The bodies of Kobe Bryant and his second daughter Gianna have been burning in a private cemetery in California. Kobe’s family and friends attended the small ceremony, which included Vanessa and her three daughters.
Kobe Bryant had
Kobe Bean Bryant (August 23, 1978 — January 26, 2020), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an American professional basketball player.
Kobe is the son of former NBA player Joe Kobe. He was selected 13th overall by the charlotte hornets in the first round of the 1996 NBA draft and then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he spent his entire NBA career (1996-2016).
Kobe won five NBA championships with the Lakers (2000-2002, 2009-2010); Won one MVP (2007-08), two finals MVP (2009-2010), and four all-star MVP (2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011). He was selected to the all-NBA team 18 times, 15 times, and to the all-defensive team 12 times.
Kobe is one of the best scorers in the NBA. He has won numerous awards in his career. He is adept at breaking, shooting, free throws, and 3-pointers.In addition to scoring like crazy, Kobe’s organizational skills are also outstanding, often serving as the team’s first offense. Kobe is also one of the best defenders in the league. The close defense is very oppressive.
On April 14, 2016, Kobe Bryant announced his retirement after his final home game against the Jazz. Kobe’s no. 8 and no. Twenty-four jerseys were retired at halftime during the Lakers’ home game against the golden state on December 19, 2017. On March 13, 2018, Kobe won the academy award for best short film at the 90th Academy Awards for his short film “dear basketball” with animator Glen Keane.
Kobe was 41 when he died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26, 2020.
Kobe’s accomplishments in basketball
The first season (1996-1999)
Kobe spent much of his rookie season as a backup to Eddie Jones and Nick van Exel. He became the youngest player in NBA history to play (teammate Andrew Bynum later broke a record) and the youngest starter in NBA history. In his first season, Kobe averaged 15.5 minutes per game. At the 1997 NBA all-star weekend, Kobe won the dunk contest and, at the age of 18, became the youngest player in NBA history to win a dunk contest. Kobe was named to the NBA’s all-rookie second team along with teammate Travis knight, also off the bench, and became the youngest player to be named to the all-rookie team. In the final game of the season, Kobe missed three field goals in the last minutes. He missed a game-winning shot in the fourth quarter and two 3-pointers to tie the game in the final minute of overtime. That’s how the Utah Jazz beat the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Shaquille o ‘neal commented a few years later, “[Kobe] is the only guy who can take that shot at that moment.”
In the 1997-98 season, Kobe got more minutes and began to show what a talented young guard can do. Kobe’s points per game jumped from 7.6 to 15.4. The increase in Kobe’s playing time is due to the team’s “small unit” strategy, in which he will move to a small forward position and play alongside the starting guard. Kobe finished second in the race for the 1998 NBA sixth man of the year award and became the youngest player in NBA history to start an all-star game in a fan vote. Teammates joined him Shaquille o ‘neal, Eddie Jones, and Nick van excel, making it the first time since 1983 that four players from the same team were selected for the same NBA all-star game. Kobe’s average of 15.4 points per game was the highest among non-starters this season.
The 1998-99 season marked the beginning of Kobe’s emergence as one of the league’s top guards. Even though he’s only early in his career, some sportswriters are already comparing Kobe’s skills to those of Michael Jordan and Irving Johnson.
Three consecutive championships (1999-2002)
At the start of the 1999-2000 season, Kobe was forced to spend six weeks in the stands after injuring his right hand in a preseason game against the Washington wizards. Back on the court, Kobe averaged more than 38 minutes per game, improving his stats throughout the 1999-2000 season. He led the team in assists and stole the per game. Thanks to the return of Shaquille o ‘neal and Kobe Bryant and a strong bench, the Lakers have the fifth-highest regular-season winning record in NBA history –67 games. Shaquille o ‘neal was named MVP that year, while Kobe was named to the all-NBA second team and the all-defensive first team for the first time (becoming the youngest player to receive the honor). Kobe, who played the no. 2 roles in the playoffs, had 25 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and four blocks in game 7 of the western conference finals against the Portland trailblazers.Finally, Shaquille o ‘neal’s alley-oop to win the conference of the West finals series. Kobe sprained his ankle in the second quarter of Game 2 of the NBA finals series against the Indiana pacers, missing the rest of that game and game 3. In-game 4, Kobe scored 22 points in the second half to lead his team to victory in overtime after Shaquille o ‘neal fouled out. Kobe hit the winning shot to give his team a 120-118 lead. With game 6, the Lakers won their first NBA championship since 1988.
In 2000-01, Kobe’s stats were similar to the previous season, except that he averaged six more points per game (28.5). But it was also the year that the conflict between Kobe and Shaq began to emerge.Although the Lakers have won only 56 games this season, 11 fewer than last season, they are 15-1 in the playoffs. They swept the Portland Trailblazers, Sacramento Kings, and SAN Antonio spurs before losing a game in overtime against the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA finals. They won the next four games to bring the championship back to Los Angeles for the second time. In the playoffs, Kobe played long minutes and averaged 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. In the playoffs, Shaq declared Kobe, the best player in the league. Kobe made the all-NBA second team and the all-defensive team for the second straight year. Also, he has been an all-star starter for three consecutive years (there was no all-star game in 1999).
In the 2001-02 season, Kobe made 80 career starts. He continued to play across the board, averaging 25.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. Kobe also shot a career-high 46.9 percent from the field and once again led the team in assists. The Lakers won 58 games during the regular season, ranking second in the Pacific division behind the Kings. The road to the finals is also much more robust than in previous years. Despite sweeping Portland in the playoffs and beating SAN Antonio 4-1, the Lakers lost the home-court advantage to the Kings. The series ran through seven games for the first time since the 2000 western conference finals. The Lakers defeated their division rivals and advanced to their third straight NBA finals. In the 2002 finals, Kobe averaged 26.8 points, 51.4 percent shooting from the field, 5.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists, accounting for a quarter of the team’s points. At the age of 23, Kobe became the youngest player to win three championships. Kobe’s performance in the fourth quarter was notable and praised, especially in the final two rounds of the playoffs.
Brief low tide (2002-2004)
In the 2002-03 season, Kobe averaged 30 points per game and finished nine straight 40-plus games, averaging 40.6 points through February. He also averages 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, both career highs. Once again, Kobe was named to both the all-NBA and all-defensive first team and finished third in the MVP vote. After going 50-32 in the regular season, the Lakers lost six games to eventual champion SAN Antonio in the western conference semifinals.
The following season, 2003-04, the Lakers won all-star players Karl Malone and Gary Payton to win another championship. Kobe led the Lakers to victory with two game-winning shots and the Pacific division title. Kobe tied the game with a 3-pointer in the final moments of the fourth quarter, sending the game into overtime. Kobe hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lakers a 105-104 victory as the game entered the second overtime.
Disappointing playoffs (2004-2007)
In 2004-05, the Lakers struggled and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1993-94, even though Kobe was second in the league in scoring with 27.6 points per game. In the post-season awards, Kobe didn’t make the all-defensive team because of the Lakers’ overall decline, and the all-defensive team only made the third team.
The 2005-06 season was a turning point in Kobe’s basketball career. Phil Jackson has returned to coaching the Lakers despite his differences with Kobe. Kobe agreed and proved that the second time the two worked together, the Lakers returned to the playoffs. Kobe’s scoring Numbers were also the best of his career. Kobe scored 62 points in the first three-quarters of the Lakers’ game against the Dallas Mavericks on December 20, 2005 (he didn’t play in the fourth quarter), outscoring the Mavericks’ 61 when he left the game, the first player to do so since the 24-hour clock was introducing.
On January 22, 2006, Kobe scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto raptors. In addition to breaking the previous record of 71 points set by Elgin Baylor, Kobe’s 81 points per game was the second-highest in NBA history, behind wilt chamberlain’s 100-point record set in 1962. In the same month, Kobe also became the first player since 1964 to score 45 points or more in four straight games, becoming only the third player after wilt chamberlain and Baylor to do so. Through January, Kobe averaged 43.4 points per game, the eighth-best in NBA history, and the first of any player except chamberlain. At the end of the 2005-06 season, Kobe set the Lakers record for the most games played in a season (27) and the most points scored (2,832). Kobe won his first NBA scoring title with 35.4 points per game. He was fourth in the 2006 NBA most valuable player selection, but received 22 first-place votes — just behind winner Steve Nash. The Lakers are 45-37 in the regular season, 11 more than the previous season. Later in the season, it was reported that Kobe would change his jersey number from no. 8 to no. 24.starting with the 2006-07 season. He once said: “the meaning of 24 is 24 hours, I want to put all my energy into basketball, that is why I choose 24.I’m not Kobe if I don’t commit .24 is my best expression.”Kobe was selected to the all-star game for the ninth time in the 2006-07 season. On February 18, he finished with 31 points, six assists, and six steals, winning the NBA all-star MVP award for the second time in his career. On March 16, Kobe scored a season-high 65 points in a home game against Portland, helping the Lakers end a seven-game losing streak. It was the second-best scoring performance of his 11-year career. The next game, against the timberwolves, Kobe scored 50 points. The next game, Kobe scored 60 points in a victory over the Memphis grizzlies — becoming only the second Lakers player to score 50 points in three straight games, and only the second since Michael Jordan in 1987. Another Laker who could do that was Elgin Baylor, who scored 50+ in three consecutive games in December 1962. the next day, Kobe scored 50 points in a game against the New Orleans Hornets, becoming only the second player in NBA history after wilt chamberlain to score 50 points in four consecutive games.By the end of the season, Kobe had ten 50-plus games, becoming the only player since wilt chamberlain in 1961-62 and 1962-63 to do so in a single season. He also won the scoring title for the second year in a row.
MVP season (2007-2008)
On December 23, 2007, Kobe became the youngest player ever to reach 20,000 points (29 years, 122 days) against the New York Knicks at Madison square garden.
On May 6, 2008, Kobe was officially named the NBA’s most valuable player for the first time in his career. It’s been a long journey. I’m proud to represent this team and this city.”In addition to winning the MVP award, Kobe was the only unanimous choice to be named to the all-NBA team on May 8, his third straight year on the first team and sixth in his career. He then teamed with Kevin Garnett to lead the NBA’s all-defensive first team, with 52 points, including 24 first-place votes, for the eighth time.
The Lakers finished first in the western conference and entered the playoffs against Denver in the first round. In-game 1, Kobe, who spent much of the game as bait, scored 18 of his 32 points in the final eight minutes of the game to keep the Lakers ahead. The Lakers beat Denver 4-0 in the first round, making the nuggets the first team to win 50 games to be swept in the first round since the spurs swept the Grizzlies in 2004. Kobe scored 38 points to help the Lakers beat the Jazz in game 1 of the second round. The Lakers also won game 2, but lost games 3 and 4, even though Kobe was averaging 33.5 points per game. The Lakers won the next two games, winning the western conference semifinals in six games. The Lakers will face the Spurs in the conference of the West finals. The Lakers beat the spurs in five games to reach the NBA finals against the Boston Celtics. It is Kobe’s fifth and first NBA finals without Shaq.
Consecutive champion (2008-2010)
The Lakers started the 2008-09 season with a seven-game winning streak. Kobe led his team to a team-record 17-2 start, and by mid-December, the Lakers were 21-3. Kobe was named to the all-star game starting lineup for the 11th straight time and has been a leading contender for the MVP award. Kobe was named western conference player of the month in December and January and was named western conference player of the week three times. On February 2, 2009, in a game against the New York Knicks, Kobe scored 61 points, setting a new record at Madison square garden.
Kobe had 27 points, four assists, four rebounds, and four steals in the 2009 NBA all-star game, sharing the MVP award with former teammate Shaquille o ‘neal. The Lakers were the best in the western conference, 65-17, during the regular season. Kobe ranked second in MVP voting behind LeBron James and was named to the all-NBA first team and all-defensive first team for the seventh time in his career.
In the playoffs, the Lakers beat the Jazz in five games and the rockets in seven. Hitting the nuggets in six games in the western conference finals sent the Lakers to their second straight NBA finals, where they defeated the Orlando Magic 4-1. Kobe’s fourth NBA championship and won the NBA finals MVP award for the first time, he became the jerry west in 1969 after the first NBA finals series is averaging 32.4 points, 7.4 assists, and he also become the second after Michael Jordan in the NBA finals series averaged 30 points, 5 rebounds, five assists and eventually win a championship player. Kobe contributed six game-winning shots in the 2009-10 season, That includes a three-point shot that Kobe made at the buzzer with one foot off the floor against the Miami Heat on December 4, 2009. Kobe considered the goal one of his luckiest.
A week later, Kobe fractured his right index finger during a game against Minnesota. Despite the injury, Kobe chose to stay in the game rather than rest. Five days after breaking his finger, Kobe hit the game-winning shot again, this time beating the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime after missing a game-winning chance at the regular time. Kobe also became the youngest player to reach 25,000 points this season (31 years, 151 days), surpassing the wilt chamberlain. He continued his clutch play, killing the Kings with another 3-pointer at the buzzer and hitting the game-winning shot at the end of the game against the Celtics.
The next day, Kobe passed jerry west to become the Lakers’ all-time leading scorer. After missing five games with an ankle injury, Kobe returned against the Memphis grizzlies and hit another critical 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to give the Lakers a one-point lead. Two weeks later, against the raptors, Kobe hit his sixth game-winning shot of the season. On April 2, 2010, Kobe signed a three-year extension worth $87 million (later confirmed as $8.35 million ). Kobe missed four of the final five games of the regular season because of knee and finger injuries. Kobe has had multiple injuries throughout the season, causing him to miss nine games. Kobe was selected to the all-NBA first team and all-defensive first team for the fifth consecutive year. The Lakers, who entered the playoffs as the top seed in the western conference, faced the Oklahoma city thunder in the first round before defeating the Thunder in six games.Kobe had a career-high 13 assists in game 2.
The most assists by a Lakers player in a playoff game since Irving Johnson in 1996. The Lakers won the western conference finals series in six games, clinching the title and advancing to the NBA finals for the third straight year. In a rematch with the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics in game 7, Kobe led the Lakers back from a 13-point third-quarter deficit to win the title despite making only six of 24 field goal attempts. He scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter and added 15 rebounds. Kobe won his fifth NBA title and won back-to-back finals MVP awards. For the first time, the Lakers beat the Celtics in a seven-game NBA finals series. Kobe said it was the most satisfying of his five championships.
Chasing the sixth title (2010-2013)
The Lakers started the 2010-11 season with an eight-game winning streak.against the nuggets in game 9, Kobe became the youngest player in NBA history to score 26,000 points. Kobe also had his first triple-double (17th career) since January 21, 2009. On January 30, against the Celtics, Kobe became the youngest player to score 27,000 points. On February 1, 2011, Kobe became one of seven players to have at least 25,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, and 5,000 assists.
On January 27, Kobe was named to the NBA’s all-star lineup for the 13th straight year as the no. 1 pick. Kobe’s game-high 37 points and 14 rebounds in the 2011 NBA all-star game gave him his fourth career all-star MVP trophy, tying the record held by Bob Pettit. This season, Kobe moved from 12th to sixth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, surpassing John Havlicek, Dominic Wilkins, Oscar Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Irving hayes and Moses Malone. Kobe is averaging less than 20 shots per game this season, the fewest since the 2003-2004 season. Kobe underwent platelets rich plasma therapy on his left knee and ankle, and Michael brown replaced retired Phil Jackson as Lakers head coach during the offseason. Kobe started the season with a wrist injury.
On January 10, 2012, Kobe scored 48 points against the SUNS, the most by any player in his 16th season. He then scored 40, 42 and 42 points in the next three games. It was the sixth time in his career that Kobe has scored 40 points or more in four straight games, second only to wilt chamberlain. In the 2012 NBA all-star game, Kobe passed Michael Jordan to become the all-time leading scorer with 27 points.
In 2012-13, the Lakers acquired center Dwight Howard and point guard Steve Nash. On December 5, 2012, against the Hornets, Kobe became the youngest player in league history (34 years, 104 days) to reach 30,000 points, becoming the fifth player to do so after hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan and wilt chamberlain. On January 17, 2013, Kobe became the winner of the 2013 NBA all-star game and was selected for his 15th consecutive all-star game, the most consecutive all-star games in NBA history.
On February 18, 2013, Kobe made two steals in the all-star game, tying Michael Jordan’s all-star record (37).On March 30, 2013, when the Lakers played the Kings, Kobe passed wilt chamberlain to rank fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. On April 12, 2013, Kobe tore his Achilles tendon during a game against the golden state warriors, prematurely ending the season. The Lakers were swept out by the spurs in the first round of the playoffs. On May 23, 2013, Kobe was selected to the all-NBA first team for the 11th time, equaling Karl Malone’s record for the most selections in the league.
Last season (2013-2016)
On November 25, 2013, he signed a two-year, $48.5 million extension with the Lakers that would make him the first NBA player to play for the same team for 20 years. On March 12, 2014, the Lakers announced that Kobe was out for the 2013-14 season. Kobe returned to action in his 19th season with the Lakers in 2014-15, tying John Stockton’s record for the most extended season in the NBA with the same team.
The Lakers were coached by d ‘Antoni for Kobe’s former Lakers teammate Byron Scott. Kobe had his 20th career triple-double, 31 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds in a 129-122 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors on November 30, 2014. At the age of 36, he became the oldest player in the NBA to score 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. With the Lakers’ 100-94 victory over Minnesota on December 14, Kobe passed Jordan (32,292 points) to become the third player in NBA history.
On January 22, 2016, Kobe became the “ticket winner” of the 2016 NBA all-star game and led the western conference all-star starter. It is Kobe’s 18th all-star selection, second in history. On April 14, 2016, in the final game of his career (Lakers vs. Jazz), Kobe made 22 of 50 shots and scored 60 points, including 6 of 21 from 3-point range and a perfect score of 4 rebounds, four assists, and one shooting. After the game, Kobe officially announced his retirement.
We will always remember Kobe and try our best to contribute to the cause of basketball. We promise to provide free water bottles for regular basketball games.
