That includes the $15 million that a jury in a federal court awarded to Vanessa Bryant in August in the case after finding that firefighters and deputies violated her privateness and caused her emotional distress. "Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant's courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct," said Luis Li, attorney for Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant's wife. "She fought for her husband, her daughter, and all these in the community whose deceased family were treated with similar disrespect." In 2003, Bryant was accused of rape by a 19-year-old hotel employee in Colorado. Kobe admitted to cheating on his wife Vanessa, however claimed the sex was consensual. The alleged victim ultimately dropped the case; based on some studies, the consequences of the case are still being felt, with rape victims less keen than ever to publicly accuse their attackers out of concern of being publicly shamed.

The Athletic asked five people who have been intently concerned in Bryant’s last sport to share their perspective through their own distinctive lens. Vanessa Bryant Testifies in Trial Over Kobe Bryant Crash PhotosThe widow of the N.B.A. star described her ache after studying Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and firefighters shared crash site photos. There's a Ping-Pong table within the room, and Bryant passes a while after dinner mocking whoever has the misfortune of being on the receiving finish of a certain Spanish octopus-windmill named Pau. "It was him being identical to another parent," Seto recalls. "And it's so great to see how much he loves his family, how engaged he is, how he makes them a priority. I do not suppose folks notice that about him.

Bryant was voted the league MVP in 2008 and led his group to the 2008 NBA Finals as the primary seed within the Western Conference. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal as a member of the united states men's basketball group, often known as "The Redeem Team". He gained another gold medal on the 2012 Summer Olympics. He led the Lakers to two extra championships in 2009 and 2010, winning the Finals MVP award on each events.

Basketball turned the place where I could channel my frustrations about being completely different — the place I might scream from the top of the mountain and permit myself to be heard. I realized every thing about the sport, the historical past, the gamers, the fundamentals. The odd thing is that I wound up studying more about the world round me by having a singular focus inside me. Kobe decided to not attend faculty and went straight into skilled basketball. He stated that if he had gone to school, he would have chosen Duke.

He went to highschool within the suburbs of Philadelphia, but he grew up in Italy. His father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, played in the NBA for several years before moving the family to Italy so he could play in the Italian basketball league. Kobe Bryant was identified for his spectacular work ethic and devotion to basketball, however he additionally discovered time to take pleasure in life and pursue ventures off of the courtroom in his retirement. This marks the fourth time the Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Lakers icon has been chosen to grace the duvet. The number 24 in the game's title holds special significance, because it represents one of many two jersey numbers Bryant wore all through his illustrious 20-year NBA career.

There’s plenty of trash speaking on the court, however no person ever mentioned shit to Kobe. When they rolled the ball out at practice, there was no need for him to heat up. He would go at guys so hard in practice that I started to suppose to myself, Okay, this man is really making an attempt to be MJ.

In addition to breaking the previous franchise report of 71 set by Elgin Baylor, Bryant's 81-point game was the second-highest level total in NBA historical past, surpassed only by Chamberlain's 100-point sport in 1962. Whereas Chamberlain was fed repeatedly by teammates for inside photographs in a blowout win, Bryant created his personal shot—mostly from the outside—in a recreation which the Lakers trailed at halftime by 14 and didn't pull away till the fourth quarter. In that same month, Bryant additionally turned the primary player since 1964 to attain 45 factors or more in 4 consecutive games, joining Chamberlain and Baylor as the only gamers to take action. For the month of January, Bryant averaged 43.four points per sport, the eighth highest single month scoring average in NBA historical past and highest for any player aside from Chamberlain.

His parents named him after the well-known beef of Kobe, Japan, which they noticed on a restaurant menu.His middle name, Bean, was derived from his father's nickname "Jellybean". Kobe grew to become accustomed to his new way of life and discovered to speak fluent Italian.He was particularly fond of Reggio Emilia, which he considered a loving place and the place his greatest childhood memories had been made. 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 coach a event game at Mamba Sports Academy. An all-star lineup of Laker icons additionally paid tribute to Bryant, including O’Neal, Phil Jackson, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and Magic Johnson.