The subsequent day, the Lakers played their first sport after the crash in opposition to the Trail Blazers. James also delivered a speech to the gang earlier than the sport, and each participant in the Lakers starting lineup was announced with Bryant's name. The recreation was the second-most-watched in ESPN historical past, averaging 4.41 million viewers. Through his first 16 seasons, his body was resilient, and he exhibited a excessive ache threshold whereas often playing through injuries.

This adopted with O'Neal successful the MVP and Bryant being named to the All-NBA Team Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Team for the first time in his career . While taking part in second fiddle to O'Neal within the playoffs, Bryant had some clutch performances together with a 25-point, eleven rebound, 7 help, 4 block recreation in sport 7 of the Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. He also threw an alley-oop move to O'Neal to clinch the sport and the sequence. In the 2000 NBA Finals in opposition to the Indiana Pacers, Bryant injured his ankle within the second quarter of Game 2 after landing on the Pacers' Jalen Rose's foot. Rose later admitted he placed his foot underneath Bryant intentionally. Bryant did not return to the sport, and he additionally missed Game three as a outcome of injury.

He was not included in the montages at the 2020 VMAs and Emmys, held later in the yr. The Lakers concluded the 2007–08 regular season with a 57–25 document, finishing first in the Western Conference and establishing themselves for a first-round contest towards the Nuggets. In Game 1, Bryant, who stated he made himself a decoy via a lot of the recreation, scored 18 of his 32 factors in the last 8 minutes to keep Los Angeles safely ahead. That made Denver the first 50-win group to be swept out of the first spherical of the playoffs since the Memphis Grizzlies fell in 4 to the San Antonio Spurs in 2004.

Bryant began taking half in basketball when he was three, and the Lakers have been his favorite team when he was rising up. When Bryant was six, his father retired from the NBA and moved his family to Rieti in Italy to continue enjoying professional basketball. After two years, they moved first to Reggio Calabria, then to Pistoia and Reggio Emilia.

Since his second yr within the league, Bryant has been chosen to begin every NBA All-Star Game that has been held within the final fourteen years. He has won the All-Star MVP Award four instances , tying him for the most All Star MVP Awards in NBA historical past. He is a 14-time member of the All-NBA team and an 12-time member of the All-Defensive group; he's additionally the youngest player ever to receive defensive honors. At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, he gained gold medals as a member of the USA nationwide group. In 2009, Sporting News and TNT named Bryant the highest NBA participant of the 2000s . Tragedy struck the world of basketball and sport normally on 26 January 2020 when Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in California on the age of forty one.

He showed the world that black males are multifaceted and extraordinary in physical capacity and compassion. And while the world beloved him, he represented something special to the black tradition. He is a legend that will endlessly challenge us to maintain evolving and keep striving for greatness. He had a heart for the folks and regularly did neighborhood work to help others. Here are seven causes Kobe Bryant will eternally be a legend on and off the basketball court.

Previously, Bryant was revered but not beloved, and he was astonished on the cheers he was now receiving. Bryant later confirmed his want for West's return to the franchise but denied stating that he would want to be traded if that didn't happen. Bryant was later proven in an infamous newbie video saying that heart Andrew Bynum ought to have been traded for All-Star Jason Kidd.

Bill Branch, the Charlotte Hornets' head scout on the time, mentioned that the Hornets agreed to commerce their No. thirteen decide to the Lakers the day earlier than the draft. Before the commerce agreement, the Hornets never considered drafting Bryant. During the draft, the Lakers told the Hornets whom to decide out minutes before the pick was made.