For an entire generation of basketball fans, saying ‘Kobe’ before taking a shot at the
hoop was akin to a magical charm that would make the ball hit nothing but net. The imprint of the life of the late Kobe Bryant stretched far beyond the court, he was more than a legend of the game.
In
heart-wrenching news that plunged the entire world into shock and mourning, Kobe,
41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, along with seven others, died in a
helicopter crash in Calabasas, west of Los Angeles on January 26, 2020.
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Tributes poured
in from all over the world and the Los Angeles Lakers dedicated their 2019-20 NBA
title, the first since Kobe starred in the 2010 win, to their late icon.
“Kobe, I
know he’s looking down on us super proud. We miss him, and this is definitely
for him,” AFP quoted Lakers forward Anthony Davies saying after the win.
Widely
regarded as one of the greatest to every play the game, the ‘Black Mamba’, as
he was known, won five NBA titles with the Lakers along with two Olympic gold
medals with the USA before ending his glittering career that spanned two
decades in 2016.
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Born in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania in the year 1978, Kobe got his inspiration to play in the NBA from
his father, Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant, a former NBA player who played for the
Philadelphia 76ers at the time.
A shooting
guard, he began his career straight out of high school in 1996, selected 13th
in that year’s draft by the Charlotte Hornets and was later traded to the
Lakers through a prior deal. At the age of 18, became the youngest NBA starter
in the 1996-97 season.
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Under
former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson, Kobe led the Lakers to their most
successful era in almost two decades, winning three consecutive NBA titles from
2000 to 2002, before winning back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.
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His career
was almost jeopardized in 2003 after he was arrested following accusations of
sexual assault by a 19-year-old employee of a hotel Kobe was staying in. He
later admitted to adultery but refuted the charges of rape. The case was dropped
in 2004 after the accuser refused to testify and a civil suit was settled under
private terms.
His illustrious
career got a fairytale ending in 2016, as he scored 60 points against the Utah
Jazz in the Lakers’ 101-96 victory in front of his adoring fans at the Staples
Center.
In 2018,
Kobe won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for his film ‘Dear
Basketball’ a tribute to the sport, becoming the first professional athlete to
be nominated for and win an Oscar.
He has also starred in various shows over the years and authored the book ‘The Mamba Mentality: How I Play’, along with co-writing a number of novels.
An 18-time NBA All Star, Kobe will be honoured posthumously by joining the greats of the game in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in a ceremony in May, 2021.
Touching thousands of lives through his philanthropy and inspiring an entire generation
of people, the great ‘Black Mamba’ may have been taken from this world
untimely in this year marred by tragedies, but spirit and legacy will live in
people’s hearts for time immemorial.