Kobe Bryant

Described as

American basketball player (1978–2020)

Other names

Black Mamba, KB24, Kobe, Kobe B. Bryant, Kobe Bean Bryant

Born

August 23, 1978 · 5 references

Died

January 26, 2020 · 4 references

Born in

Philadelphia · 4 references

Died in

Calabasas · 3 references

Buried in

Pacific View Memorial Park

Cause of death

helicopter crash · 2 references

Name at birth

Kobe Bean Bryant · 1 reference

Citizen of

United States · 3 references

Occupation

basketball player · 2 references; screenwriter · 1 reference; professional athlete · 1 reference; athlete · 1 reference; author · 1 reference

Education

Lower Merion High School (–1996) · 1 reference; School of the Woods – Montessori · 1 reference

Member of

Shaq–Kobe feud · 1 reference

Teams

Los Angeles Lakers (1996–2016)

Sport

basketball

Genre

hip-hop · 1 reference

Awards

NBA All-Defensive Team (9 times) (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011); NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award (4 times) (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011); BET Award for Athlete of the Century (3 times) (2002, 2003, 2008); All-NBA Team (11 times) (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013); Under Armour Undeniable Performance ESPY Award (2006); NBA Most Valuable Player Award (2006); Best NBA Player ESPY Award (2 times) (2008, 2010); Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (2 times) (2009, 2010); Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film (2018) · 1 reference

Field

basketball · 1 reference; professional sport · 1 reference

Spouse

Vanessa Bryant (2001–2020) · 2 references

Children

Gianna Bryant; Natalia Bryant · 1 reference; Capri Bryant · 1 reference; Bianka Bella Bryant · 1 reference

Father

Joe Bryant · 1 reference

Mother

Pam Bryant

Siblings

Sharia Bryant; Shaya Bryant

Religion

Catholicism · 1 reference

Lived in

Lower Merion Township; Newport Beach; Reggio Calabria

Nickname

The Black Mamba (2003–) · 1 reference; Showboat (1996–); Mr. 81 (2006); Vino (2012–)

Height

1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) · 1 reference

Website

http://kobebryant.com

Wikipedias with a page

116

Wikidata item Q25369 (wikidata.org/wiki/Q25369), public domain (CC0). Copied November 13, 2026.

Kobe Bean Bryant (August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Black Mamba", he played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant was a five-time NBA champion, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, the 2008 NBA MVP, and a two-time gold medal recipient on the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams. Bryant is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
The son of NBA player Joe Bryant and his wife Pam, he was born in Philadelphia and spent part of his childhood in Italy. Bryant played high school basketball at Lower Merion High School outside of Philadelphia. He opted out of college basketball and declared for the 1996 NBA draft. He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick; he was then traded to the Lakers. Following his rookie season, he earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors and won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. He was named an All-Star in his second season. He had a feud with teammate Shaquille O'Neal that was well-documented. Nevertheless, the pair led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. In 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault; the criminal charges were ultimately dismissed. In a related lawsuit, he settled out of court and issued an apology while maintaining that the encounter was consensual.
After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was traded and Bryant became the franchise's centerpiece. He led the NBA in scoring in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points, the third most in an NBA game. He adopted the nickname Black Mamba during this time. Bryant won the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, but lost the NBA Finals that same season. He followed the defeat by leading the Lakers to consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, and was named NBA Finals MVP both times. His remaining playing career was hampered by injuries and reduced playing time. He retired after the 2015–16 season. In 2017, the Lakers retired both his jersey numbers: 8 and 24, making him the only NBA player to have multiple numbers retired by one franchise. In 2018, Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball (2017).
Bryant was a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, and two-time scoring champion. He ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. He is the Lakers' all-time leading scorer and the NBA's first guard to play 20 seasons. His 18 All-Star designations are the third most ever, and his four NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards tied Bob Pettit's record.
In January 2020, Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Tributes and memorials followed his death, including murals throughout Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant Day (8/24), and two statues outside Crypto.com Arena. The NBA All-Star Game MVP was also renamed in Bryant's honor. Bryant was posthumously named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021 and was a two-time inductee to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, once in 2020 for his individual career, and in 2025 as part of the 2008 United States men's Olympic basketball team ("Redeem Team").

Born, in its opening lines

August 23, 1978

Died, in its opening lines

January 26, 2020

From the Wikipedia article “Kobe Bryant” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_Bryant), by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Copied November 13, 2026; not changed.