Kobe Bean Bryant

A brief timeline of the legendary Laker:

• 1978 – Kobe Bryant was born
• 1996 – Bryant finishes his high school career as the all-time leading scorer in the history of southeastern Pennsylvania basketball. He leads the Lower Merion Aces to a record of 31-3 and the Class-AAAA state championship. USA Today names him the National High School Player of the Year and he wins the Naismith Player of the Year.
• June 26, 1996 – Bryant, 17, is selected by the Charlotte Hornets as the 13th pick in the first round of the NBA draft. The Hornets agree to trade his draft rights to the Lakers in exchange for center Vlade Divac.
• 1996-1997 – Bryant becomes the youngest player in NBA history as he begins his pro career at 18 years, 2 months and 11 days.
• 1998 – At 19, he becomes the youngest starter ever in his first NBA All-Star Game.
• 1999-2000 – With Phil Jackson as his coach, and Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal as his teammate, Bryant wins his first NBA title as the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers in six games.
• 2000-01 – Bryant averages 28.5 points for the season and O’Neal averages 28.7 as the Lakers storm to their second straight NBA title, going 15-1 in the postseason and beating the Philadelphia 76ers in five games in the Finals.
• Feb. 2002 – He is named All-Star Game MVP for the first time. He also won the honor in 2007, 2009 and 2011.
• 2001-02 – The Lakers win their third consecutive NBA title, sweeping the New Jersey Nets 4-0 in the Finals.
• June 2004 – Playing in their fourth Finals in five years, the last Kobe-Shaq Lakers team loses to Detroit in five games. That summer O’Neal is traded to Miami and Bryant, a free agent, considers signing with the Clippers but ultimately returns to the Lakers after agreeing to a seven-year, $136-million contract.
• Jan. 22, 2006 – Bryant scores 81 points in the Lakers’ 122-104 victory over Toronto. Only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962 tops this performance.
• June 14, 2009 – Bryant wins his fourth NBA title and is named the Finals MVP as the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic in five games.
• Feb. 1, 2010 – Kobe surpasses Jerry West’s franchise record of 25,192 points scored as a Laker.
• June 17, 2010 – Bryant wins his fifth NBA title and is named the Finals MVP as the Lakers beat the Celtics in seven games. He signs a three-year, $84-million contract extension to remain with the team through the 2013-14 season.
• Aug, 12, 2012 – Bryant wins his second Olympic gold medale as a member of the U.S. men’s basketball team at the 2012 Games in London.
• 2012-13 – Bryant makes his 15th All-Star team during a season in which he passes Wilt Chamberlain for fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He averages 27.3 points in 38.6 minutes per game for the season before rupturing his left Achilles’ tendon in an April 12, 2013 game against the Golden State Warriors. Successful surgery to repair the injury will leave him unable to play for six to nine months.
• December 8, 2013 – Bryant returns from his Achilles injury.
• March 23, 2014 – Bryant launches Kobe Inc. He also announces the company’s first investment is a 10% stake in the sports drink BodyArmor.
• Dec. 14, 2014 – Bryant surpasses Michael Jordan to become third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, with 32,310 career points.
• Jan. 28, 2015 – Undergoes surgery to repair his torn right rotator cuff and is expected to be out nine months.
• Nov. 29, 2015 – In a post on The Players’ Tribune, announces he intends to retire at the end of the NBA season.
• February 2016 – Bryant announces the launch of Granity Studios (formerly known as Kobe Studios), a multimedia original content company.
• April 13, 2016 – He scores 60 points in his final game, helping the Lakers defeat the Utah Jazz 101-96.
• Dec. 18, 2017 – The Lakers retire both of Bryant’s jersey numbers, No. 8 and No. 24, during a halftime ceremony.
• March 4, 2018 – Bryant wins an Academy Award for best animated short film for “Dear Basketball.”
• March 2019 – Bryant adds new lines to his resume – publisher and author – with the first volume of a children’s fantasy book series, The Wizenards, published through his multimedia content company Granity Studios. The books target young athletes with tales containing athletic characters and themes exploring the particular challenges athletes face.
• Jan. 26, 2020 – Kobe, 41, is among nine people who die in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas. One of his daughters, 13-year-old Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, was among those to perish in the crash as well.

If you would like to read up more about this basketball legend you can head over to his Wikipedia entry.