With an eye on the NBA, he additionally started figuring out with the 76ers. Regarded as probably the greatest American basketball players of all time, Kobe Bryant performed a decisive role in Team USA’s Olympic triumphs of 2008 and 2012. He died tragically in a helicopter crash, on the age of 41, on 26 January 2020. Bryant was compelled to share the position of the Lakers’ star participant together with his popular and proficient teammate Shaquille O’Neal. The two had an uneasy relationship, but they discovered success beneath the leadership of Phil Jackson, who grew to become coach of the Lakers in 1999. Bryant, a capturing guard, and O’Neal, a centre, meshed into a remarkably efficient combination, and, by the point Bryant was 23, the Lakers had gained three consecutive NBA championships.

Bryant's play was notable and praised for his performance in the fourth quarter of games, particularly the final two rounds of the playoffs. This cemented Bryant's popularity as a "clutch player". Bryant began enjoying basketball when he was three, and the Lakers had been his favorite team when he was growing up. When Bryant was six, his father retired from the NBA and moved his household to Rieti in Italy to proceed enjoying professional basketball. After two years, they moved first to Reggio Calabria, then to Pistoia and Reggio Emilia. Kobe grew to become accustomed to his new life-style and discovered to speak fluent Italian.

In September 2012, Bryant shot a business for copyright with FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi. In the airline's newest commercial, the duo competes to win the eye of a younger boy. In 2013, Forbes listed Bryant the fifth highest paid sports star on the earth behind Floyd Mayweather, Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James and Lionel Messi. According to Forbes, Bryant's $680 million in profession earnings was the most ever by a staff athlete throughout their taking part in profession.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers played well enough to reach a 3–1 series lead over the Phoenix Suns, culminating with Bryant's overtime-forcing and game-winning pictures in Game four. They got here inside six seconds of eliminating the second-seeded Suns in Game 6, nonetheless, they misplaced that sport 126–118 in additional time. Despite Bryant's 27.9 points per recreation in the collection, the Lakers broke down and in the end fell to the Suns in seven video games. After scoring 50 factors on 20 of 35 taking pictures within the Game 6 loss, Bryant was criticized for only taking three pictures within the second half of the 121–90 Game 7 loss to Phoenix. Bryant acquired a quantity of awards for his outstanding performance during his senior year at Lower Merion.

The single debuted in January 2000, and was performed at NBA All-Star Weekend that month; the music was not nicely obtained. Sony deserted plans for the album, which was never released, and dropped Bryant later that year. The Sony president who originally signed Bryant had already left, and Bryant's other backers had principally deserted him.

Bryant considered the shot one of the luckiest he has made. Despite the harm, Bryant elected to continue enjoying with it, somewhat than take any day with no work to relaxation the damage. Five days after his finger injury, he made another sport successful shot, after lacking on a chance in regulation, this time against the Milwaukee Bucks in an overtime sport. Bryant additionally turned the youngest player to reach 25,000 factors in the course of the season, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain.

Bryant at the free-throw line, 2005In the first game of the 2002–03 season, Bryant recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in an 87–82 loss to the visiting Spurs. On November 1, Bryant recorded a triple-double of 33 factors, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in a 108–93 win over the LA Clippers. He additionally set an NBA report for three-pointers in a game on January 7, 2003, when he made 12 against the Seattle SuperSonics. Bryant averaged 30 points per sport and launched into a historic run, posting forty or extra points in nine consecutive video games whereas averaging forty.6 in the whole month of February. In addition, he averaged 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and a couple of.2 steals per game, all career-highs to that time. Bryant was as quickly as once more voted to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive First Teams, and came in third place in voting for the MVP award.

In July 2003, Bryant was arrested and charged with felony sexual assault after a 19-year-old girl mentioned he raped her in the hotel room the place he was staying in Edwards, Colorado. Bryant initially denied there was any sexual encounter however later informed police that they had consensual sex. The girl, a front-desk worker at the hotel, mentioned Bryant raped her, and a hospital examination detailed that she had a bruise on her jaw and vaginal lacerations. One of Bryant’s most enduring legacies is his Mamba Mentality, which lives on among today’s pro athletes.