His legacy of exhausting work, fixed curiosity and relentless pursuit of the next degree of greatness will reside within me forever. He was as obsessed together with his craft as I was with mine. Our book together was the best accomplishment of my profession.

In addition, he averaged 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per recreation, all career highs to that point. Bryant was as quickly as once more voted to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive 1st teams, and got here in third place in voting for the MVP award. After ending 50–32 within the regular season, the Lakers floundered within the playoffs and misplaced in the Western Conference semi-finals to the eventual NBA champions San Antonio Spurs in six video games. He additionally had a career excessive forty six.9% taking pictures and once again led his staff in assists. While making the All-Star group and All-NBA Defensive staff once more, he was additionally promoted to the All-NBA First Team for the first time in his career. The Lakers received 58 video games that year and completed second place in the Pacific Division behind in-state rival Sacramento Kings.

Statistically, the 2000–01 season noticed Bryant perform similarly to the earlier yr, but he averaged six extra points per sport (28.5). It was also the year when disagreements between Bryant and O'Neal started to surface. Once once more, Bryant led the staff in assists, with 5 per game. The Lakers, nonetheless, only won fifty six games, an 11-game dropoff from the earlier yr. The Lakers would reply by going 15–1 within the playoffs.

The only other Laker to take action was Elgin Baylor, who additionally scored 50+ in three consecutive contests in December 1962. Bryant finished the 12 months with a total of ten 50-plus point video games, matched solely by Chamberlain. Bryant also won his second straight scoring title that season.

Bryant was an NBA Most Valuable Player, five-time NBA champion, and one of the influential players who has ever picked up a basketball. Here’s a have a glance at how he dominated each on and off the courtroom. It’s been three years since NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others tragically died in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles in January 2020.

Together with his wife, Bryant founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation . Its objectives are "serving to younger folks in want, encouraging the event of physical and social skills via sports activities and aiding the homeless". Bryant spoke of the injustice geared toward homeless people who find themselves blamed for their situation, saying that homelessness should not be ignored or made a low priority. Bryant stated he needed extra out of life than only a profitable basketball profession.

In addition to his lengthy taking half in career, Bryant was known for his philanthropy and various other enterprise ventures and film projects . With the Lakers combating to safe the eighth and final playoff berth within the Western Conference, coupled with injuries on the team, Bryant started playing virtually all 48 minutes every recreation. On April 10, 2013, Bryant turned the first participant in NBA history to get 47 factors, eight rebounds, 5 assists, four blocks, and three steals in an NBA recreation. On April 12, Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon towards the Golden State Warriors, ending his season. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak had spoken to Bryant about his intensive enjoying time 10 days earlier, but Bryant insisted the minutes wanted to proceed given the Lakers' playoff push.

The foundation given for the suspension was that Bryant had performed an "unnatural motion" in swinging his arm backwards. Later, on March 6, he seemed to repeat the movement, this time hanging Minnesota Timberwolves guard Marko Jarić. On March 7, the NBA handed Bryant his second one-game suspension. In his first game back on March 9, he elbowed Kyle Korver in the face which was retroactively re-classified as a Type 1 flagrant foul. In the 2002–03 season, Bryant set an NBA document for three-pointers on January 7, 2003, making 12 in opposition to the Seattle SuperSonics. He averaged 30 factors per sport and launched into a historic run, posting 40 or more points in nine consecutive video games whereas averaging forty.6 in the complete month of February.