Not to be confused with American football player Coby Bryant.
Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2015
Born
(1978-08-23)August 23, 1978 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died
January 26, 2020(2020-01-26) (aged 41) Calabasas, California, U.S.
Listed height
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)[a]
Listed weight
212 lb (96 kg)
High school
Lower Merion (Ardmore, Pennsylvania)
NBA draft
1996: 1st round, 13th overall pick
Selected by the Charlotte Hornets
Playing career
1996–2016
Position
Shooting guard
Number
8, 24
1996–2016
Los Angeles Lakers
5× NBA champion (2000–2002, 2009, 2010)
2× NBA Finals MVP (2009, 2010)
NBA Most Valuable Player (2008)
18× NBA All-Star (1998, 2000–2016)
4× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011)
11× All-NBA First Team (2002–2004, 2006–2013)
2× All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2001)
2× All-NBA Third Team (1999, 2005)
9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006–2011)
3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2001, 200 •
Kobe Bryant
Bryant playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2014
Born
(1978-08-23)August 23, 1978 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Died
January 26, 2020(2020-01-26) (aged 41) Calabasas, California, USA
Nationality
American
Listed height
198 cm (6 ft 6 in)[a]
Listed weight
96 kg (212 lb)
High school
Lower Merion (Ardmore, Pennsylvania)
NBA draft
1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13th overall
Selected by the Charlotte Hornets
Playing career
1996–2016
Position
Shooting guard
Number
8, 24
1996–2016
Los Angeles Lakers
5× NBA champion (2000–2002, 2009, 2010)
2× NBA Finals MVP (2009, 2010)
NBA Most Valuable Player (2008)
18× NBA All-Star (1998, 2000–2016)
4× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011)
11× All-NBA First Team (2002–2004, 2006–2013)
2× All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2001)
2× All-NBA Third Team (1999, 2005)
9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006–2011)
3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2001, 2002, 2012)
2× NBA scoring champion (2006, 2007)
NBA Slam Dunk Contest c •
Kobe Bryant
(1978-2020)
Who Was Kobe Bryant?
Kobe Bryant spent his early years in Italy and joined the NBA straight out of high school. A dominant scorer, Bryant won five NBA championships and the 2008 MVP Award with the Los Angeles Lakers. Although later seasons were marred by injuries, he surpassed Michael Jordan for third place on the NBA all-time scoring list in December 2014 and retired in 2016 after scoring 60 points in his final game. In 2018, Bryant earned an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball. On January 26, 2020, he was in a helicopter crash that killed Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gigi and seven others.
Early Life
Kobe Bean Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Named after a city in Japan, Bryant is the son of former NBA player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant.
In 1984, after ending his NBA career, the elder Bryant took the family to Italy, where he played in the Italian League. Growing up in Italy alongside two athletic older sisters, Shaya and Sharia, Bryant was an avid player of both basketball