Kobe Bryant

Basketball player · Author · Film producer · Entrepreneur

1978–2020 · Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States · 4 min read

Verified: 13 November 2026
Sources: 5
Independently reviewed

Photo: Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 2.0

American basketball player who spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five NBA championships and the 2008 Most Valuable Player award; died in a helicopter crash in 2020 at the age of 41.

Early Life

Kobe Bean Bryant was born on 23 August 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Joe Bryant, a professional basketball player known as Jellybean, and Pamela Bryant. In 1984, when Kobe was six, the family moved to Italy, where his father played professional basketball, and he grew up speaking Italian and playing both basketball and football. The family returned to the Philadelphia area in 1991. He attended Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, where he became one of the most highly rated school players in the United States and led the school to a state championship in 1996.

Education

Bryant attended Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1996. He did not attend college, entering the NBA draft directly from high school at the age of 17, which was unusual at the time.

Career

Bryant was selected 13th overall in the 1996 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets and was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he spent his entire 20-year career from 1996 to 2016. He won his first three NBA championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002 alongside Shaquille O'Neal, and two more in 2009 and 2010 as the team's leader. He was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2008, the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 2009 and 2010, an All-Star 18 times, and a member of the All-NBA Team 15 times. On 22 January 2006 he scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second-highest total in a single NBA game. He won Olympic gold medals with the United States in 2008 and 2012. In July 2003 he was charged with felony sexual assault in Eagle County, Colorado, after a 19-year-old hotel employee reported an assault. Bryant said the encounter was consensual. The criminal charges were dismissed on 1 September 2004 after the complainant decided not to testify, and a separate civil lawsuit was settled out of court in March 2005 on confidential terms. In his final NBA game, on 13 April 2016, he scored 60 points against the Utah Jazz. After retirement he won an Academy Award in 2018 for the animated short film Dear Basketball, wrote children's books and worked with young players through his sports academy. On 26 January 2020 he died with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people when their helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California.

Achievements

Bryant won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010, and was the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2008 and the Finals Most Valuable Player in 2009 and 2010. He was selected for the NBA All-Star Game 18 times, the All-NBA Team 15 times and the All-Defensive Team 12 times, and won two Olympic gold medals, in 2008 and 2012. His 81-point game in 2006 is the second-highest single-game total in NBA history. He retired with 33,643 points, then the third-highest total in league history. After basketball he won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2018 for Dear Basketball, and he was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

Won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010)
Named NBA Most Valuable Player in 2008
Named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 2009 and 2010
Selected for the NBA All-Star Game 18 times
Named to the All-NBA Team 15 times and the All-Defensive Team 12 times
Scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on 22 January 2006, the second-highest single-game total in NBA history
Won Olympic gold medals with the United States in 2008 and 2012
Scored 60 points in his final NBA game on 13 April 2016
Won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2018 for Dear Basketball
Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020

Legacy

Bryant is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, known for his scoring, his competitive drive and his work ethic, which he called the Mamba Mentality. His death in 2020, with his daughter Gianna and seven others, was widely mourned. His legacy is also marked by the 2003 sexual assault case, in which criminal charges were dismissed and a civil case was settled; supporters point to his later work with young players and his family life, while critics say the case remains part of his record. The profile records both sides of that debate without taking a side.

Contributions

Bryant set the standard for scoring and competitive preparation in modern basketball, and his Mamba Mentality became a widely used term for disciplined, detailed work in sport. He helped the Lakers to five championships over 20 years, played a central part in the United States' return to Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012, and after retirement worked in film, writing and youth coaching, winning an Academy Award for Dear Basketball.

Notable Works

Dear Basketball (2017)
The Mamba Mentality: How I Play (2018)
The Wizenard Series (2019)

Milestones

1978 — Born on 23 August in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
1996 — Drafted 13th overall and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
2000 — Won his first NBA championship with the Lakers Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
2006 — Scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on 22 January Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
2008 — Named NBA Most Valuable Player; won Olympic gold in Beijing Source: Wikipedia
2009 — Won his fourth NBA championship and was named Finals Most Valuable Player Source: Wikipedia
2010 — Won his fifth NBA championship and was named Finals Most Valuable Player Source: Wikipedia
2012 — Won his second Olympic gold medal in London Source: Wikipedia
2016 — Scored 60 points in his final NBA game on 13 April and retired Source: Wikipedia
2018 — Won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball Source: Wikipedia
2020 — Died on 26 January in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California; inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica

Timeline

23 August 1978
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
1984
Moved with his family to Italy, where his father played professional basketball
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia
1996
Graduated from Lower Merion High School and was drafted into the NBA
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia
2000
Won his first NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
18 July 2003
Charged with felony sexual assault in Eagle County, Colorado
Source: Wikipedia
1 September 2004
Criminal charges dismissed after the complainant decided not to testify
Source: Wikipedia
2005-03
Civil lawsuit settled out of court on confidential terms
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia
22 January 2006
Scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
2008
Named NBA Most Valuable Player; won Olympic gold in Beijing
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia
2010
Won his fifth NBA championship with the Lakers
Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia
13 April 2016
Scored 60 points in his final NBA game and retired
Source: Wikipedia
4 March 2018
Won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball
Source: Wikipedia
26 January 2020
Died with his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica

In Their Words

“Dear Basketball, from the moment I started rolling my dad's tube socks and shooting imaginary game-winning shots in the Great Western Forum, I knew one thing was real: I fell in love with you.” Source: Kobe Bryant, 'Dear Basketball', The Players' Tribune, 29 November 2015 — Opening lines of the poem in which Bryant announced his retirement from basketball.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Kobe Bryant?

Kobe Bryant (23 August 1978 - 26 January 2020) was an American basketball player who spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five NBA championships and the 2008 Most Valuable Player award. He was an 18-time All-Star and won two Olympic gold medals.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica ; Wikipedia

How did Kobe Bryant die?

On 26 January 2020 Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people killed when their helicopter crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California, while travelling to a youth basketball game. Bryant was 41 years old.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica

How many NBA championships did Kobe Bryant win?

Kobe Bryant won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers: in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010. He was named the Finals Most Valuable Player in 2009 and 2010.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica ; Wikipedia

What happened in the 2003 case against Kobe Bryant?

In July 2003 Bryant was charged with felony sexual assault in Eagle County, Colorado, after a 19-year-old hotel employee reported an assault. Bryant said the encounter was consensual. The criminal charges were dismissed on 1 September 2004 after the complainant decided not to testify, and a civil lawsuit was settled out of court in March 2005 on confidential terms. He was never convicted of a crime.

Source: Wikipedia ; Encyclopaedia Britannica

Did Kobe Bryant win an Oscar?

Yes. In 2018 Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball, a five-minute film based on the poem he wrote when he announced his retirement in 2015.

Source: Wikipedia

What was the Mamba Mentality?

The Mamba Mentality was the name Bryant gave to his approach to basketball and to work: constant preparation, attention to detail and a refusal to accept less than full effort. He explained it in his 2018 book The Mamba Mentality: How I Play.