Kobe Bryant

american

1978-08-23 - 2020-01-16

Kobe Bryant (August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020), full name Kobe Bean Bryant Cox, also known by his nicknames "Black Mamba" and "Little Flying Warrior", was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. He was a deceased American professional basketball player, playing the positions of shooting guard/small forward. In the 1996 NBA Draft, Bryant was selected with the 13th overall pick in the first round by the Charlotte Hornets and was later traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He spent his entire NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning 5 NBA Championships, 1 NBA Regular Season MVP, 2 NBA Finals MVPs, 4 NBA All-Star Game MVPs, and 2 NBA Scoring Titles. He was named an NBA All-Star starter 18 times, selected to the All-NBA Team 15 times (11 times First Team, 2 times Second Team, 2 times Third Team), and named to the NBA All-Defensive Team 12 times (9 times First Team, 3 times Second Team). In 2007, Bryant was selected to the United States men's national basketball team for the first time, helping the team win the gold medal at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games men's basketball tournament, and the 2012 London Olympic Games men's basketball tournament. On November 30, 2015, Bryant announced his retirement at the end of the season. On December 19, 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers held a jersey retirement ceremony for Bryant, retiring both his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys. In March 2018, Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for his short film "Dear Basketball". On January 26, 2020 (Beijing time: January 27, 2020), Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash at the age of 41. On April 5, 2020, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In October 2021, Bryant was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.