Since his second yr within the league, Bryant has been selected to begin out each NBA All-Star Game that has been held within the final fourteen years. He has gained the All-Star MVP Award 4 instances , tying him for the most All Star MVP Awards in NBA history. He is a 14-time member of the All-NBA staff and an 12-time member of the All-Defensive staff; he is also 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 top NBA player of the 2000s . Tragedy struck the world of basketball and sport generally on 26 January 2020 when Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in California on the age of forty one.

He learned how to converse Italian and performed a lot of soccer. Kobe played for the Los Angeles Lakers his entire professional career. He holds the record for the most profession points scored by a Los Angeles Laker. Kobe scored 81 factors in an NBA sport, which is the second most factors scored in a single sport.

The Lakers swept the Utah Jazz within the second spherical and superior to the Western Conference Finals, the place they confronted Phoenix Suns. In Game 2, Bryant finished the sport with thirteen assists, setting a brand new playoff profession high; it was essentially the most assists by a Laker within the playoffs since Magic Johnson had thirteen in 1996. The Lakers went on to win the series in six games capturing the Western Conference Championship and advancing to the NBA Finals for a 3rd straight season. Bryant received his fifth championship and earned his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award.

In October 2021, Bryant was honored as one of the league's biggest players of all time by being named to the NBA seventy fifth Anniversary Team. The Lakers swept the Utah Jazz in the second spherical and advanced to the Western Conference Finals, the place they confronted the Phoenix Suns. In Game 2, Bryant completed the game with thirteen assists, setting a new playoff career-high; it was the most assists by a Laker in the playoffs since Magic Johnson had 13 in 1996. Bryant thought of the shot "one of the luckiest he has made". A week later, Bryant suffered an avulsion fracture in his proper index finger in a game in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In the fourth quarter, as Bryant made shot after shot towards the Utah Jazz, on his method to 60 points, the arena was filled with a steady, deafening cheer. Bryant picked up a microphone afterward to address the group. Flying again to L.A., he known as a information conference at Staples Center and, with tears in his eyes and voice quavering, acknowledged having sex with the woman however insisted it was consensual. Bryant took refuge in his relationship with Vanessa, as bodyguards accompanied them to Disneyland and got them seats at the native Cineplex after the lights went down. The couple purchased a house in the Newport Beach community of Newport Coast, the place they put in his “Star Wars” memorabilia and her Disney collectibles.

This triggered Bryant to overlook some video games because of court appearances or attend court earlier within the day and journey to play games later in similar day. Bryant made two buzzer beaters to win the game and the Pacific Division title. At the end of the fourth quarter, Bryant made a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to send it into extra time. The sport finally went to a second overtime, by which Bryant made another 3-pointer as time expired to raise the Lakers previous the Blazers, 105–104. Kobe Bryant is known for being one of the best basketball players in the history of the NBA.

When you break somebody's nostril in an All-Star Game, it's competitive. But then getting to play on the same group in '08 in the Olympics was like the last word for me and I think for him as well. When he lastly saw the means in which I worked and we just got an opportunity to expertise being round one another, our chemistry and continuity on the court docket was just second to none, like we've played together our entire life.

An 18-year-old Bryant put on a show with unbelievable style, rhythm, perspective, and confidence to charm the judges towards different competitors including Ray Allen, Chris Carr, and Michael Finley. The choice was made just one day after what would have been Kobe's 44th birthday. Kobe scores 60 factors vs the Utah Jazz within the last recreation of his profession. Kobe places up 37 factors on the Suns in the 2010 WCF, including a number of plays within the clutch.