But Douglas-Roberts made an impression on Lakers assistant coach Steve Clifford, who went on to be the top coach in Charlotte. He additionally caught the eye of his short-term teammate Bryant, who appreciated Douglas-Roberts' tenacity and willpower to improve—and brazenly provided secrets and techniques to success. Bryant has received the post-Shaq title he wished in '09, and now it is a yr later and Bryant hopes to redeem the Lakers' '08 loss to Boston in the Finals and beat the Celtics in the '10 championship series. And with that gesture, the photo of Bryant and Leslie turns into a real portrait of him, not just another snapshot of him in a winning second. The U.S. girls's basketball group gained its gold medal the earlier night time of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and Leslie didn't want to put on it out to the boys's last. In 2003, Kobe was accused of sexual assault however the case was dismissed in 2004 and a civil lawsuit was settled out of courtroom.

He was additionally the overall league MVP in 2008.The accident shocked basketball followers and athletes from across the nation and around the globe. Countless tributes were held to honor Bryant, his daughter and the others killed within the crash. Bryant returned for the 2014–15 season, his 19th season with the Lakers, who had replaced D'Antoni with Bryant's former Lakers teammate, Byron Scott.

Bryant will be featured on two NBA 2K24 covers – the Kobe Bryant edition and the Black Mamba version, which is an ode to Bryant’s nickname as a participant – 2K announced in a tweet Thursday. Of course, the Double Team alum himself deserves lots of credit as properly. He’s one of many greatest rebounders to ever play the sport, and his stiff protection was crucial for his groups. Both the Bulls and the Detroit Pistons owe him plenty of credit for his contributions to their championship groups.

Bryant picked up a microphone afterward to address the crowd. Flying again to L.A., he known as a news conference at Staples Center and, with tears in his eyes and voice quavering, acknowledged having sex with the girl however insisted it was consensual. Bryant took refuge in his relationship with Vanessa, as bodyguards accompanied them to Disneyland and obtained them seats on the local Cineplex after the lights went down. The couple bought a home within the Newport Beach community of Newport Coast, where they installed his “Star Wars” memorabilia and her Disney collectibles. For her 19th birthday, he bought her a Lamborghini with a particular adapter so she wouldn’t have to drive a stick shift.

The Lakers worked out at Southern Nazarene University, and Vanessa and I arrived close to the top of the L.A. In trade for the extra courtroom time, I wore a Southern Nazarene University T-shirt in the clip. In his youthful days, Bryant partied with a few of the finest and brightest in the league and was associates with numerous celebs. His time in Italy could have influenced Bryant's love for Italian automobiles. He once walked into a Ferrari dealership and wrote a $329,000 verify for a 458 Italia.

Since Bryant was still 17 on the time, his parents needed to cosign his contract with the Lakers until he was in a place to sign his personal when he turned 18 before the season started. Bryant signed a three-year rookie contract totaling $3.5 million. “Me sitting here, doing this interview—I don’t have to do that,” he says.

Kobe played for the Los Angeles Lakers his complete professional career. He holds the record for probably the most career points scored by a Los Angeles Laker. Kobe scored 81 points in an NBA game, which is the second most points scored in a single sport. Giannis Antetokounmpo drew slightly backlash for his edited use of a Kobe Bryant video clip during which the late celebrity mentioned the thought of failure. Former teammates Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant are unquestionably two of the largest names in Lakers franchise historical past.

In 2018, Bryant earned an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball. On January 26, 2020, he was in a helicopter crash that killed Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gigi and seven others. As of June 2012, Bryant ranks third and fifth on the league's all-time post-season scoring and all-time regular season scoring lists, respectively. He can be the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. Since his second 12 months in the league, Bryant has been chosen to start every NBA All-Star Game that has been held within the last fourteen years.