Prior to announcing his retirement, he had been steadfast about not wanting the fuss of a staged farewell tour, preferring to hear boos as an alternative of cheers. Previously, Bryant was revered but not beloved, and he was astonished on the cheers he was now receiving. Bryant later confirmed his want for West's return to the franchise however denied stating that he would want to be traded if that didn't happen.

Despite profitable three championships collectively, Shaq and Kobe have been continually at one another's throats, ripping one another both in the media and behind closed doors. Following Kobe's rape accusations in the summer of 2004, the Lakers went within the tank, sending their feud into overdrive and finally main O'Neal to leave the team. Shaq followed up with his infamous rap verse, "Kobe, tell me how my ass tastes." Kobe... Kobe Bryant was a well-known figure on campus to many UCI students during his taking half in days.

First-round draft pick Kobe Brown, selected 30th general by the Los Angeles Clippers, speaks at a news conference in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 1, 2023. There's Kobe, sporting the uniform of a group from Los Angeles. There's Kobe, the last one on the court at apply and getting yelled at as a end result of the buses are ready for him. At the end of the demonstration—and before the forty seconds of b-roll after the credits the place we’re just type of goofing round enjoying one-on-one—I ask him if he has any last ideas. “Have fun,” he says, wanting straight into the digicam earlier than flashing the peace sign. Bryant embraced the project, which put us all comfortable.

On January 26, 2020, Bryant was onboard a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter that crashed in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas. Nine folks, including Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna "Gigi," died. The helicopter was on its means from Orange County to Thousands Oaks, California where Bryant was scheduled to educate a tournament sport at Mamba Sports Academy. An all-star lineup of Laker icons also paid tribute to Bryant, together with O’Neal, Phil Jackson, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and Magic Johnson. "We are here to celebrate greatness for 20 years," Johnson stated. "Excellence for 20 years. Kobe Bryant has by no means cheated the game, by no means cheated us as the followers. He has played via harm, he has played damage. And we have 5 championship banners to show for it."

This included leading the staff in assists per recreation and steals per sport. The duo of O'Neal and Bryant backed with a robust bench led to the Lakers successful 67 video games, tied for fifth-most in NBA historical past. This followed with O'Neal successful the MVP and Bryant being named to the All-NBA Team Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Team for the first time in his profession . While playing second fiddle to O'Neal within the playoffs, Bryant had some clutch performances including a 25-point, eleven rebound, 7 assist, 4 block sport in recreation 7 of the Western Conference finals in opposition to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Bryant enjoys being the villain, and revels in being booed and silencing the crowd together with his play. Throughout his profession, he has been disparaged for being a selfish high-volume shooter; he has missed more area objective makes an attempt in his profession than any other player in NBA history. On June 23, 2008, he was named to the USA Men's Senior National Team for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Bryant declined to play within the 2000 Olympics as he was getting married within the low season. Bryant was initially selected for the FIBA Americas Championship in 2003, but withdrew after undergoing arthroscopic shoulder and knee surgical procedures. Along with LeBron James, he was one of the first two players to publicly named to the 2006–2008 U.S. preliminary roster in 2006 by Jerry Colangelo.

This fostered his love for not only the game, but also for watching gamers just like the Atlanta Hawks' John Battle and the Los Angeles Lakers' Magic Johnson, which knowledgeable his talent set and knowledge of basketball. Bryant received 5 NBA championships throughout his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, changing into one of many best basketball gamers in NBA history. To know for sure, he would have to answer that himself, however as a Newport Coast resident, coaching at UC Irvine was as convenient as it was pragmatic.

That's what made Kobe alive, when he felt the respect from a competitive standpoint, extra so than the words. When you break somebody's nostril in an All-Star Game, it's competitive. But then attending to play on the same group in '08 in the Olympics was like the final word for me and I think for him as nicely. When he finally saw the method in which I labored and we just received an opportunity to experience being around one another, our chemistry and continuity on the court was just second to none, like we have played together our whole life. Kobe had been my basketball idol greater than half of my life. So seeing him in the flesh was a fairly cool moment for me.