Kobe Bryant grew up in Italy and went to the NBA right after finishing high school. He scored well – won five NBA championships and the 2008. Later on he got hurt, but still did better than Michael Jordan and became the third-highest scorer in the NBA. He stopped playing in 2016 after scoring 60 points in his last game. Bryant won an Academy Award in 2018 for his short film called “Dear Basketball”
Early Life.
Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the son of Joe who used to play in the NBA. Bryant’s dad took the family to Italy and he played basketball in the Italian League there. When he was a kid in Italy, he loved playing basketball and soccer. .
He was on the U.S. Olympic teams in 2008 and 2012 and won gold medals with famous players like Kevin Durant and LeBron James,
Bryant hurt his Achilles tendon in April 2013. After that, he worked hard to get better and play basketball again. But he hurt his knee after only six games in the 2013-2014 season.
In December 2014, the basketball player became the third-highest scorer in NBA. But, in January 2015, he injured his shoulder and had to end his season early for the third year.
Kobe Bryant played his last NBA game on April 13, 2016, at the Los Angeles, California Staples Centre. He got 60 points when he played against the Utah Jazz.
He worked hard.
The person who runs the NBA said that Kobe was one of the best players ever. Kobe loves playing basketball, whether in a big game or shooting hoops alone late at night. His legacy also contributes to famous expensive Kobe shoes. For low-budget fans, you can also buy Kobe replicas shoes online.
Bryant played his last game at the Staples Centre on April 13, 2016. It was a sold-out game, and he scored 60 points, helping the Lakers win against the Utah Jazz.
Fans everywhere were amazed by his performance as he scored 60 points in a game six times.
He talked to the audience after the game. He said that he couldn’t believe how 20 years had passed.
This is wild! I’m here with my teammates on the center court, reflecting on everything we’ve been through together.
We’ve had good times and bad times. The most important thing is that we all stayed together the whole time.
Many famous Lakers, like O’Neal, Jackson, Gasol, Fisher, Odom, and Johnson, honored Bryant. Johnson said, “We are here to celebrate 20 years of greatness.”
We have been excellent for 20 years. Kobe Bryant always played fair and never let us down as fans. He played even though he was injured or in pain. We won five championships, and we have banners to prove it.
Bryant said he would retire from the Lakers in November 2015. He wrote a poem called “Dear Basketball” on The Players’ Tribune website to announce it.
The great athlete asked talented people like Glen Keane and John Williams to help turn his poem into a short film. Glen Keane is a Disney animator, and John Williams is a composer.
They made a nice 5-minute and 20-second movie that was shown for the first time at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. The people who decide who wins the Oscars were surprised to see Bryant win an award for a short animated film at the 2018 Oscars.
The group that gives out awards for movies asked Bryant to join them because he’s good at making short films and animations. But, in June, the governor’s committee returned their invitation to the basketball player.
Philanthropy.
Kobe Bryant helped a group called After-School All-Stars with his charity. Also , he had a summer camp called the Kobe Basketball Academy that happened every year.
In 2017, Kobe Bryant had a special event where his basketball jerseys were retired. He took a picture with his wife and three daughters during halftime. This happened in Los Angeles, California.
Retirement.
Bryant returned for the 2015-2016 NBA season but had difficulty playing with his young Lakers teammates. He said he would stop working at the end of the season in November 2015. He wrote on The Players’ Tribune website that this season is all he has left to give.
I can handle the beating of my heart. I can keep going mentally, but my body tells me it’s time to stop.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had a big reaction to the announcement. Kobe Bryant was a good basketball player.