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Kobe Bryant, also known as "The Black Mamba," was an iconic American basketball player, celebrated as one of the NBA's greatest players, winning five championships during his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kobe "The Black Mamba" Bryant was an American professional basketball player best recognized for his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Considered one of the greatest players in NBA history, Bryant was a five-time NBA champion, an 18-time All-Star, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player, and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. Among his various records and accolades, Bryant was posthumously voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. Off the court, Bryant won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2018 for 'Dear Basketball'. His untimely death in 2020, alongside his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash, shocked the world and left a profound impact on the sport he loved.
<div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>1978</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Kobe Bryant is Born</div><div class='timeline-text'>On August 23, 1978, Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>1996</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Traded to the Los Angeles Lakers</div><div class='timeline-text'>Kobe is traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>1996</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Drafted by the Charlotte Hornets</div><div class='timeline-text'>Kobe is drafted 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 NBA Draft.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>2000</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>1st NBA Championship</div><div class='timeline-text'>Kobe wins his first of five championships with the Lakers.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>2003</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Records 81 Point Game</div><div class='timeline-text'>Kobe records the second highest single game point total in NBA history with an 81 point game against the Toronto Raptors.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>2008</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Olympic Gold Medalist</div><div class='timeline-text'>Kobe wins a gold medal as part of Team USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>2016</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Retires From Basketball</div><div class='timeline-text'>Kobe retires after a 20 year career with the Lakers and is honored with a jersey retirement ceremony.</div></div></div>
<div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-heading'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>1.</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>First Guard to Win an MVP and NBA Finals MVP</h3><p class='facts-text'>Kobe Bryant was the first guard to win back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards and the first to win both the regular season MVP and NBA Finals MVP in the same season (2008).</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-heading'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>2.</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Scored 81 Points in a Single Game</h3><p class='facts-text'>Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a single game against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006, making it the second highest scoring performance in NBA history.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-heading'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>3.</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Youngest Player to Score 20,000 Points</h3><p class='facts-text'>At age 29, Kobe Bryant became the youngest player to score 20,000 points; this record was previously held by Wilt Chamberlain who set it at age 32.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-heading'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>4.</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Won 5 NBA Championships</h3><p class='facts-text'>Kobe Bryant won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, including three consecutive titles from 2000 to 2002.</p></div></div><div id='' class='facts-item'><div id='' class='facts-heading'><h3 id='' class='facts-number'>5.</h3></div><div id='' class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Olympic Gold Medalist</h3><p class='facts-text'>Kobe Bryant won two Olympic gold medals as part of the US Men's Basketball team in 2008 and 2012.</p></div></div>
Kobe Bryant, an American professional basketball player, was born on August 23, 1978, and passed away at the age of 41 in 2020. He is best known for his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), during which he won five NBA championships.
Kobe Bryant has an estimated net worth of $600M. His wealth comes primarily from his 20-year career as an NBA star with the Los Angeles Lakers as well as endorsements and business ventures such as his stake in Nutmeg, a sports drink company. He has earned millions from the game, plus millions more from sponsorship and brand endorsements.
