Kobe Bryant, nicknamed the Black Mamba, was one of the key members in the dominant Los Angeles Lakers campaign and his death in 2020 shocked the world.
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When Michael Jordan retired from the NBA, many felt that there would be no other player who could match up to the greatness of ‘His Airness’. They were proven wrong. Kobe Bryant, who was plying his trade for the Los Angeles Lakers, not only stamped his class but he also matched Jordan’s greatness when it came to basketball skills and becoming a culture icon in the United States of America. When he was in Italy with his parents, there was a brief period in which he tried to play football for AC Milan. But, the stars had something else for Bryant and it was in the NBA where he prospered as one of the best.
Just the mere glance of his numbers and statistics are enough to compare him with Jordan. Bryant helped the Lakers win five NBA championships, and was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. Bryant also led the NBA in scoring twice, and ranks fourth on the league’s all-time regular season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists. Bryant is the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. He was also the first guard in NBA history to play at least 20 seasons. His 18 All-Star designations are the second most all time, while it is the record for most consecutive appearances as a starter. Bryant’s four All-Star Game MVP Awards are tied with Bob Pettit for the most in NBA history.
What do those numbers indicate? They are a testament to the brilliance and determination of Bryan.
With career averages of 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, Bryant was considered one of the most complete players in NBA history. He was the first player in NBA history to have at least 30,000 career points and 6,000 career assists and was one of only four players with these statistics in the history of the NBA.
However, on January 26, 2020, the legacy of Bryant was cut shot when he was killed in a helicopter crash in California along with his seven-year old daughter. The outpouring of grief and the remembrance of a champion from prominent players like Jordan, LeBron James all signified his impact on the game. The NBA All-Star Game MVP Award was renamed to the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award in honor of Bryant.
Bryant’s nickname is “The Black Mamba,” a name he gave himself and there is an interesting story behind this. The moniker is more than a nickname but it is an alter-ego he created to get through the darkest part of his life. In his auto-documentary “Muse,” Bryant reveals that he created The Black Mamba as a way to deal with the struggles he was going through off the court in 2003 and 2004.
“I went from a person who was at the top of his game, had everything coming, to a year later, having absolutely no idea where life is going or if you are even going to be a part of life as we all know it,” Bryant said.
