He's had just another great season. Rocky Hendrix MyCareer in NBA 2K11FOLLOW ME ON TWITCH! [352][377] Players including Kevin Durant,[378] Dirk Nowitzki,[379] Dwyane Wade,[313] and Derrick Rose called Bryant their generation's version of Jordan. [190] Five days after his finger injury, he made another game-winning shot, after missing on an opportunity in regulation, this time against the Milwaukee Bucks in an overtime game. [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. [509], On October 23, 2018, Bryant's book The Mamba Mentality: How I Play, with photographs and afterword by Andrew D. Bernstein, an introduction by Phil Jackson, and a foreword by Pau Gasol, was published by MCD / Farrar, Straus and Giroux. He was fluent in English, Italian and Spanish. [317][318], In the season finale on April 13, Bryant scored an NBA season-high 60 points against Utah in his last NBA game, outscoring the entire Jazz team 2321 in the fourth quarter, in the Lakers' 10196 victory. "[372], Bryant was called "one of the greatest players in the history of our game" by NBA commissioner Adam Silver,[374] and The New York Times wrote that he had "one of the most decorated careers in the history of the sport. He said his faith and a priest helped him through difficult times, such as the period following his accusation of rape. Bryant said he wanted more out of life than just a successful basketball career. Learn what it takes to get your Arizona Security Guard Card from start to finish. [24][25] After two years, they moved first to Reggio Calabria, then to Pistoia and Reggio Emilia. Bryant's parents apologized to him for the misunderstanding in a written statement, and appreciated the financial support he had given them over the years. [485][486][487] It was featured on his debut studio album, Finally Rich, as a part of the deluxe edition. [456][457] However, they refused to use his image or market a new shoe of his for the year but eventually did start promoting Bryant once his image recovered two years later. [315] He became just the fourth NBA player over 37 years old to log at least 35 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a game. Bryant's 15.4 points per game was the highest of any non-starter in the season. [76], Bryant's fortunes would improve when Phil Jackson took over as coach of the Lakers in 1999. [218], On April 13, 2011, the NBA fined Bryant $100,000 for directing a gay slur at referee Bennie Adams in frustration in the previous day's game. Jackson utilized the triangle offense that he implemented to win six championships with the Chicago Bulls; this offense would help both Bryant and O'Neal rise to the elite class of the NBA. Kobe became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak fluent Italian. [531][532][533], The NBA had postponed the Lakers' game against the Clippers just two days after the accident on January 28the first time an NBA game was postponed for any reason since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing led to the postponement of a Celtics game. People can say he stole his moves from Michael Jordan, but Kobe did it in a great way and always showed. [63][64] Initially, Bryant played limited minutes, but as the season continued, he began to see some more playing time. [178] Bryant led the team to tie the franchise record for most wins to start the season going 172,[179] and by the middle of December they compiled a 213 record. The headquarters are in Newport Beach, California. [530] A public memorial service was held on February 24 (2/24, marking both Kobe's and Gianna's jersey numbers) at Staples Center with Jimmy Kimmel hosting. The Lakers swept the Nuggets in the first round and on May 6, 2008, and Bryant was officially announced as the league MVP. [240] After starting the season 14, coach Brown was fired. He played on the varsity basketball team as a freshman. Bryant scored 20 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, along with six assists, as Team USA defeated Spain 118107 in the gold medal game on August 24, 2008, for its first gold medal in a worldwide competition since the 2000 Olympics. 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. Check It Out. [213] It was the Lakers' first victory of the season against one of the league's top four teams, as they entered the game 05 in previous matchups and had been outscored by an average of 11 points. [51] Ultimately, the 17-year-old Bryant made the decision to go directly into the NBA, becoming only the sixth player in NBA history to do so. [205] Bryant said that this was the most satisfying of all of his five championships. [50] In 2012, Bryant was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald's All-Americans for his high-school play as well as his later accomplishments. In all, $200 million in collectibles are stored in two vaults . Having moved to small forward that season, Bryant was selected as a frontcourt starter for the first time. [25] Sony abandoned plans for the album, which was never released, and dropped Bryant later that year. The accusation briefly tarnished Bryant's reputation, resulting in the loss of several of his endorsement contracts.[10]. On April 12, Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon against the Golden State Warriors, ending his season. He won gold medals on the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams. During the season, Bryant signed a six-year contract extension worth $70million. The story of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan sharing the court the last time on March 28, 2003, when the kid scored 55 points and the G.O.A.T. [200] The Lakers swept the Utah Jazz in the second round[201] and advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they faced the Phoenix Suns. [457] He has since resumed endorsement deals with The Coca-Cola Company, through their subsidiary Energy Brands, to promote their Vitamin Water brand of drinks. [266] Bryant's contract became a polarizing topic, with detractors arguing that stars should take less money to allow their team more financial freedom, while supporters countered that the NBA's biggest stars were being paid less than their true value. [481] The music video of the single also features Bryant. Afterward, Bryant co-founded an independent record label, Heads High Entertainment, but it folded within a year. Bryant also had a career-high 46.9% shooting and once again led his team in assists. "[431][432] During the 201213 season, he began referring to himself as "vino" to describe how his play had been aging like a fine wine. [299][302] His free throw attempts had dropped from his career average, and his game had become over-reliant on pump fakes and long-range shots, making a league-worst 19.5 percent from three-point range while attempting seven a game, almost double his career average. [507][508] In 2018, Bryant and Sports Academy launched Mamba Sports Academy, a joint athletic-training business venture. [380][381] The Press-Enterprise described Bryant as "maybe the greatest Laker in the organization's history". In the 200102 season, Bryant played 80 games for the first time in his career. Kobe would work at the games as a ball and mop boy and would practice shooting at halftime, with Douglas sharing, "At every one of our games at halftime, it was the Kobe show. - https://discord.gg/xskRj4SSUBSCRIBE. [328], Bryant's United States national team career finally began in 2007. [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. A particularly damaging salvo came when Jackson wrote The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul. [403], Bryant was the youngest of three children. [445][446], The accusation tarnished Bryant's reputation, and the public's perception of him plummeted; his endorsement contracts with McDonald's and Nutella were terminated. In the 2000 Finals, against the Indiana Pacers, Bryant injured his ankle in the second quarter of Game 2 after landing on the Pacers' Jalen Rose's foot. [502][504], Bryant established Kobe Inc. to own and grow brands in the sports industry. After finishing 5032 in the regular season, the Lakers floundered in the playoffs and lost in the Western Conference semi-finals in six games to the eventual NBA champions San Antonio Spurs. 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. 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. He led the NBA in scoring in the 200506 and 200607 seasons and was named league MVP in 2008. "[263] Eight times he reached 40 points during the season, and eleven times he had 10 or more assists in his role as distributor, dubbed "Magic Mamba" after the passing skills of Magic Johnson. "[68], In Bryant's second season, he received more playing time and began to show more of his abilities as a talented young guard. [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. [c] Bryant also won his second straight scoring title that season. Bill Branch, the Charlotte Hornets' head scout at the time, said that the Hornets agreed to trade their No. [90] He continued his all-round play by averaging 25.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. [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. [171] That made Denver the first 50-win team to be swept out of the first round of the playoffs since the Memphis Grizzlies fell in four games to the San Antonio Spurs in 2004. Bryant spoke of the injustice aimed at homeless people who are blamed for their situation, saying that homelessness should not be ignored or made a low priority. [60] He scored 36 points in the finale and finished with averages of 24.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in four games. Doesn't surprise me one bit. The Lakers defeated the Spurs in five games, sending themselves to the NBA Finals, against the Boston Celtics. Bryant averaged 15.3 points, 2.9 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game in the tournament. [500] Bryant also started the Kobe Bryant China Fund which partnered with the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, a charity backed by the Chinese government. With 35 years of extensive industry experience, we at Bryant Security guard Company in Miami is in protecting communities, businesses, properties and people in South Florida. There's a rare Pikachu card and a century-old one of baseball great Honus Wagner, which recently sold for $7.25 million in a private sale. [259] The Lakers finished the season at 4537, good for seventh in the West. [437] Before the scheduled trial, a settlement was reached allowing the auction house the sale of less than 10% of the items. (Chicago Tribune)", "Los Angeles Lakers at Sacramento Kings Box Score, May 13, 2001", "Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers Box Score, January 14, 2002", "Lou Williams-led 76ers spoil Kobe Bryant's milestone night", "Love him or not, Kobe Bryant a Philly player", "Bryant's heroics, deference pay off for Lakers", "Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs May 12, 2002 Game Summary", "San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers Box Score, October 29, 2002", "Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers Box Score, November 1, 2002", "NBA Single Game Leaders and Records for 3-Pt Field Goals", "NBA Playoffs 2003 Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs", "Lakers Sign Free Agents Gary Payton and Karl Malone", "Kobe Bryant Arrested For Alleged Sexual Assault", "Bryant's, Lakers' survival go hand in hand", "Minnesota Timberwolves (1) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (2)", "It's Official: Shaq traded to Heat for three players, draft pick", "Coach and Star Savor Success in Collaboration", "Off the Dribble: Bryant Now Deals with Mediocrity", Kobe 'upset' about Malone's comments to wife, "Basketball: Kobe Bryant Profile and Information", "Eighty-One! 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