by Talula A Asher November 14, 2020

Kobe Bryant was a basketball legend. Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers he inspired tons of young kids to chase their dreams no matter the obstacle. Bryant dominated the court. He used the Mamba Mentality to keep his game on point. He made over twenty-six thousand shots in his career. With over one thousand three-pointers and over ten thousand free throws. Kobe managed to win five championships. Bryant’s average was 25.5 points per game.

Kobe was the youngest of three boys. He started playing basketball at age three. His father and uncle were both professional basketball players. When he was six his father quit the NBA and moved his family to Italy, where Kobe learned to speak fluent Italian. At thirteen years old his family moved back to the United States. Kobe went to Lower Merion High School, where he became the first freshman in decades to play the varsity team. In his junior year of high school, he averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. He was also named Pennsylvania Player of the Year.

In June 1996 Kobe was selected thirteenth overall in the NBA draft. Kobe was the youngest NBA player starting at just eighteen. Bryant won the slam dunk competition at the NBA All-Star Weekend in 1997. In sixteen seasons Kobe pulled down 5 NBA titles. With a four-line jumper against the Sacramento Kings, Kobe passed Chamberlain for fourth on the NBA all-time scoring list. In Kobe’s seventeenth year he scored more points than any other player. In July 2003 Kobe Bryant was arrested in Eagle, Colorado, as part of a sexual assault investigation filed by a nineteen-year-old hotel employee. The charges were dropped fourteen months later. On January 22, 2006, he scored eighty-one points. Which was the second-most points scored in NBA history.

In November 1999 Kobe met Vanessa at a shoot for Tha Eastsidaz music video “G’d up”. At the time Bryant was twenty years old and Vanessa was seventeen. They started dating and when Vanessa turned eighteen Kobe proposed. They later got married on April 18, 2001. A few years later on January 19, 2003, they had their first daughter Natalia Diamante Bryant. She is now seventeen years old and a volleyball player. On May 1, 2006, they had their second daughter Gianna Bryant. She was thirteen and a basketball player. Then some ten years later on December 5, 2016, they had their third daughter Bianka Bella Bryant. She is now three years old. A little less than a year before Kobe passed, his fourth daughter Capri Kobe Bryant was born June 21, 2019. She is now one year old.

April 13, 2016, in his final game Kobe scored sixty points against the Jazz in a 101-96 the lakers won. Bryant finished his career with 33,643 points. Which was third until LeBron James beat his record on January 25, 2020. That was one day before Kobe’s accident. During his career, Kobe had a huge list of injuries. With several sprained ankles and surgeries. Bryant played most of his games with an injured index finger. It was the middle knuckle on Bryant’s shooting hand that was so debilitated with arthritis over many seasons of misuse and overuse.

Kobe’s parents actually named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu. Bryant’s full name was Kobe Bean Bryant. Kobe got his nickname from the code name for a deadly assassin in Quentin Tarantino’s movie “Kill Bill,” Bryant used the name “Black Mamba” to separate his life on and off the court. The Mamba Mentality is a mindset for constant self-improvement in pursuit of your highest potential in life.

January 26, 2020, Kobe and eight others including his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. The cause of the crash is still unknown but there are theories of how it could have occurred. Investigators have one theory about the weather conditions affecting the pilot’s ability to see. When they left Orange County, California it was all blue skies but the weather changed to thick fog in a matter of minutes. One eye-witness said they were on a bike trail when they heard the chopper and at first it sounded normal. Then they said it started to get louder when it came out of the thick clouds. According to the witness, the helicopter was moving very quickly in a downward direction. The helicopter began to tilt left until it finally hit the terrain of a hill.

Vanessa Bryant filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Island Express Helicopters in February a month after Kobe and Gianna passed. At the memorial for Kobe and Gianna Bryant Vanessa gave a tearful speech about her husband and daughter. She talked about how Gianna was “an amazingly sweet and gentle soul.” She went on to talk about Kobe and how “He was my sweet husband and the beautiful father of my children. He was mine. He was my everything.” A couple of weeks before they passed, Kobe sent Vanessa a text saying he wanted to spend time with her, just her, without the kids. Because she was his best friend. Vanessa’s speech was twenty-one minutes and thirty-five seconds. Kobe and Gianna’s funeral lasted two weeks.

Kobe, Gianna, and the other six passengers on that helicopter will be missed. Kobe was a legend in the game. He had taught Gianna the same mentality he had. She would have been a great player. He was a loving father to his children and a caring husband to his wife. His and Giannas lives were cut too short. Gianna will never get a chance to go to high school or play professionally. Kobe will never get to see his kids graduate or get married. Kobe’s life was tragically lost. Yet, his legacy will live on forever.

My name is Talula. I am 16 years old and a junior in high school. I write a lot, at least an article every two months. Most of them are over social issues and just problems that are going on. All of my writings are non-fiction and most are written in a day.Article

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