Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a renowned American professional basketball player, affectionately known as “The Black Mamba” and “The Flying Warrior”.
In 1996, he was selected 13th overall in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets and then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He spent his entire 20-year NBA career (1996 – 2016) with the Lakers.
Kobe was one of the best scorers in the NBA, skilled in breakthroughs, shooting, free throws and three-pointers. He had few offensive blind spots, as evidenced by his 81-point performance in a single game. He was also an outstanding playmaker and one of the best defenders in the league.
During his career, Kobe won 5 NBA championships, 2 Olympic gold medals, was named NBA Finals MVP twice, and regular season MVP once. He was selected to the All-Star team 18 times and won the All-Star Game MVP 4 times.
On January 26, 2020, Kobe unfortunately died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. But his “Mamba Mentality” will always inspire basketball fans around the world.