Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to former NBA player Joe Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant. He was the youngest of three children and named after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan.

Kobe Bryant was selected 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 NBA draft before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe Bryant won his first NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, marking the beginning of a three-peat era for the team.

Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a single game against the Toronto Raptors, the second-highest single-game scoring performance in NBA history.

Kobe Bryant was awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award for the regular season, his first and only MVP title.

Bryant led the Lakers to his fourth NBA Championship and was named Finals MVP for the first time in his career.

Kobe Bryant achieved his fifth NBA Championship with the Lakers and received his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award.

Kobe Bryant played his final NBA game, scoring 60 points and leading the Lakers to a win against the Utah Jazz.

Bryant won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for 'Dear Basketball', a film based on a poem he wrote announcing his retirement from basketball.

Tragically, Kobe Bryant died on January 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Alongside him were his daughter Gianna and seven other individuals. His sudden death sent shockwaves across the world.