Kobe Bryant left a legacy as not only one of the greatest scorers of all time but as one of the greatest players of all time. Bryant was one of the rare players who made the jump from high school to the NBA and had a great career. Bryant won five NBA championships with the Lakers and won one MVP Award with the Los Angeles Lakers. This is Kobe Bryant’s legacy. 

Kobe Bryant was married to Vanessa Laine Bryant and had four children: Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, Natalia Diamante Bryant, Bianka Bella Bryant, and Capri Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were on their way to Gianna’s basketball game when their helicopter came down and killed them both Jan. 26. The whole nation has been mourning their deaths. 

Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bryant is the son of former NBA player Joe “Jellybean” Bryant. As a kid, he grew up in Italy playing basketball and soccer.  

Byrant played 20 seasons in the NBA and was drafted at the age of 17. Most people know that Bryant spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers, but what many people do not know is that he was originally drafted by the Charlotte Hornets. 

Kobe Bryant in just his second year made the 1998 All-Star team. That made him the youngest player in NBA history to make the All-Star Game at 19. Soon after, Bryant teamed up with Shaquille O’Neal to win three consecutive championships. Bryant was also voted to first-team-all-NBA from 2002-2004. 

Bryant scored the second-most points in a game in NBA history with 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. In 2008, Bryant won the MVP award. Bryant also took his team to the NBA Finals in 2008, but just came out short.

In the next two years, Bryant won two more championships, bringing glory back to the city of Los Angeles. 

Kobe Bryant was plagued by injuries late into his career. From 2013 to 2015, he suffered major injuries. In 2013 he suffered from a torn Achilles tendon, which he continued to try to play on. In the 2014 season, Bryant fractured his knee. Lastly, in 2015, Bryant tore his rotator cuff. 

In December of 2014, Kobe Bryant passed Michael Jordan for third on the all-time scoring list but was just recently passed by LeBron James.

Kobe Bryant will go down as one of the greatest basketball players to play in the game of basketball. His ability to score was arguably the best the game has ever seen. The NBA and the world lost a true legend and mourn his loss.