To kickoff the whirlwind of 2020, one of America’s most beloved basketball icons and his young daughter died in a plane crash in Calabasas, California.
Whether you liked baseball or not, it is hard to not know the name Kobe Bryant.
Joe Bryant, Kobe’s father, played professional basketball in Italy where Kobe attended school and was fluent in Italian.
Bryant decided that he was ready to enter the NBA had no need for college, and, boy, was he right!
The self-proclaimed “Black Mamba” led the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA championships with his impressive skillset.
He was the youngest player in the NBA in 1992, the year he was drafted and spent his entire professional career playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bryant’s iconic “shot” granted him a number four spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, and has carried over into a playful joke.
I can still hear my junior high classmates shouting “Kobe!” as they attempted to throw a balled piece of paper into the nearest trash can.
Bryant’s list of awards in the NBA are impressive:
18x NBA All-Star selections
2x NBA scoring champion
5x NBA champion
15x All-NBA selections
12x All-Defensive selections
4x NBA All-Star Game MVP
2x NBA Finals MVP
NBA Most Valuable Player (2007–08)
selected for NBA All-Rookie team, 1996–97
The death of the Bryants truly saddened America. Bryant’s legacy will always be remembered.
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