Kobe Bean Bryant (August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Black Mamba", he played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant was a five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, the 2008 NBA MVP, and two-time gold medal recipient on the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams. He is often regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
The son of NBA player Joe Bryant and his wife Pam, he was born in Philadelphia and spent part of his childhood in Italy. Bryant played high school basketball at Lower Merion High School outside of Philadelphia. He opted out of college basketball and declared for the 1996 NBA draft. He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick; he was then traded to the Lakers. Following his rookie season, he earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors and won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. He was named an All-Star in his second season. He had a feud with teammate Shaquille O'Neal that was well-documented. Nevertheless, the pair led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. In 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault; the criminal charges were ultimately dismissed. In a related lawsuit, he settled out of court and issued an apology while maintaining that the encounter was consensual.
After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was traded and Bryant became the franchise's centerpiece. He led the NBA in scoring in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points, the third most in an NBA game. He adopted the nickname Black Mamba during this time. Bryant won the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, but lost the NBA Finals that same season. He followed the defeat by leading the Lakers to consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, and was named NBA Finals MVP both times. His remaining playing career was hampered by injuries and reduced playing time. He retired after the 2015–16 season. In 2017, the Lakers retired both his jersey numbers: 8 and 24, making him the only NBA player to have multiple numbers retired by one franchise. In 2018, Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball (2017).
Bryant was a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, and two-time scoring champion. He ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. He is the Lakers' all-time leading scorer and the NBA's first guard to play 20 seasons. His 18 All-Star designations are the third most ever, and his four NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards tied Bob Pettit's record.
In January 2020, Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Tributes and memorials followed his death, including murals throughout Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant Day (8/24), and two statues outside Crypto.com Arena. The NBA All-Star Game MVP was also renamed in Bryant's honor. Bryant was posthumously named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021 and was a two-time inductee to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, once in 2020 for his individual career, and in 2025 as part of the 2008 United States men's Olympic basketball team ("Redeem Team").
Early life Kobe Bean Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mother, Pam Bryant (née Cox), is the sister of basketball player Chubby Cox, and his father, Joe Bryant, played eight seasons in the NBA. His father named him after the Kobe beef from Japan, which he saw on a restaurant menu, whereas his middle name, Bean, was derived from his father's nickname "Jellybean". He had two older sisters: Sharia and Shaya. He was raised Catholic. He was fluent in English, Italian, and Spanish. The Lakers were his favorite team when he was growing up. He was also a fan of the New York Mets, wanting to be like Darryl Strawberry, and his hometown NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
When his father was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the then-San Diego Clippers, Bryant and the family moved to San Diego in 1979. His mother said he first showed an interest in basketball at the age of three. He would watch his father play basketball on TV and pretended to be a part of the game. He attended preschool at the Gillispie School in La Jolla where he played basketball on the playground. His father played his final season in the NBA with the Houston Rockets in the 1983 NBA season.
Years in Italy When Bryant was six years old, his father retired from the NBA and moved his family to Rieti, Italy to continue his professional basketball career for the team AMG Sebastiani Rieti. After two years, they moved to Reggio Calabria, then to Pistoia and Reggio Emilia. He became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak fluent Italian. He was especially fond of Reggio Emilia, which he described as a loving place and the source of some of his fondest childhood memories. It was there that he began to take basketball seriously. His grandfather mailed him videos of NBA games for him to study. He also watched European films about sports, from which he learned more about basketball.
From 1987 to 1989, Bryant's father played for Olimpia Basket Pistoia where he paired with former Detroit Pistons player Leon Douglas. Bryant worked at the games as a ball and mop boy and practiced shooting during halftime. Douglas recalled, "At every one of our games at halftime, it was the Kobe show. He'd get out there and get his shot up. We'd come out of the locker room at halftime and have to chase him off the court". During the summer, he returned to the United States to play in a basketball summer league. He also played soccer while living in Italy, and A.C. Milan was his favorite team.
High school When he was 13, Bryant and his family moved back to Philadelphia, where he enrolled in the eighth grade at Bala Cynwyd Middle School and then Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. He earned national recognition for his play at Lower Merion. He played on the varsity team as a freshman, but the team finished with a 4–20 record. The following three years, Lower Merion compiled a 77–13 record, with Bryant playing all five positions.
During his junior year, he averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 3.8 blocks and 2.3 steals, and was named a fourth-team Parade All-American. He considered playing collegiate basketball at Duke, Michigan, North Carolina and Villanova. His skills and SAT score of 1080 would have ensured admission to any college, but he did not officially visit campuses. At the ABCD Camp, Bryant earned the 1995 senior MVP award while playing alongside future NBA teammate Lamar Odom. While in high school, then 76ers coach John Lucas invited Bryant to work out and scrimmage with the team, where he played one-on-one with Jerry Stackhouse.
As a senior, Bryant led Lower Merion to their first state championship in 53 years. During his senior year, he averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4 steals, and 3.8 blocked shots in leading the school to a 31–3 record. He finished his high-school career as Southeastern Pennsylvania's all-time leading scorer at 2,883 points, surpassing both Wilt Chamberlain and Lionel Simmons. As a senior, he was named Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Men's National Basketball Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American, a first-team Parade All-American and a USA Today All-USA First Team player. His coach, Greg Downer, commented that he was "a complete player who dominates" and praised his work ethic. He was later honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald's All-Americans for his high school play.
Professional career Bryant decided to forgo college basketball and entered the lottery for 1996 NBA draft, the sixth player and the first guard to do so. His announcement garnered publicity when prep-to-pro was rare. The day before the draft, the Charlotte Hornets agreed to trade their 13 pick to the Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac. Before the agreement, the Hornets had never considered drafting Bryant. During the draft, the Lakers told the Hornets to select Bryant minutes before the pick was made. Lakers General Manager Jerry West made the trade for Bryant, after having watched him work out in Los Angeles. After the draft, the trade was put in jeopardy when Divac threatened to retire, but he relented and the trade was finalized. Since he was a minor, his parents had to co-sign his $3.5 million three-year rookie contract. Bryant debuted in the Summer Pro League in Long Beach, California. Defenders struggled to get in front of him. He finished with averages of 24.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in the summer league.
Early years (1996–1999) As a rookie in 1996–97, he became the second-youngest player ever to play in an NBA game (18 years, 72 days) and eventually became the youngest NBA starter (18 years, 158 days). He mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel. He played limited minutes, but as the season continued, his playing time grew. During the All-Star weekend, he participated in the Rookie Challenge and won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, the youngest dunk champion at age 18. The Lakers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals in the 1997 NBA playoffs against the Utah Jazz. He was pressed into a lead role at the end of Game 5. Byron Scott missed the game with a sprained wrist, Robert Horry was ejected for fighting with Jeff Hornacek, and O'Neal fouled out with 1:46 remaining. He missed a game-winning shot in the fourth quarter, then misfired three three-point field goals in overtime, including two tying shots in the final minute. O'Neal commented that "[Bryant] was the only guy who had the guts at the time to take shots like that." His rookie campaign earned him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
In his second season, he received more playing time. His scoring averages more than doubled, from 7.6 to 15.4. Playing time increased when the Lakers "played small", which positioned Bryant as a small forward alongside the guards he usually played behind. Bryant was runner-up for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award, and through fan voting, became the NBA's youngest All-Star starter. Bryant was joined by teammates O'Neal, Van Exel, and Jones, making it the first time since 1983 that four players on one team were selected to play in an All-Star Game. Bryant's 15.4 points per game was the highest of any non-starter in the season.
The 1998–99 season marked Bryant's emergence as a premier guard. He started every game for the lockout-shortened 50-game season. He signed a six-year $70 million contract extension, keeping him a Laker through 2003–04. Sportswriters compared his skills to Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. The Lakers made the playoffs, where they were swept by the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Three-peat (1999–2002)
Bryant's play improved when Phil Jackson was hired in 1999. Jackson applied his triangle offense that he had developed for the Chicago Bulls.
Bryant was sidelined for six weeks prior to the start of the 1999–2000 season due to a preseason hand injury. When he returned, he played over 38 minutes a game and improved in all statistical categories. This included leading the team in assists and steals per game. O'Neal and Bryant, backed with a strong bench, led the Lakers to win 67 games. For his season, Bryant was named to the All-NBA Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Team for the first time (the youngest to receive All-Defensive honors). In the 2000 NBA playoffs, he had some stellar performances, including a 25-point, 11-rebound, seven-assist, four-block in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. He threw an alley-oop to O'Neal to clinch the game and a trip to the Finals.