Kobe Bryant

 Kobe Bean Bryant (/koUbi/ KOH-bee, 23 August 1978 - January 26, 2020) is an American professional basketball player. He was a guard at the shooting position and played his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant is widely considered to be one of the top basketball players and scorers ever. He was the winner of five NBA championships and was an All-Star and was a part of the All-NBA Team 15 times, and was on the All-Defensive Team 12 times. Bryant was also named the NBA's 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and was a two-time NBA Finals MVP. Bryant is fourth on the league's all-time list of scoring in the postseason as well as during the regular season. In his death, Bryant was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for 2020. Bryant was also named to the NBA 75th anniversary team in 2021. Bryant was the father of Joe Bryant who was born in Philadelphia. Bryant was an elite American basketball player in the high school in Lower Merion in Philadelphia. He was a participant in the 1996 NBA Draft and was selected by the Charlotte Hornets as the 13th overall selection. The team later traded him to the Lakers. Bryant was a rookie, but gained a reputation as an expert player. He was the winner of the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest and was later named an All-Star during the second year of his. The Lakers have won three straight NBA championships, even though they had having a rivalry with Shaquille O'Neal.