to go with 10 rebounds in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. [149] The only other Laker to do so was Baylor, who also scored 50+ in three consecutive contests in December 1962. In the 200102 season, Bryant played 80 games for the first time in his career. Despite past differences with Bryant, Jackson returned to coach the Lakers. But Bryant only embodied his Black Mamba persona years after he moved out of . and Sister, Sister (episode: "Kid-Napped"). [189] A week later, Bryant suffered an avulsion fracture in his right index finger in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Bryant also led the NBA in scoring twice, and ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. By Appointment Only 16055 N Dial Blvd, Building B Suit 16 Scottsdale, Arizona PHONE: 480.474.4215 [253][254][255] In the next three games, Bryant had at least 10 assists in three wins with a three-game total of 39 assists, the most in his career. [51] Ultimately, the 17-year-old Bryant made the decision to go directly into the NBA, becoming only the sixth player in NBA history to do so. As such, Bryant always had a really unique perspective on . [317] West teammates offered to feed him the ball in an attempt to get him another All-Star MVP, but he declined. [152] A number of journalists have attributed the improved sales to Bryant's new number, as well as his continuing All-Star performance on the court. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It might seem shocking that Kobe Bryant leads all shooting guards for the most rebounds in the regular season by a shooting guard. In 2010 Nike launched another shoe, Nike Zoom Kobe V.[461] In 2009, Bryant signed a deal with Nubeo to market the "Black Mamba collection", a line of sports/luxury watches that range from $25,000 to $285,000. [55], The Lakers were looking to trade their starting center Vlade Divac for a player's draft rights to free up salary cap space to make an offer to free-agent center Shaquille O'Neal. [248][249] His defense disrupted opponents and freed Nash from unfavorable matchups. Bryant scored 20 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, along with six assists, as Team USA defeated Spain 118107 in the gold medal game on August 24, 2008, for its first gold medal in a worldwide competition since the 2000 Olympics. Kobe Bryant On NBA's Toughest Players To Guard. [207] The Lakers started the 201011 season by winning their first eight games. In the first game of the 200203 season, Bryant recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in an 8782 loss to the visiting Spurs. [38][39] The following three years, the Aces compiled a 7713 record, with Bryant playing all five positions. [120] When the Lakers faced the Miami Heat on January 16, 2006, Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal made headlines by engaging in handshakes and hugs before the game, signifying a change in the feud that had festered between them. A security guard opens a steel door leading into a vault containing hundreds of collectibles at Collectors Vault, a new company that is making it easier for collectors to store and trade memorabilia, on Oct. 21, 2022, in Delaware. [11], Bryant died, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, in 2020. [251] With a disappointing 1725 start to the season,[252] D'Antoni had Bryant became the primary facilitator on offense and Nash was moved off the ball and became more of a spot-up shooter. [509], On October 23, 2018, Bryant's book The Mamba Mentality: How I Play, with photographs and afterword by Andrew D. Bernstein, an introduction by Phil Jackson, and a foreword by Pau Gasol, was published by MCD / Farrar, Straus and Giroux. In Game 1, Bryant, who said he made himself a decoy through most of the game, scored 18 of his 32 points in the final eight minutes to keep Los Angeles safely ahead. [479], In 2011, Bryant was featured in Taiwanese singer Jay Chou's single "The Heaven and Earth Challenge" (, pronounced "Tian Di Yi Dou"). He was a member of the 2007 USA Men's Senior National Team and USA FIBA Americas Championship Team that finished 100, won gold and qualified the United States men for the 2008 Olympics. ", "Kobe Bryant's Charity Work, Events and Causes", "Honor Kobe Bryant's legacy through the charities he supported", "Statement on the Death of Basketball Icon and Museum Founding Donor Kobe Bryant", "Kobe Bryant Granted Over 200 Make-A-Wish Requests During Career: It Was the 'Highlight of My Life', "Kobe's $6M drink investment has $200M return", "Kobe Bryant and Jeff Stibel Unveil $100 Million Venture Capital Fund", "What Is Bryant Stibel, Venture Capitalist Fund? [383][393] He was the first guard to play 20 seasons in the NBA. [502][503] During his lifetime, Bryant granted over two hundred requests for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Firefighters work the scene of a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California where Kobe Bryant and eight others died. [241] He was replaced by Mike D'Antoni, who Bryant knew as a child when Bryant's father was playing in Italy and D'Antoni was also a star player there. [384] In his first year of eligibility, Bryant was named a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, weeks after his death,[385] before being elected a couple of months later in April 2020. The song was also used by Sprite in its 2011 marketing campaign in China. [26][37], Bryant earned national recognition during a spectacular high-school career at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, located in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. Song was also used by Sprite in its 2011 marketing campaign in China school, scored. Before starting the 199697 season, Bryant played 80 games for the Make-A-Wish Foundation his career period following accusation! 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