From NBA Star to Devoted Family Man: Kobe Bryant’s Life in Photos

The legendary basketball star, born Aug. 23, 1978, died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020

By Kate Hogan

Kobe Bryant’s Early Years

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Kobe Bryant (here in a throwback photo with big sister Shaya, one of his two siblings) was born in Philadelphia on Aug. 23, 1978, to mom Pamela Cox Bryant and father Joe Bryant, a former NBA player, who played for the Philadelphia 76ers, the San Diego Clippers and the Houston Rockets. He spent much of his childhood in Italy, where his father moved the family after he retired from the NBA and began playing abroad, and moved back to the U.S. in 1991.

Kobe Bryant with Brandy

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Before entering the NBA Draft as a teen, the high school senior brought a very special date to his prom: singer Brandy.

Kobe Bryant Joins the Lakers

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A standout athlete as a teen at Lower Merion High School, Bryant decided to enter the NBA straight out of 12th grade. He was the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, by the Charlotte Hornets, who traded his draft rights to the Los Angeles Lakers in a prior agreement.

Kobe Bryant Breaks Records

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Bryant became the youngest person to ever play in an NBA game when he began in 1996, at 18 years, 2 months and 11 days. And by 1998, he was the youngest starter ever in an NBA All-Star Game.

Kobe Bryant Meets and Marries Vanessa

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In 1999, a 21-year-old Bryant met 17-year-old Vanessa Laine. The two became engaged six months later and married on April 18, 2001, in Dana Point, California. In 2003, they welcomed their first child, daughter Natalia, followed by Gianna in 2006.

In December 2011, Vanessa filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, but 13 months later, the pair announced they’d reconciled.

Kobe Bryant Wins NBA Championships

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Bryant and teammate Shaquille O’Neal — who often had a contentious relationship — helped lead the Lakers to three consecutive NBA Championships from 2000 to 2002.

Kobe Bryant Is Accused of Sexual Assault

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In 2003, Bryant made headlines off the court when he was accused of sexual assault by a 19-year-old hotel employee. Bryant admitted to an adulterous sexual encounter with the accuser but maintained that it was consensual. The charges were eventually dropped and a civil suit was settled out of court.

Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson’s Partnership

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Coach Phil Jackson — fresh off his championship run with the Chicago Bulls — was an instrumental part of Bryant’s career and legacy with the Lakers, coaching him to his first three titles with the team. Jackson left the team in the 2004 off-season and wrote a book about his time there, calling Bryant “uncoachable.”

In 2005, Jackson returned, and addressed his comments in a chat with ESPN.

“When I came back for my second stint with the Lakers, Kobe and I worked it all out,” he said. “I gave him more of a license to do his thing, as long as it stayed within the overall context of the triangle. And we did win two more championships. Anyway, I’ve always seen Kobe as a truly great player, an intelligent guy and a remarkable person.”

Kobe Bryant as NBA MVP

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After winning the league’s Most Valuable Player honors in 2008, Bryant, Jackson and the Lakers went on to win two more Championships, in 2009 and 2010. “You know, I just wanted it so bad,” Bryant told reporters after the game. “I wanted it so, so bad.”

Kobe Bryant at the Olympics

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Abroad, Bryant won two gold medals for Team USA, at the 2012 London games (pictured) and 2008 Beijing games.

Kobe Bryant Retires

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Following a string of injury-plagued seasons, Bryant announced via a poem on The Players’ Tribune on Nov. 29, 2015, that he was leaving the NBA after 20 seasons.

“Dear Basketball,” he wrote. “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.”

It continued: “But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer. This season is all I have left to give. My heart can take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind. But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye. And that’s OK. I’m ready to let you go.”

Kobe Bryant’s Daughters

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After his retirement, Bryant and Vanessa welcomed two more daughters: Bianka in 2016 and Capri in 2019.

Kobe Bryant in Retirement

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In the months following his retirement, Bryant was honored everywhere, including with the Legend Award at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards in July 2016.

Kobe Bryant Wins an ESPY Award

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He also earned the Icon Award at the 2016 ESPYs, along with Abby Wambach and Peyton Manning.

“We’re up here because of 4 a.m. We’re up here because of two-a-days or five-a-days. We’re up here because we had a dream and let nothing stand in our way,” he said during his speech. “If anything tried to bring us down, we used it to make us stronger.”

“I believe that there’s time for resting at the end, but for me that time is not now,” Bryant continued. “Thank you for this tremendous honor and honoring my basketball career, but I’m far from done. My next dream is to be honored one day for inspiring the next generation of athletes to have a dream, sacrifice for it and never, ever rest in the middle.”

Kobe Bryant Coaches, Volunteers

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In retirement he was doing just that, inspiring young athletes through coaching and charity work (and posting about it on Instagram). Here, he posed with his fourth place “winners,” six of whom he worked with on a daily basis to improved their skills.

 

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