On Sunday, January 26th, 2020 nine lives were lost in a helicopter accident outside of Los Angeles. The victims of the crash included Payton and Sara Chester, Ara Zonayan, Orange Community College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri, their daughter Alyssa, Christina Mauser, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. In the memory of a NBA legend, here is a list of five memorable moments of Kobe Bryant.
- On June 26, 1996, Kobe was drafted into the league by the Charlotte Hornets. At age 17, he was 13th overall pick and soon after was traded to the Los Angeles, Lakers. He signed a 3-year rookie contract for $3.5 million.
- Kobe takes Brandy to the prom. Before leaving for the league, Bryant’s date to senior prom was R&B superstar Brandy Norwood. He attended Lower Marion High school and graduated in 1996.
- Kobe Bryant wins 5 Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant made a total of 7 appearances in the NBA finals and won five; 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 & 2010. He spent 20 seasons with the Lakers and his first ring was won alongside NBA great Shaquille O’ Neal.
- On January 6th, 2006 Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. Raptors teammate Jalen Rose said, ”Kobe Bryant put a 26 in the first half. It wasn’t necessarily alarming for our coaching staff and our team because it was a close game. We were actually ahead. It was in the second half when he put up a double nickel when things got crazy.”
- Bryant played his final NBA basketball game on April 13, 2016. He scored 60 points and played 42 minutes while his wife and 2 of his daughters sat court-side, cheering him on. Celebrities in attendance included Jack Nicholson, Snoop Dogg, and Jay Z. The then 37-year-old gave a speech after the game, thanking the city of Los Angeles and everyone who supported him over the years. “ I can’t believe how fast 20 years have gone by. This is crazy. I grew up a die-hard Laker fan and to spend 20 years here, you can’t write something better than this.” The game was watched by an estimated 5.2 million viewers.
The impact of the loss of Kobe Bryant is felt around the world. He will forever be missed.