He needed to satisfy the Lakers legend, but he also understood the nature of movie star, and Prescott didn’t need to intrude on Bryant whereas he was at dinner with pals or family. Besides, the house the place Prescott was staying was less than a mile from Kobe’s home. It is hard to reconcile the events of Colorado in 2003 with the model of Kobe Bryant who 15 years later grew to become an envoy for women’s basketball and someone often recognized as a #GirlDad. His legacy is layered and complex, and the origins of the Mamba Mentality got here from a really darkish place. Within that mindset, however, was an strategy to recovering from damage that has had an enduring impact on many athletes. But quite than succumb to the fears that the damage can be too much to return from at age 34, Bryant returned for three more seasons.

While the Lakers swept the Blazers and defeated the Spurs 4–1 in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Lakers did not have home-court benefit in opposition to the Sacramento Kings. The sequence would stretch to seven games, the first time this had occurred to the Lakers for the rationale that 2000 Western Conference Finals. However, the Lakers have been able to beat their division rivals and make their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance. In the 2002 Finals, towards the New Jersey Nets, Bryant averaged 26.8 points, fifty one.4% shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists per game, which included scoring 1 / 4 of the group's points.

Brown is in Summer League with the Los Angeles Clippers. Bufkin is coming into his rookie 12 months with the Atlanta Hawks. Both have been named for Bryant, who — for now — is the only player named Kobe to make it to the NBA.

His father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, performed professionally for 16 years, together with eight years in the NBA, earlier than becoming a coach. And his mother's brother "Chubby" Cox additionally played professionally, earning a short stint in the NBA with the Washington Bullets. With those type of genes, Kobe was almost designed to be a basketball prodigy.

He was accused of sexual assault in 2003, a cost which he settled out of court—the episode price him a few of his most profitable sponsorship offers, but he retained his status as one of the wealthiest and most beloved American athletes. In addition to his long taking part in career, Bryant was known for his philanthropy and a variety of other business ventures and movie initiatives . With the Lakers preventing to secure the eighth and final playoff berth within the Western Conference, coupled with accidents on the group, Bryant began taking part in nearly all forty eight minutes each game. On April 10, 2013, Bryant grew to become the first participant in NBA history to get 47 factors, eight rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and three steals in an NBA sport. On April 12, Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon in opposition to the Golden State Warriors, ending his season. Lakers basic manager Mitch Kupchak had spoken to Bryant about his in depth taking part in time 10 days earlier, but Bryant insisted the minutes wanted to continue given the Lakers' playoff push.

He bought into the all-consuming nature of rehab that Grover particulars in his book. He chose to embrace any surrounding negativity—about his harm, his future contract, and even his personal self-doubts—and used it as fuel. It was pure to feel indignant about what had occurred to him on the field that October day, and Bryant’s writing taught him to channel that emotion into something productive. For many, it could be easier to conjure confidence by borrowing the arrogance we see in others. Think of Steph Curry listening to a Drake track earlier than a game, then Drake watching that recreation and being impressed to write down a lyric about Steph Curry.

Every Kobe fan knows his alter ego is "Black Mamba." But, the moniker's roots have a deep emotional and intellectual significance in Bryant's life. He explains in "Kobe Bryant's Muse" that in 2003 he was being heavily ridiculed by the group and felt like his life was spiraling uncontrolled. So, he created the Black Mamba to detach from that reality. While discovery and pretrial hearings consequentially occurred, Bryant's accuser ultimately requested the prosecutors to drop the legal case. The woman's attorneys said the reality that her name and extremely sensitive transcripts were leaked to the media caused her to lose faith within the justice system, and one of her attorneys did not anticipate the trial to obtain success for the girl. In 1997 during Bryant's rookie year, he made history as the youngest Slam Dunk Champion ever.

Bryant is amongst the most accomplished gamers in NBA history, successful 5 championships during his 20-year profession with the Lakers. The 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee was also an 18-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA honoree, a 12-time All-Defensive honoree, a four-time All-Star Game MVP, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, and a two-time scoring champion and one-time MVP. He completed his career with 33,643 points, which ranks fourth in NBA historical past. Bryant's association with the NBA 2K video game sequence dates back to his first look on the duvet of NBA 2K10. Since then, he has been featured multiple instances, including as the particular edition athlete cowl for NBA 2K17. In a poignant tribute to his life and legacy following his death in January 2020, the Mamba Forever edition was launched for NBA 2K21.