Kobe Bryant
Five rings and the Mamba Mentality. Kobe Bryant went from high school to five titles with the Lakers, scored 81 in one game and inspired a generation with the Mamba Mentality work ethic.
Kobe Bryant, 2014: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0
Straight from Lower Merion
Kobe Bryant was the son of former NBA player Joe Bryant and spent part of his childhood in Italy, where his father played professionally. He returned to the Philadelphia area for high school and went straight to the NBA in 1996. Charlotte drafted him 13th and traded him to the Lakers.
He was 18 and confident to the point of cockiness. Within a few seasons he was an All-Star, and he would play all 20 of his NBA seasons in Los Angeles.
At Lower Merion High School he broke the southeastern Pennsylvania career scoring record that had belonged to Wilt Chamberlain.
Five titles in two eras
With Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe won three straight titles from 2000 to 2002. The partnership was brilliant and stormy, and it ended when Shaq was traded in 2004. Many doubted Kobe could win as the main star.
He answered with two more championships, in 2009 against Orlando and in 2010 against Boston, and won Finals MVP both times. He was also named MVP in 2008.
He made 18 All-Star teams, shares the record with four All-Star Game MVP awards and was named All-Defensive First Team nine times, proof that he took pride in both ends of the floor. He also won Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012, taking over late in the Beijing final against Spain.
81 and 60
On January 22, 2006, Kobe scored 81 points against Toronto, the second highest total in history at the time behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100. He finished his career with 33,643 points, which ranks among the top five ever.
His farewell game on April 13, 2016, was pure Kobe: he took 50 shots and scored 60 points against Utah. The Lakers later retired both of his jersey numbers, 8 and 24, an honor no other Laker has received.
Mamba Mentality and the shoes
Kobe's training stories became legend: 4 a.m. workouts, hundreds of made shots before practice, studying film like a coach. He called it the Mamba Mentality, and it spread far beyond basketball. After retiring he won an Academy Award for the animated short Dear Basketball.
His Nike line changed sneaker culture. The Kobe 4 in 2009 made low-top shoes acceptable for serious hoopers, and his models remain some of the most worn shoes in the game today.
Kobe died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame later that year. His work ethic remains the standard that young players quote every day.
- Kobe Bryant, 2014: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kobe in number 8: Sgt. Joseph A. Lee, Public domain
Text written by Fly Baller.
