Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss within the 2004 NBA Finals was followed by O'Neal's trade from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following O'Neal's departure Bryant turned the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring in the course of the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring information in the course of. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high eighty one factors against the Toronto Raptors, the second most factors scored in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point sport in 1962. He was awarded the common season's Most Valuable Player Award in 2008.

Bryant was already coaching Gianna at the youth level—they have been on their way to a game that tragic day on January 26, 2020. If he ever wished to show the sport to others, at any level, he might have made a superb coach. I vividly remember Kobe sitting round eating french fries and speaking basketball as somewhat kid. When we'd be at the shootaround before the game, Kobe could be attempting to warm up with us. I’m not talking like, you know, shagging rebounds, like a ball boy or whatever.

In addition to future animation initiatives, he had been in talks with animator veteran Bruce Smith for the last six months earlier than his death about beginning his own animation studio. He carried out at a 1997 concert by Sway & King Tech and recorded a verse for a remix of Brian McKnight's "Hold Me". Bryant even appeared on Lakers teammate O'Neal's Respect, beginning the track "three X's Dope", though Bryant's name was not listed on the credit.

Kobe grew to become accustomed to his new lifestyle and discovered to speak fluent Italian. He was especially keen on Reggio Emilia, which he thought of a loving place and the place some of his finest childhood memories had been made. Bryant started to play basketball significantly while residing in Reggio Emilia. Bryant's grandfather would mail him movies of NBA games for Bryant to check. Another source of inspiration was animated European movies about sports, from which he learned extra about basketball.

He played three seasons on the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan, during which he gained three straight world championships. Shortly afterward, he performed for the Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. The retired NBA famous person was killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on January 26, 2020. The accident shocked basketball followers and athletes from across the nation and around the world. Reuters, the information and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia information supplier, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters offers enterprise, monetary, nationwide and worldwide information to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, trade events and directly to shoppers.

But perhaps Bryant’s most mythological moment got here in how he responded to a probably career-altering damage. But being a “great friend” is something I won't ever be. A great pal will name you every day and bear in mind your birthday. I’ll get so wrapped up in my shit, I’ll by no means do not neglect that stuff. And the people who discover themselves my friends perceive this, and they’re often the same way. But the sort of relationships you see in movies—that’s inconceivable for me.

Although later seasons have been marred by injuries, he surpassed Michael Jordan for third place on the NBA all-time scoring record in December 2014 and retired in 2016 after scoring 60 points in his final sport. 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 7 others. As of June 2012, Bryant ranks third and fifth on the league's all-time post-season scoring and all-time regular season scoring lists, respectively. He is also the all-time main scorer in Lakers franchise history.

He put $6 million into sports drink company Body Armor in trade for a 10% equity stake within the firm, in accordance toESPN. He additionally grew to become a spokesperson for the brand and took part in recruiting other brand ambassadors. Bryant’s net worth on the time of his death on Jan. 26, 2020 was about $600 million, according to Forbes. Bryant is survived by his wife Vanessa, who is the executor of the Bryant estate according toFox and ESPN, and his daughters Natalia, Bianka and Capri. “There’s no such thing as having a stability,” Prescott stated about his takeaway from the reading.