Kobe Bryant Goat Life Story

Former pro basketball player Kobe Bryant won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers while establishing himself as one of the game's all-time greats. He died tragically in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020.

Who Was Kobe Bryant?

Kobe Bryant spent his early years in Italy and joined the NBA straight out of high school. A dominant scorer, Bryant won five NBA championships and the 2008 MVP Award with the Los Angeles Lakers. Although later seasons were marred by injuries, he surpassed Michael Jordan for third place on the NBA all-time scoring list in December 2014 and retired in 2016 after scoring 60 points in his final game. 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 seven others.

Early Life

Kobe Bean Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Named after a city in Japan, Bryant is the son of former NBA player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant.

In 1984, after ending his NBA career, the elder Bryant took the family to Italy, where he played in the Italian League. Growing up in Italy alongside two athletic older sisters, Shaya and Sharia, Bryant was an avid player of both basketball and soccer. When the family returned to Philadelphia in 1991, Bryant joined the Lower Merion High School basketball team, leading it to the state championships four years in a row. With an eye on the NBA, he also started working out with the 76ers.

Though he boasted good grades and high SAT scores, Bryant decided to go straight to the NBA from high school. He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick of the 1996 NBA draft and was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

NBA Career and Stats

In his second season with the Lakers, Bryant was voted a starter for the 1998 All-Star Game, becoming the youngest All-Star in NBA history at 19. The shooting guard then teamed up with superstar center Shaquille O'Neal to win three consecutive NBA championships and was voted first-team all-NBA from 2002-2004. He also inked multi-year endorsement deals with Adidas, Sprite and other top sponsors.

Although the Lakers struggled after O'Neal left in 2004, Bryant performed brilliantly. He scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006, the second-highest single-game mark in NBA history, and led the league in scoring that year and the next.

In 2008, Bryant was named Most Valuable Player and carried his team to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics. In the 2009 NBA Finals, the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic to win the championship. Shortly afterward, Bryant was part of the memorial service to honor friend and music superstar Michael Jackson. The following year, the Lakers won their second straight title by defeating the Celtics.

Bryant played on both the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams, winning consecutive gold medals with teammates Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, among several other top players.

After suffering a torn Achilles tendon in April 2013, Bryant worked hard to return to the court before fracturing his knee just six games into the 2013-2014 season. The veteran All-Star surpassed Michael Jordan for third all-time on the NBA scoring list in December 2014, but his season ended due to injury for the third straight year when he sustained a torn rotator cuff in January 2015. 

Retirement

Although Bryant returned in time for the start of the 2015-2016 NBA season, he personally struggled alongside his young Lakers teammates. In November 2015, he announced that he would retire at the end of the season. "This season is all I have left to give," he wrote on The Players' Tribune website. "My heart can take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind but my body knows it's time to say goodbye."

The announcement drew a strong reaction, particularly from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. "With 17 NBA All-Star selections, an NBA MVP, five NBA championships with the Lakers, two Olympic gold medals and a relentless work ethic, Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players in the history of our game," Silver said in a statement. "Whether competing in the finals or hoisting jump shots after midnight in an empty gym, Kobe has an unconditional love for the game."

On April 13, 2016, Bryant dazzled a sold-out crowd at the Staples Center and fans everywhere in the last game of his career, scoring 60 points and leading the Lakers to a win against the Utah Jazz. It was Bryant's sixth 60-point game of his career.

After the game, Bryant spoke to the crowd. "I can't believe how fast 20 years went by," he said. "This is absolutely crazy ... and to be standing at center court with you guys, my teammates behind me, appreciating the journey that we've been on — we've been through our ups, been through our downs. I think the most important part is we all stayed together throughout."

An all-star lineup of Laker icons also paid tribute to Bryant, including O'Neal, Phil Jackson, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and Magic Johnson. "We are here to celebrate greatness for 20 years," Johnson said. "Excellence for 20 years. Kobe Bryant has never cheated the game, never cheated us as the fans. He has played through injury, he has played hurt. And we have five championship banners to show for it."

Academy Award for 'Dear Basketball'

In November 2015, Bryant announced his upcoming retirement from the Lakers with a poem on The Players' Tribune website, titled "Dear Basketball." The athletic great soon sought the best in other fields to turn his poem into a short film, including Disney animator Glen Keane and composer John Williams.

The result was a beautifully rendered five-minute, 20-second film, which debuted at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. Oscar voters took note, leading to the unexpected sight of Bryant accepting an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 2018 ceremony.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science's short films and animation branch also extended an invitation for Bryant to become a member of the organization. However, in June 2018 it was revealed that the Academy's governors committee had rescinded the invitation, saying the retired basketball great needed to show more efforts in the field before being considered for membership.

Sexual Assault Charge

In July 2003, Bryant was charged with one count of sexual assault on a 19-year-old female hotel worker in Colorado. Bryant said he was guilty of adultery but innocent of the rape charge. The case against Bryant was dismissed in 2004, and he settled the civil lawsuit filed by the hotel worker against him out of court.

Philanthropy

Among his philanthropic endeavors, the basketball great partnered with the non-profit After-School All-Stars as part of the Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation. He also ran an annual summer camp called the Kobe Basketball Academy.

Wife and Children

Bryant married 19-year-old Vanessa Laine in April 2001. The couple became parents to four daughters: Natalia Diamante (b. 2003), Gianna Maria-Onore (b. 2006, d. 2020), Bianka (b. 2016) and Capri (b. 2019).

Death

On January 26, 2020, Bryant was onboard a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter that crashed in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas. Nine people, including Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna "Gigi," died. The helicopter was on its way from Orange County to Thousands Oaks, California where Bryant was scheduled to coach a tournament game at Mamba Sports Academy.

"We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri," Bryant's wife Vanessa posted on Instagram. "There aren't enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon."

Bryant and his daughter were laid to rest in a private funeral on February 7, 2020. On February 24, they were honored in a memorial service at the Staples Center, with Beyoncé and Alicia Keys delivering musical tributes and Jordan, Shaq and wife Vanessa among those sharing emotional recollections of the basketball great and family man.

On April 4, 2020, Bryant was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

In February 2021, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled that pilot Ara Zobayan was "flying under visual flight orders, or VFR, which legally prohibited him from penetrating the clouds," likely causing him to be disoriented.

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Nikola Jokić Voted as Starter for 2023 NBA All-Star Game

The NBA announced today that Nuggets center Nikola Jokić has been selected as a starter for the 2023 NBA All-Star game on Sunday, Feb. 19 At Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.

This is Jokić’s fifth straight All-Star selection and third consecutive year being named an All-Star Starter. He joins Alex English and David Thompson as the only Nugget players to be selected to start in consecutive All-Star games and is just the second Nuggets player ever to be selected to five-or-more All-Star games (English).

Jokić, 27, is averaging 25.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, a career-high 9.9 assists and 1.40 steals, while shooting .629 from the field and .378 from three in 33.4 minutes per game this season. The Joker leads the NBA with 15 triple doubles and is on a current streak of recording one in four consecutive games, becoming one of five players in NBA history to have two triple-double streaks of four or more games in their career (Westbrook, Robertson, Chamberlain, Johnson).

Among the NBA ranks, Jokić is first in PER (Player Efficiency Rating) at 32.4 which would be the highest single season PER in NBA history (surpassing Chamberlain’s 32.1 in 1961-62). The big man also ranks first in +/- (9.1), second in total assists (415), third in assists per game (9.9), eighth in rebounds per game (11.0) and 20th in points per game (25.1). His 9.9 assists per game is currently on pace to surpass Wilt Chamberlain (8.6 apg), for the most assists per game by a center in NBA history. As well, Jokic recently passed Alex English as the Nuggets franchise leader in assists (3696), doing so in 269 less games.

The back-to-back MVP is coming off one of the best months of his career in December, where he averaged 29.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 10.1 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting .604 from the field in 36.2 minutes. He had four games with 40+ points in the month including two coming with a triple-double. It also marked the second time in his career posting 400+ points, 170+ rebounds and 140+ assists in a month, joining Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history to achieve those numbers for a month multiple times in a career. He was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday December 12th to Sunday December 18th, winning the award for the first time this season and for the 12th time in his career, the most in franchise history.

The Sombor, Serbia native was selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He has appeared in 569 career games (528 starts) over eight seasons with Denver, averaging 20.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.20 steals per game.

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New Mexico Basketball Is Back Home and Better Than Ever

The heart of the state of New Mexico sits a mile above sea level but 37 feet below the ground, in a bunker-like structure that comes to life for basketball games on winter nights.

The Pit is the center of the sports universe in New Mexico, a state without a major professional sports team that instead rallies like few others around its college basketball team, the Lobos. New Mexico is one of few places (think Kentucky, Indiana, Kansas) where college basketball is closer to a year-round obsession than a seasonal attraction. And The Pit has its place in the sport’s history, hosting the 1983 Final Four that featured the iconic championship-winning, buzzer-beating Lorenzo Charles dunk by for NC State that remains prominently featured in March Madness lore. It ranked 13th in Sports Illustrated’s favorite venues of the 20th century, in the same company as the likes of Augusta National and the Rose Bowl. As Richard Hoffer wrote then, “the noise created by fans, which has been measured at 125 decibels—the pain threshold for the human ear is 130—is a palpable force.”

In recent years, the heartbeat that emanates from The Pit has begun to fade. Eight straight years without a postseason berth after Steve Alford departed Albuquerque for UCLA tested fans’ patience, and no state was impacted more by COVID-19 restrictions on athletic competitions and large gatherings than New Mexico. But in 2022–23, the roar of one of college basketball’s best fan bases is back in full voice, and the 18–3 Lobos are in the AP Top 25 for the first time in nearly a decade, nationally relevant once more.

Two seasons ago, New Mexico basketball hit rock bottom. State restrictions due to COVID-19 forced the Lobos to spend their entire season playing as college basketball’s nomads. They spent much of the season playing home games in Lubbock, Texas, since New Mexico wouldn’t allow them to play games in The Pit, even with no fans present. Things weren’t trending upward under coach Paul Weir beforehand and only got worse once the team was forced to hit the road, as the Lobos won just four Division I games and dropped to No. 294 In KenPom, the program’s worst-ever finish by more than 100 spots. It was a shocking fall for a program that, for the most part, has been consistently relevant since The Pit opened in 1966. New Mexico and Weir mutually agreed to part ways that February, setting up perhaps the most important coaching search in the school’s history to try to right the ship.

“They had eight years of two coaches, Craig Neal and Paul Weir, of which seven of which were fans losing interest,” Geoff Grammer, the Lobos beat writer for the Albuquerque Journal and a New Mexico native, says. “The first 50 years The Pit was open, it was ranked in the top 25 in average home attendance. … The program is based on The Pit and based on the fans, and when they start losing interest it hurts the entire athletic department.”

New Mexico athletic director Eddie Nuñez had played and coached at Florida under Billy Donovan. A call from his former coach and boss connected him to Richard Pitino, who had worked under Donovan from 2009 to ’11 and regularly quips that he’s more like Donovan than his Hall of Fame father, Rick. Things were going south for Richard Pitino at Minnesota, making it a real possibility he would be available that spring. And Pitino checked all the boxes for Nuñez, particularly because of his experience coaching at a higher level.

“I didn't want a coach that hadn’t been at a high level because this is a tough place when it comes to handling the expectations,” Nuñez says. “This is a big program from the standpoint of what our fan base expects, what we expect, and I needed somebody who’s been there, who’s done it.”

Between working for his father at Louisville and for Donovan at Florida and spending eight years as a head coach in the Big Ten, Pitino was no stranger to expectations. Nuñez knew from the first phone call between the two that it was the right fit and wasted no time once Pitino was officially fired by Minnesota. Pitino was informed he was getting fired by Minnesota at 7 p.m. On a Sunday night, and by 7:15 Nuñez had offered him the New Mexico job. Pitino accepted and uprooted his life from the Land of 10,000 Lakes to the Land of Enchantment after less than a half-hour on the unemployment line, rather than taking a year off like many recently fired coaches do.

“A lot of people had said to me, ‘You should do TV; you’d be good on TV,’” Pitino says. “And I always thought to myself, Why is it that every TV guy tries to get head-coaching jobs?”

Head coach Richard Pitino is rebuilding a New Mexico basketball program that hit rock bottom.

Albuquerque Journal/IMAGO

This was a rebuild that, on paper, looked like it would take time, with few impact returners and recruiting still impacted by COVID-19, as coaches not allowed to recruit off campus or host visitors that spring. But Pitino brought with him a building block in Jamal Mashburn Jr., who averaged more than 8 points per game as a freshman at Minnesota and elected to follow his coach down a level to the Mountain West.

“When I got fired, his dad [Jamal Mashburn Sr., who played for Rick Pitino at Kentucky] called me and said, ‘Just tell me where you're gonna end up because throughout the whole process you told us the truth,’” Pitino says. “It was a gratifying experience because right when you get fired, you don't feel real good. And to have one of your players say that felt good.”

Mashburn Jr. Wasn’t the only son of an NBA player to sign on that first offseason. Jaelen House, the son of 11-year NBA veteran Eddie House, transferred from Arizona State to join the Lobos, forming a talented backcourt pairing with Mashburn Jr. That gave New Mexico life in Year 1. Mashburn brought a steadiness and maturity, while House brought the fire and a flair for the dramatic. The duo averaged more than 35 points per game and helped the Lobos climb from the 290s to a more respectable No. 161 National ranking, including an upset win over a Wyoming team that made the NCAA tournament. But the Lobos still lost 19 games, mostly due to a lack of an inside presence that caused the team’s defense to get torched.

Enter two more transfers: Wichita State’s Morris Udeze and UMKC’s Josiah Allick. Plug-and-play starters at center and power forward, respectively, Udeze and Allick have provided the interior punch to go with House and Mashburn in the backcourt. Udeze is one of the conference’s best low-post scorers, while Allick provides toughness on defense and on the glass. Suddenly, the Lobos had a roster capable of competing with the top of the Mountain West, just two seasons after finishing in last place in Weir’s final year. The result: a 14–0 start that made New Mexico the nation’s last unbeaten team, headlined by a road win at Saint Mary’s and beating Rick Pitino’s Iona team in Albuquerque. And with the Lobos winning and COVID-19 restrictions in the rearview mirror, it was time for The Pit to roar again.

It’s often hard to appreciate historic venues without being there. You can’t fully understand how steep the walls of seats are at Assembly Hall until you walk into the building. Any baseball fan who has been to Fenway Park remembers the feeling of walking out to field level on the first base side and being almost engulfed by the majesty of the Green Monster. The same goes for The Pit, which belongs on every fan’s bucket list.

Because the arena is literally built into the ground, you enter at concourse level, above all seating outside of a few luxury suites. The rows are numbered from top to bottom, so don’t be fooled into thinking you got a bargain by finding cheap “Row 1” tickets on StubHub. Most of the arena still is outfitted with old metal bleachers painted red. The ceiling is pitch black and flat with no jumbotron in the middle. There’s very little natural light coming in, even during the daytime, so everywhere but the court itself is quite dim. And there’s only one way onto the court from the bowels of the venue: an incredibly steep tunnel painted cherry red on three sides with The Pit’s slogan on one side: “Welcome to The Pit, a mile high and louder than …” The tunnel is so steep that it’s tradition for visiting teams to try to roll a ball up it, only to (usually) watch the ball die out and start rolling back as it approaches the top.

Jan. 20’S game against Boise State, which had an announced attendance of more than 14,500, had the type of energy you imagine a Friday-night high school football game in Texas feels like. There’s a community feel: Nuñez delivered beers to fans in the front row, and fans high-fived with the rest of their section after big plays. Everyone seemed to know one another and everyone seemed to care about the Lobos.

“This is a poor state and a very proud state where families have been for generations and generations,” Grammer says. “In terms of the go-to sport, when it’s at its best, it’s Lobo basketball and there’s not really a close second.”

“Everyone we know, they don’t ask me for tickets because they [already] have season tickets,” Pitino adds. “That’s unique.”

The players are the state’s stars. Allick came out through the team’s attached practice facility to start warmups just after doors opened and was immediately greeted by fans looking for autographs and selfies. Players get recognized at restaurants and around town. Some kids grow up idolizing not their favorite Yankee or Cowboy, but their favorite Lobo.

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“There are always a bunch of kids that I see that have so much energy for the game,” Mashburn says. “A lot of autographs, a lot of pictures, a lot of poster signings, all of that.”

When the game starts, the passion is palpable. The energy in the building grows and grows as momentum builds, then explodes after a big basket or blocked shot. And the sound seems to get trapped inside because of the venue’s unique layout, echoing and building upon itself on every big play. The fans know the names of the referees and hold nothing back when calling them out, and even the in-game host at one point told the fans to “go back to yelling at the refs” after a bad sequence for the Lobos.

Friday’s game didn’t quite sell out, but you’d never have known it from being there. The Pit erupted time after time as momentum swung back and forth, before eventually exploding on a game-winning layup in the final seconds of overtime by Udeze. Pitino, who has coached everywhere from Cameron Indoor Stadium to Mackey Arena, called it “the loudest building I have ever been in, by far. Not even close.”

“I couldn’t hear myself,” Pitino said postgame. “That was as good an environment and as loud a crowd as I have ever seen.”

Lobos guard Donovan Dent dunks in front of a home crowd at The Pit.

Sam Wasson/Getty Images

After last week’s home win against San Jose State, Pitino was about to walk up the tunnel to the locker room when a fan ran down from the stands with a gift: a box of Franzia red wine.

“I'm like, ‘Well how did you get this in the building?’” Pitino says with a laugh. “And then I have to walk up the ramp with wine!”

Pitino’s father, Rick, is well known for his love of wine, though Franzia (a box can be found at grocery stores for under $15) seems unlikely to pique his interest. It may not be Richard’s taste either, but the box sits in the corner of his office on display and will for a while.

“That reminds me of how awesome this place is,” Pitino says.

Another reminder came the week before, when the team was returning to Albuquerque after a road win over Mountain West favorite San Diego State the day before. The Lobos were greeted in the airport by a contingent of New Mexico fans there to show their support, all decked out in Lobos gear.

“I’m walking, not really looking up, and all the sudden I see about 15 people and they’ve got pom-poms,” Pitino says. “I asked [one of them] ‘You came to meet us off the plane for a regular-season game?’ and she goes ‘Yeah, keep winning and it will get bigger and bigger.’

“It’s a throwback place. They just love it so much. I have been in a lot of places and I truly believe that this is one of the best fanbases in college basketball.”

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Tar Heels earn tough road win at Syracuse

Going into the 2022-23 college basketball season, Hubert Davis’ team was ranked No. 1 In the preseason polls and were the favorite to win it all come April. But the Tar Heels stumbled a bit late in November, losing four-straight games and dropping out of the rankings.

They eventually returned to the rankings but it was short-lived once again after another loss. Now, going into February the Tar Heels have won four-straight games and are 7-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. It appears as if they are starting to find their groove at the right time, similar to what they did last season.

And one analyst is taking notice.

Andy Katz wrote on four teams that had struggles early on in the year but are regrouping and are primed to make a run. One of those teams was the North Carolina Tar Heels:

The Tar Heels came into the season ranked No. 1 And began 5-0. Then the trouble started. A surprise upset by Iowa State, the epic 103-101 four-overtime loss to Alabama, a 12-point whacking at Indiana, another loss at Virginia Tech. From top-ranked to a 5-4 record. Ouch.

They’ve gone 9-2 since, and are two games off the lead in the ACC. They just beat North Carolina State as Armando Bacot had his 61st double-double to pass Billy Cunningham’s school career record of nearly six decades ago and his 1,221st rebound to go by Tyler Hansbrough’s Carolina career mark. Such fun days weren’t happening much a month ago.

The news is good when the Tar Heels take care of the basketball and defend. In their victories, their assist-turnover ratio is plus-37 and they have outscored their opponents 220-160 in points off turnovers. In their defeats, the ratio is minus-15 and they have been outscored 99-53. Also, the team that was 310th in the nation in scoring defense after the losing streak has not allowed its past five opponents to reach 70.

You can read more of what Katz said about UNC here.

February will be a tough test for the Tar Heels and that starts early on next week. They host Pitt on Wednesday and then head to Durham for a road game against Duke.

They still have NC State, Virginia, Clemson, Miami and another game against the Blue Devils left this season. With 10 total games left, UNC is going to need to close strong to get a favorable seed for the NCAA Tournament.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

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Jazz fleecing Timberwolves becoming more and more evident after 20-20 game from Walker Kessler

Walker Kessler’s big game — against Minnesota, no less — may have just given Wolves fans another reason to sulk.

Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

An absolute robbery might have taken place back in the 2022 offseason.

Sixth months after the Minnesota Timberwolves traded Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt, and a total of four first-round picks for Rudy Gobert, the winner of the trade is becoming more evident.

In the Jazz’s 126-125 victory over the Wolves on Tuesday, Minnesota fans saw the player that was once in their hands, but let go of in that trade.

That player is Walker Kessler, who had a standout performance after tallying 20 points, 21 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks — a Rudy Gobert-like performance.

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As the de-facto starting center for the Jazz, fans have been comparing Kessler to Gobert all season long. After all, the kid is a 7-footer who has shown that he's got what it takes to anchor a good defense.

The major difference? Kessler is only 21 years old and is just in his first year in the league. The Auburn alum is also averaging more blocks than Gobert this season.

This 2022-2023 season, Gobert has been averaging 13.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks on 30.5 minutes. Kessler, on the other hand, has been putting up 7.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in just 19.8 minutes.

Even Jordan Clarkson knows that the 22nd overall pick is something special.

The Jazz, who came into the season with lower expectations after trading Gobert alongside franchise player Donovan Mitchell, are 8th in the West standings with a 23-24 record. They even vaulted to the top of the standings in the first few weeks of the regular season after a hot start.

Utah has a better record than Minnesota, who sit right below them with a 22-23 record. Ninth spot is still good for a play-in spot, but some may say the standings is also an indication of who won the trade. Given all that, it may still be too early to call it.

Who do you think got the edge in the Jazz-Wolves swap?

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