His 18 All-Star designations are the second most all time, and he has the most consecutive appearances as a starter. 1,126 Security Guards jobs available in Tempe, AZ on Indeed.com. He and the other guard were reportedly mistaken for gunmen. [496][497] He also appeared on MTV's Ridiculousness in 2019. 2440 W. Medtronic Way Suite A Tempe, AZ 85281. dummy 480-204-4960 Mike (all online class issues) dummy 602-754-0964 Tony. [121][122] A month later, at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, the two were seen laughing together. However, on June 30, Divac relented on his threat and the trade was made final on July 9, 1996, when the league's off-season moratorium ended. The initial investment was a 10% stake in the Bodyarmor SuperDrink company for $6 million in March 2014. Bryant, his daughter, and the other seven occupants were all killed on impact. [197], On April 2, 2010, Bryant signed a three-year contract extension worth $87million. He was posthumously voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. [483] Similarly, in 2010, American rapper Sho Baraka released a song called "Kobe Bryant On'em", which was featured on his album Lions and Liars. [139] In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers played well enough to reach a 31 series lead over the Phoenix Suns, culminating with Bryant's overtime-forcing and game-winning shots in Game 4. [480] The proceeds for downloads of both the single and ringtones were donated to impoverished schools for basketball facilities and equipment. [104] The game eventually went to a second overtime, in which Bryant made another three-pointer as time expired to lift the Lakers past the Blazers, 105104. ), Lakers need comeback to top woeful Bobcats", "Dwight Howard powers surging Lakers past Blazers", "Kobe Bryant recognizes he's better defending on the ball", "Mike D'Antoni minces words when describing Kobe Bryant's defense", "Lakers found formula, can they repeat it? [31] Another source of inspiration was animated European films about sports, from which he learned more about basketball. [536], Also, beginning with the Spurs and the Raptors in their game in San Antonio on the day of the crash, teams paid tribute to Bryant at the start of their games with intentional on-court violations referring to his uniform numbers on their first possessioneither a 24-second shot clock or an 8-second backcourt violation. He's had just another great season. [383] Both numbers he wore during his career, 8 and 24, were retired by the Lakers on December 18, 2017. and Sister, Sister (episode: "Kid-Napped"). [84][85] Bryant did not return to the game, and he also missed Game 3 due to the injury. He scored at least 50 points 24 times in his career, which is third in league history behind Jordan (31) and Chamberlain (118);[302] six times Bryant scored at least 60. [247][248] Bryant acknowledged he was a more focused defender when he had a challenging defensive assignment as opposed to when he played off the ball against weaker players. [485][486][487] It was featured on his debut studio album, Finally Rich, as a part of the deluxe edition. [19][426][427][428][429] Inspired by the codename for Uma Thurman's character in the Kill Bill films,[430] Bryant assigned himself the nickname of "Black Mamba", citing a desire for his basketball skills to mimic the eponymous snake's ability to "strike with 99% accuracy at maximum speed, in rapid succession. [38] Bryant became the first freshman in decades to start for Lower Merion's varsity team, but the team finished with a 420 record. Bryant's assists were the second-highest of his career and his field goal percentage was its highest since 200809. He gave himself the nickname "Black Mamba" in the mid-2000s, and the epithet became widely adopted by the general public. After Kobe's homecoming game in Philly this week, Kobe Bryant was surprised by his former high school point guard, the very funny Evan Monsky, during the post game conference. [262] He ended the season with his customary numbers scoring an average of 27.3 points, 46.3 percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds, and 6 assists. [302], During the 2020 NBA playoffs, the Lakers' players wore 'Black Mamba' jerseys in honor of Bryant. Rare Pikachu, Kobe's sneakers a hidden vault guards it all. [41] Duke, Michigan, North Carolina and Villanova were at the top of his list. He joined Jordan (3 times), Karl Malone (3) and Abdul-Jabbar. [191] Bryant also became the youngest player (31 years, 151 days) to reach 25,000 points in his career during the season, surpassing Chamberlain. On March 28, Bryant scored a season-high 53 points to go with 10 rebounds in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Bryant won his fifth championship and earned his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award. A particularly damaging salvo came when Jackson wrote The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul. [107] Jackson's contract as coach was not renewed, and Rudy Tomjanovich took over. Many companies like McDonald's and Ferrero SpA terminated his contracts when rape allegations against him became public. [306] Prior to announcing his retirement, he had been steadfast about not wanting the fuss of a staged farewell tour, preferring to hear boos instead of cheers. Ahead of the match, the Lakers paid tribute to Bryant and all who lost their lives in the crash with a ceremony held just before tip-off, with Usher singing "Amazing Grace" and Boyz II Men singing the National Anthem, while Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth reunited to perform "See You Again"originally their tribute to Paul Walker after his death while filming Furious 7at halftime. The following day, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner stated that the official cause of death for him and the eight others on the helicopter was blunt force trauma. [375][376] In 2008 and again in 2016, ESPN ranked him the second-greatest shooting guard of all time after Jordan. [61] As a rookie in 199697, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel. [441] He was also a fan of soccer teams Barcelona, AC Milan, and Manchester City. The group was signed by Sony Entertainment, but the company's ultimate goal was to eliminate the group and have Bryant record on his own. [100], In the following season, the Lakers were able to acquire NBA All-Stars Karl Malone and Gary Payton to make another push at the NBA championship. The first single, "K.O.B.E'", featured supermodel Tyra Banks singing the hook. In the book, Jackson called Bryant "un-coachable". [73] This kept him with the Lakers until the end of the 200304 season. [291] He was expected to be sidelined for nine months with a return targeted toward the start of the 201516 season. Jordan and Bryant didn't really guard . Kobe Bryant On NBA's Toughest Players To Guard. Bryant's mother received $450,000 from the auction house for the items, and contended Bryant had given her the rights to the items he had remaining in her home. Bryant did not feel he was deserving of the selection, and some likened it to a career achievement award for his past performance. A few other guards recently played into their late 30s. [309][310][311][312] Previously, Bryant was respected but not beloved,[313][314] and he was astonished at the cheers he was now receiving. [86] With a 116111 victory in Game 6, the Lakers won their first championship since 1988.[87]. [25] Sony abandoned plans for the album, which was never released, and dropped Bryant later that year. [231] On January 10, 2012, Bryant scored 48points against the Suns. "[165], Aided by the trade for All-Star Pau Gasol, Bryant led his team to a West-leading 5725 record. [24][25] After two years, they moved first to Reggio Calabria, then to Pistoia and Reggio Emilia. [539][540][541], Bryant also appeared at the start of the In Memoriam segment of the 92nd Academy Awards following his Oscar in 2018 for Dear Basketball, and Spike Lee wore a suit in tribute to him at the ceremony. Before the trade agreement, the Hornets never considered drafting Bryant. [292][293] The Lakers finished the season with a record of 2161, surpassing the franchise record for most losses in a season that they had set the previous year. The #BlackMamba @KobeBryant is in the building!. He was selected to his 11th consecutive All-Star Game as a starter,[180] and was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for December and January in addition to being named Western Conference Player of the week three times. [368][369][370] According to sportswriter Mark Heisler of Forbes, "circa 20042007, Kobe was the most alienated superstar the NBA had ever seen. Apply to and more! However, it was not for anything basketball related; rather, it was about Bryant being a big fan of FC Barcelona. Kobe Bryant Stats and news - NBA stats and news on Los Angeles Lakers Forward-Guard Kobe Bryant. The Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in five games. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In 2014, Bryant passed Havlicek's previous mark of 13,417 missed shots. Bryant Erupts as Lakers Roll", "In Most Areas, Good or Bad, Kobe Bryant Has Simply Done More", "What was more impressive: Chamberlain's 100 point game or Kobe's 81? [347][348] In a 2012 annual survey of NBA general managers, Bryant was selected for the 10th consecutive season as the player general managers would want to take a clutch shot with a game on the line. [125] Whereas Chamberlain was fed repeatedly by teammates for inside shots in a blowout win, Bryant created his own shotmostly from the outsidein a game which the Lakers trailed at halftime by 14 and did not pull away until the fourth quarter. [92][314][351] His ability to make difficult shots has also drawn criticism of his shot selection. [59], He is also a second cousin of his former Lakers teammate Cedric Ceballos. [109] The following day, Bryant declined a six-year, $100 million offer to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers and re-signed with the Lakers on a seven-year, $136.4 million contract. Bryant suffered multiple injuries throughout the season and as a result, missed nine games. During the All-Star weekend, Bryant participated in the Rookie Challenge and won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, becoming the youngest dunk champion at the age of 18. [394] In the 2008 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. men's basketball team, occasionally referred to as "The Redeem Team". "Growing up, we used to watch a lot of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. [246] In a move to improve the team's defense, D'Antoni began having Bryant guard the opponent's best perimeter player; Bryant was the primary defender on the Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving, who was held to 15 points. Despite a feud with teammate Shaquille O'Neal, the pair led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. [447] In September 2004, the assault case was dropped by prosecutors after the accuser decided not to testify at the trial. [131] For the month of January, Bryant averaged 43.4 points per game,[132] the eighth highest single month scoring average in NBA history and highest for any player other than Chamberlain. [326] Along with LeBron James, he was one of the first two players to be publicly named to the 20062008 U.S. preliminary roster in 2006 by Jerry Colangelo. Bryant even appeared on Lakers teammate O'Neal's Respect, starting the track "3 X's Dope", though Bryant's name was not listed on the credits. That could be the case for Oregon Ducks guard Chris Duarte, whose draft stock has soared and is now widely projected to be a first-round pick. [212] In Boston on February 10, Bryant scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half as the Lakers rallied from an early 15-point deficit for a 9286 win over the Celtics. [189] Bryant considered the shot "one of the luckiest he has made". Bryant was also the first choice for the role of Jesus Shuttlesworth in Spike Lee's 1998 film He Got Game, but he turned down the role, saying "this summer is too big for me. During the playoffs, Bryant played heavy minutes which brought his stats up to 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. "[374] Reuters called him "arguably the best player of his generation",[347] while both Sporting News and TNT named him their NBA player of the decade for the 2000s. Lakers Just Trying To Keep It Simple", "Lakers rise as D'Antoni's offense ditched", "Lakers hold on despite late surge from Hornets", "Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash help Lakers hold on for 2nd straight win", "Kobe Bryant's heroics help Lakers rally, edge Raptors in OT", "201213 Lakers Report Card: Starting five", "Lakers weren't strong enough to protect Kobe Bryant from himself", "Kobe Bryant tears Achilles, sidelined for months", "Lakers sign Kobe Bryant to two-year, $48.5 million contract extension", "Lakers sign Kobe Bryant to a two-year contract extension", "Kobe Bryant does not want to hear that he is overpaid", "Kobe Bryant on the difference between Tim Duncan's contract and his: 'It's a different market, man', "As Kobe faces Duncan for 78th time, comparison unavoidable", "Lakers' Kobe Bryant breaks bone in knee, out 6 weeks", "Anthony Davis selected to fill Kobe Bryant's All-Star slot in West", "Rockets rout Lakers 10890 in Kobe's return", "Byron Scott assured Kobe Bryant he had his best interests at heart", "Bryant leads Lakers over Toronto 129122 in OT", "ELIAS: TOP 5 QUESTIONS FROM SUNDAY, NOV. 30", "Kobe Bryant becomes NBA's No. [41], At Adidas ABCD Camp, Bryant earned the 1995 senior MVP award[43] while playing alongside future NBA teammate Lamar Odom. [38] His basketball skills and SAT score of 1080 would have ensured admission to any college he chose,[16][52] but he did not officially visit any campuses. [287] For the season, Bryant had been shooting just 37 percent from the field, and the team's record was only 819. Bryant scored just four points in 25 minutes on 1-for-14 shooting, matching the worst-shooting game of his career in which he attempted at least five shots. This marked the fifth time in Bryant's career, and the first time without O'Neal, that he made the NBA Finals. "[401], On January 26, 2022, coinciding with the 2nd anniversary of his death and the helicopter crash, a statue of Bryant and his daughter Gianna was placed at the site where the crash occurred. We'd come out of the locker room at halftime and have to chase him off the court". [529], On February 7, Bryant and his daughter were buried in a private funeral in Pacific View Memorial Park in the Corona del Mar neighborhood of Newport Beach, California. [437] Before the scheduled trial, a settlement was reached allowing the auction house the sale of less than 10% of the items. The win ended a 10-game losing streak, and the Lakers averted establishing the longest losing streak in franchise history. [108] O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant. [155], On May 27, 2007, ESPN reported that Bryant stated that he wanted to be traded if Jerry West did not return to the team with full authority. [103] In the final game of the regular season, the Lakers played the Portland Trail Blazers. [140] After scoring 50 points on 20 of 35 shooting in the Game 6 loss, Bryant was criticized for only taking three shots in the second half of the 12190 Game 7 loss to Phoenix. [97] On November 1, Bryant recorded a triple-double of 33 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in a 10893 win over the LA Clippers. By finishing off the Denver Nuggets in the Conference Finals in six games, the Lakers earned their second straight trip to the NBA Finals. It might seem shocking that Kobe Bryant leads all shooting guards for the most rebounds in the regular season by a shooting guard. [521] Initial reports indicated that the helicopter crashed in the hills above Calabasas in heavy fog. 1 On NY Times Bestseller List. [331] He averaged 15.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting .462 from the field in eight Olympic contests. He'd get out there and get his shot up. [399] In his career, Bryant scored 40-plus points in 121 games, and 21 times he recorded a triple-double. Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, which ranks second behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 19. Check It Out. Afterward, Bryant co-founded an independent record label, Heads High Entertainment, but it folded within a year. [36] When Bryant was 13, he and his family moved back to Philadelphia, where he enrolled in eighth grade at Bala Cynwyd Middle School. [159] Bryant was later shown in an infamous amateur video saying that center Andrew Bynum should have been traded for All-Star Jason Kidd. However, after high schooler Kevin Garnett went in the first round of the 1995 NBA draft, Bryant also began contemplating going directly to the pros. [222][223][224] He later apologized for the use of the word. [493] The film was produced by Bryant's production company, Granity Studios. 8 jersey, sources say", "Phoenix Suns (2) vs. Los Angeles lakers (7)", "Unfounded stigma still following Bryant", "Bryant assessed flagrant foul for elbow in Philly", "Kobe serves one-game suspension against Bucks", "Bryant Scores NBA Season-Best 65 in Lakers Win", "Kobe Scores 50 to Lead Lakers Past Wolves", "Bryant Scores 60 as Lakers Defeat Grizzlies", "Kobe's 50-point run more important because of wins", Kobe Bryant has Top-Selling Jersey in China, "A star is reborn: Bryant's stats, dunks have made him marketable again", "Suns Top Lakers, Move On to Second Round", "Kobe says he's just suggesting West return", "Bryant asks for trade, then backtracks slightly", "Playing the video game: Underground Kobe film ain't all it's cracked up to be", "Suns Can Still Bring Out Snarl in Bryant and Lakers", "Kobe Bryant youngest to hit 20,000 points", "Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks Box Score, December 23, 2007", "Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers Box Score, March 28, 2008", Kobe Bryant Wins Most Valuable Player Award, Jerry West attends Bryant's MVP press conference, Bryant, Garnett, Paul, Howard, James voted to first team, Kobe, Garnett Headline All-Defensive Team, "NBA.com: Gasol Powers Lakers Past Nuggets", "Nuggets Put Up a Fight, but Lakers Get Sweep", "Bryant Scores 38 as Lakers Beat Jazz in Game 1", "NBA.com: Bryant Lifts Lakers Into Conference Finals", "San Antonio Spurs vs Los Angeles Lakers May 29, 2008 Game Summary", "Celtics Capture 17th NBA Title With Record Win Over Lakers", "Los Angeles Lakers Schedule NBA Yahoo! [319][320] He became the oldest player to score 60 or more points in a game at 37 years and 234 days old. "Not bad for the seventh-best player in the league", said Bryant, referring to a preseason ESPN ranking of the NBA's top players. Russell Westbrook 's Los Angeles Lakers tenure hasn't been the smoothest. He led the NBA in scoring in the 200506 and 200607 seasons and was named league MVP in 2008. [67] O'Neal commented that "[Bryant] was the only guy who had the guts at the time to take shots like that. . [442][443], According to Forbes, Bryant's $680 million in career earnings was the most ever by a team athlete during their playing career. [408][409] The wedding was not attended by Bryant's parents, his two sisters, his longtime advisor and agent Arn Tellem, or his Laker teammates. A federal jury awarded $31 million in damages to Kobe Bryant's widow and her co-plaintiff on Thursday after finding the Los Angeles County Sheriff's and Fire departments liable for infringing on . During the 200910 season, Bryant made six game-winning shots including a buzzer-beating, one-legged 3-pointer against the Miami Heat on December 4, 2009. [294], After recovering to play in the 201516 preseason,[295] Bryant suffered a calf injury and missed the final two weeks of exhibition games. [76], Bryant's fortunes would improve when Phil Jackson took over as coach of the Lakers in 1999. [286] He underwent season-ending surgery for the injury, finishing the season averaging 22.3 points but shooting a career-low 37.3 percent, well below his 45.4 percent career mark to start the season. Largely because he spent so much time in a system de-emphasizing traditional point guard play, mitigating the need for an elite one, in terms of "classic" point guards Bryant basically goes from . He met the show's star, Brandy, earlier in the year at a Nike All-Star basketball game, and then a couple of months later in May 1996, Bryant was Brandy's date to her Hollywood High School senior prom. [69] Bryant would see an increase in minutes when the Lakers "played small", which would feature Bryant playing small forward alongside the guards he would usually back up. [60] He scored 36 points in the finale and finished with averages of 24.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in four games. [324] Bryant was originally selected for the FIBA Americas Championship in 2003 but withdrew after undergoing arthroscopic shoulder and knee surgeries. His debut album, Visions, was scheduled to release in the spring of 2000. In 1997, he appeared on an episode of Hang Time, this was followed by a guest appearance on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That (1998). Connect with us. Over a year after the crash, on February 9, 2021, the NTSB declared that pilot Ara Zobayan probably became disoriented after flying into thick clouds. [206], Bryant wanted a sixth championship to match Jordan's total. His 18 All-Star designations are the second most all time, and he has the most consecutive appearances as a starter. [72] He was joined by teammates O'Neal, Van Exel, and Jones, making it the first time since 1983 that four players on the same team were selected to play in the same All-Star Game. Sports", Kobe passes West as Lakers' scoring leader in loss to Grizzlies, Kobe Bryant's game winner in 9998 victory over Memphis Grizzlies shows clutchness can't be duplicated, Lakers snap 3-game skid on Bryant's late jumper, Lakers to Face Thunder in the First Round, Lakers beat Suns to set up rematch with Boston, "Lakers' rings feature leather from Game 7 ball", "Why Kobe Bryant decided it was time to retire", Lakers hold off Timberwolves, improve to 80, "Kobe's triple-double leads Lakers over Kings", "Celtics win Finals rematch despite Kobe Bryant's 41 points", "Kobe Bryant has big second half to help Lakers rally by Celtics", "NBA.com: Kobe is top vote-getter in 2011 All-Star balloting", "Bryant feeds off energy as West beats East in All-Star game, 148143", "Rumorsandrants.com: Kobe Bryant Passes Moses Malone For Sixth On All-Time Scoring List", "Kobe Bryant fined $100,000 for gay slur", "Kobe Bryant needs to say more after slur", "Lakers' Kobe Bryant is fined $100,000 by NBA for anti-gay slur to referee", "Kobe's $100K fine didn't buy Lakers' best effort", "A Gay Former N.B.A.