Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is a former professional American basketball player. He played his entire 20 years of career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Bryant is an All-Star member 18 times, 15 members of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time All-Defensive team members. He led the NBA in scoring for two seasons and finished third in the season's regular league season and fourth on the all-time post scorers list. He holds the NBA record for most of the season playing with one franchise for the entire career and is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Bryant was the first keeper in NBA history to play for at least 20 seasons.
The son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, Kobe Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania, where he is recognized as a high school basketball player in the country. He claimed for the NBA draft after graduation and was elected in the overall pick of 13 in the 1996 NBA draft by Charlotte Hornets, who traded him to the Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned a reputation as a high-flyer and fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, and he was named the All-Star in his second season. Despite the feud between them, Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002.
In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault in Colorado, but the charges were eventually canceled, and a civil suit was settled out of court. After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal traded to the Miami Heat. Bryant became a stepping stone from the Lakers, and he led the NBA in scoring during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. In 2006, he scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most scored in a league history behind 100 Wilt Chamberlain game points in 1962. Bryant was awarded the Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) regular season) in 2008. After losing the 2008 NBA Finals, he led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, winning the MVP Final Award on both occasions. He continued to be among the top players in the league until 2013 when the 34-year-old Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon. Although he recovered, his game was capped two years later with injuries that ended in season to knee and shoulder, respectively. Citing his physical decline, he announced that he would retire after the 2015-16 season.
At 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant became the youngest player in league history to achieve 30,000 career points. He became the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history on February 1, 2010, when he surpassed Jerry West. During his third year in the league, Bryant was selected to start the All-Star Game, and he will continue to be selected to start the game for a record 18 consecutive appearances until his retirement. His four MVP Awards All-Star are tied for the most in NBA history. At the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012, he won a gold medal as a member of the US national team. Sports News and TNT named Bryant the best NBA player of the 2000s. In 2018, Bryant won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for his movie Dear Basketball.
Video Kobe Bryant
Early life and education
Bryant was born in 1978 in Philadelphia; he is the youngest of three children and the only son of former NBA players Joe Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant. She is also the nephew of the mother of basketball player John "Chubby" Cox. His parents named him after the famous Kobe beef, Japanese, which they saw on the restaurant menu. His middle name, Bean, comes from his father's nickname "Jellybean". Bryant was raised Roman Catholic. When Bryant was six years old, his father retired from the NBA and moved his family to Rieti in Italy to continue playing professional basketball at a lower level. Kobe became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak Italian fluently. During the summer, he will return to the United States to play in the summer basketball league.
Bryant started playing basketball when he was 3 years old, and the Lakers were his favorite team when he was growing up. Grandpa Bryant will send him a video of the NBA game, which Bryant will study. At an early age, he also learned to play soccer and his favorite team was A.C. Milan. When Kobe Joe's father retired as a player in 1991, his family moved back to the United States.
SMA
Bryant gained national recognition during a spectacular high school career at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, located on the outskirts of the Philadelphia Lower Merion. He played on the university basketball team as a freshman. He became the first freshman in decades to start a university team in Lower Merion, but the team finished with a 4-20 record. Three years later, Aces set a 77-13 record, with Bryant playing all five positions. During his first year, he averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists and was named the Pennsylvania Player of the Year, attracting the attention of college recruiters in the process. Duke, Michigan, North Carolina, and Villanova are at the top; However, when Kevin Garnett went into the first round of the 1995 NBA draft, he began to consider going straight to the pros.
At Adidas ABCD camp, Bryant won the 1995 MVP senior award while playing with his NBA team mate, Lamar Odom. While in high school, 76ers coach John Lucas invited Bryant to practice and compete with the team, where he played one on one with Jerry Stackhouse. In his senior year in high school, Bryant led Aces to their first state championship in 53 years. During the run, he averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4 steals, and 3.8 shots blocked in leading Aces to a 31-3 record. Bryant ended his high school career as the all time leading scorer in Southeast Pennsylvania with 2,883 points, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain and Lionel Simmons.
Bryant received several awards for his outstanding achievements during his senior year at Lower Merion. The awards include the Naismith High School Players of the Year, Gatorade Men's National Basketball Player of the Year, McDonald's All-American Players, and First Team Players All USA USA Today. Bryant University's coach, Greg Downer, commented that he is a "complete player who dominates" and praised his work ethic, even as a top team player. In 1996, Bryant invited R & amp; B Brandy to his senior prom, though both are just staying, and remain friends. Finally, however, the 17-year-old Bryant made the decision to go straight into the NBA, only the sixth player in NBA history to do so. Bryant's news was filled with a lot of publicity as the NBA preparing players for the pro were not very common (Garnett being the only exception in 20 years). The basketball ability and the SAT 1080 score will ensure admission to any college he chooses, but he does not officially visit any campus. In 2012, Bryant is honored as one of 35 Greatest McDonald's All Americans.
Maps Kobe Bryant
Professional career
1996 NBA draft
Bryant was the first guard ever recruited directly from high school. In 1996, he was selected by the Charlotte Hornets as the overall draft pick 13. According to Arn Tellem - Bryant's agent at the time - Bryant playing for the Charlotte Hornets was "impossible". However, Bill Branch, the Hornets head scout at the time, said that the Hornets agreed to trade their draft selection to the Los Angeles Lakers before picking Bryant. The team agreed to trade the day before the draft and the Lakers told the Hornets who should vote five minutes before the take. The Branch said that before the trade agreement, the Hornets never even considered to make up Bryant. Before the draft, Bryant had worked in Los Angeles, where he was confronted with the former Lakers players Larry Drew and Michael Cooper and, according to Laker manager Jerry West "marched over these people". On July 1, 1996, the West traded the starting center, Vlade Divac, to the Hornets in exchange for Bryant's design rights. Since he was 17 years old at the time of the draft, his parents had to sign his contract with the Lakers until he could sign his own contract when he was 18 years before the season began.
Adjusting to the NBA (1996-1999)
Bryant made his debut in the Summer Pro League in Long Beach, California, scoring 25 points in front of an audience just standing in front. The defender fought to be in front of him, and his performances made the West coach and the Lakers eager, Del Harris. He scored 36 points in the final and finished with an average of 24.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in four games. As a beginner in 1996-1997, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel. At that time he became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game (18 years, 72 days, set since being broken by Jermaine O'Neal and former teammate Andrew Bynum), and also became the youngest ever NBA starter (18 years, 158 day). Initially, Bryant played limited minutes, but as the season progressed, he began to see more playing time. At the end of the season, he averages playing 15.5 minutes. During the All-Star weekend, Bryant participated in the Rookie Challenge and won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, becoming the youngest dunk champion ever at the age of 18. Bryant's year-round performance earned him a place in the NBA All-Rookie Second Team with teammate teammate Travis Knight. The Lakers advanced to the Western Conference semi-finals in the playoffs against Utah Jazz, when Bryant was pressed into the lead role at the end of Game 5. Byron Scott missed a dislocated wrist, Robert Horry was sent off for a fight with Utah Jeff Hornacek, and Shaquille O'Neal fouled the remaining time of 1:46 in the fourth quarter. Bryant shot four air balls at the end of the game; Jazz won 98-93 in extra time to get rid of the Lakers 4-1. He first hit a 2-point game jumping shot in the fourth quarter, and then lost three three-field goals in overtime, including two tying shots in stoppage time. O'Neal commented that "[Bryant] is the only person who has the courage at the time to take such a picture."
In Bryant's second season, he received more playing time and began to show more of his abilities as a talented young keeper. As a result, Bryant's point average more than doubled from 7.6 to 15.4 points per game. Bryant will see an improvement in minutes when the Lakers "play small", which will feature Bryant playing small forward with the guards he would normally back up. Bryant is runner-up for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, and through fan votes, he also became the youngest NBA All-Star starter in NBA history. He joined his team mates O'Neal, Van Exel, and Jones, making it the first time since 1983 that four players on the same team were selected to play in the same All-Star Game. Bryant 15.4 points per game is the highest of any non-starter in this season.
The 1998-99 season marked Bryant's appearance as the premier keeper in the league. With early guards, Van Exel and Jones trading, Bryant started every game for 50 seasons of a locked game. During the season, Bryant signed a 6-year contract extension worth $ 70 million. This kept him with the Lakers until the end of the 2003-04 season. Even in the early stages of his career, sports writers compared his skills with Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. The playoff results, however, were no better, as the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Three-peat (1999-2002)
Bryant's fate will improve when Phil Jackson took over as coach of the Lakers in 1999. After years of steady improvement, Bryant became one of the premier shooting guards in the league, earning appearances in the All-NBA league, All-Star and All Teams -Defensive. The Lakers became championship contenders under Bryant and O'Neal, who formed a combination of legendary center guard. Jackson used the triangle offense he applied to win six championships with the Chicago Bulls; this offense will help Bryant and O'Neal ride to the elite NBA class. The three championships won consecutively in 2000, 2001, and 2002, further proving such facts.
Bryant was sidelined for six weeks before the start of the 1999-2000 season with a hand injury he suffered during a pre-season game against the Washington Wizards. When Bryant returned and played more than 38 minutes of matches, he experienced an increase in all statistical categories during the 1999-2000 season. This includes leading the team in assists per game and steals per game. Duo O'Neal and Bryant backed by a strong bench led to the Lakers winning 67 games, tied for the fifth in NBA history. This was followed by O'Neal winning the MVP and Bryant was named Second Team All-NBA Team and the All-NBA Defense Team for the first time in his career (the youngest player ever to receive a defensive award). While playing second fiddle for O'Neal in the playoffs, Bryant has several clutch performances including 25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 game blocks in game 7 of the Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. He also threw bait into O'Neal to win matches and draws. In the 2000 final against the Indiana Pacers, Bryant injured his ankle in the second quarter of Game 2 after landing at the feet of Pacers' Jalen Rose. Rose then admits she puts her foot under Bryant on purpose. Bryant did not return to the game, and he also missed Game 3 due to injury. In Game 4, Bryant scored 22 points in the second half and led the team to an OT victory as O'Neal got out of the game. Bryant scored the winning goal to put the Lakers ahead 120-118. With a 116-111 Game 6 win, the Lakers won their first championship since 1988.
Statistically, the 2000-01 season saw Bryant perform similarly to the previous year, but he averaged 6 points more in a game (28.5). It was also the year when a dispute between Bryant and O'Neal began to emerge. Once again he leads the team in assists with 5 per game. The Lakers, however, only won 56 games, a decline of 11 games from last year. The Lakers will respond by going 15-1 in the playoffs. They easily swept the Portland Trail Blazers, the Sacramento Kings, and the San Antonio Spurs to advance to the Final, before losing their first game against the Philadelphia 76ers in the PL. They will continue to win the next 4 games and bring their second championship to Los Angeles in many seasons. During the playoffs, Bryant played heavy minutes bringing his stats up to 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. In the playoffs, teammate O'Neal declared Bryant the best player in the league. Bryant eventually made the Second All NBA team and the All NBA Defense Team for the second year in a row. In addition, he was also selected to start in the NBA All-Star Game for the 3rd year in a row (no game in 1999).
In the 2001-02 season, Bryant played 80 games for the first time in his career. He continued his all-round game with an average of 25.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. He also has a career high of 46.9% and once again leads his team in helping. He claimed his first MVP All-Star trophy after a 31-point performance in Philadelphia when he was highly derided by fans as they had throughout the game, derived from his previous comments to a heckler 76ers during the Final that the Lakers "will cut your heart". While making the All-NBA Defense team again, he was also promoted to First Team All-NBA for the first time in his career. The Lakers won 58 games that year and finished second in the Pacific Division behind the Sacramento Kings. Bryant was suspended one game after he hit Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers after the March 1, 2002 Lakers win over the Pacers.
The road to the Final will prove to be much more difficult than the Lakers' record of the previous year. While the Lakers swept the Blazers and beat Spurs 4-1 in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Lakers have no home advantage at home against the Sacramento Kings. The series will span up to 7 matches, the first time this has happened to the Lakers since the 2000 Western Conference Final. However, the Lakers were able to defeat their divisional rivals and make their third NBA Finals appearance in quick succession. In Final 2002 against the New Jersey Nets, Bryant averaged 26.8 points, 51.4% shot, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists per game, including scoring a quarter of team points. At the age of 23, Bryant became the youngest player to win three championships. Bryant's drama is well known and praised for his performances in the 4th quarter of the game, especially the last 2 rounds of the playoffs. This confirmed Bryant's reputation as a "clutch player".
In short (2002-2004)
In the 2002-03 season, Bryant made an NBA record for three shots in a match on January 7, 2003, when he made 12 against the Seattle SuperSonics. He averaged 30 points per game and embarked on a historic journey, posting 40 or more points in nine games in a row while averaging 40.6 in all of February. In addition, he averaged 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, all career highs on that point. Bryant was once again selected for the All-NBA and All-Defensive 1 teams, and was third in the vote for the MVP award. After finishing 50-32 in the regular season, the Lakers floundered in the playoffs and lost in the Western Conference semi-finals in six games for the final NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.
In the next 2003-04 season, the Lakers were able to acquire NBA All-Stars Karl Malone, and Gary Payton to make another impulse in the NBA Championship. Bryant was arrested for sexual assault before the season began. This caused Bryant to miss a few games due to appearances in court or attend court the previous day and travel to play games later in the day. In the last game of the regular season, the Lakers play the Portland Trail Blazers. Bryant made two buzzer beaters to win the game and the Pacific Division title. At the end of the fourth quarter, Bryant made a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to send him into extra time. The game eventually goes to the second overtime, where Bryant makes another 3-pointer as the time ends to lift the Lakers past Blazers, 105-104.
With a starting lineup of O'Neal, Malone, Payton, and Bryant, the Lakers were able to reach the NBA Finals. However, they are angry in five games by the Detroit Pistons, who won their first championship since 1990. In that series, Bryant averaged 22.6 points per game and 4.4 assists. He shot 35.1% of the field. Jackson's contract as coach is not updated, and Rudy Tomjanovich takes over. O'Neal was sold to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant. The next day, Bryant declined an offer to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers and sign the seven-year contract with the Lakers.
Note scoring and playoff upsets (2004-2007)
Bryant was highly scrutinized and criticized during the 2004-05 season with his reputation badly damaged from everything that had happened over the previous year. A devastating Salvo came when Jackson wrote The Last Season: A Team Seeking for His Life . This book details the turbulent 2003-2004 season events and has a number of criticisms against Bryant. In the book, Jackson called Bryant "can not be fostered". Mid-season, Tomjanovich suddenly resigned as coach of the Lakers, on the grounds of the emergence of health problems and fatigue. Without Tomjanovich, stewardship of the rest of the Lakers season fell to career coach assistant Frank Hamblen. Bryant was the second-highest scorer in the league with 27.6 points per game, but he was surrounded by sub-standard supporters, and the Lakers went 34-48 and missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. The year marks Bryant's overall drop in status in the NBA, as he does not make the NBA All-Defensive Team and is also relegated to the All-NBA Third Team. During the season, Bryant is also involved in public hostility with Malone and Ray Allen.
The 2005-06 NBA season marks a crossroads in Bryant's basketball career. Despite the past differences with Bryant, Jackson was again training the Lakers. Bryant supported the move, and with all appearances, the two men worked together for the second time, leading the Lakers back into the playoffs. The individual Bryant's individual achievement scorers produced the best statistical season of his career. On December 20, 2005, Bryant scored 62 points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks. Entering the fourth quarter, Bryant defeated the entire Mavericks 62-61 team, the only time a player did this through three quarters since the introduction of the shot clock. When the Lakers faced the Miami Heat on January 16, 2006, Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal made headlines by engaging in handshakes and hugs before the match, signaling a change in the already worsening feud between them. A month later, in the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, the two were seen laughing together.
On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points in a 122-104 victory against the Toronto Raptors. In addition to breaking the previous franchise record of 71 set by Elgin Baylor, Bryant's 81-point game is the second highest point total in NBA history, surpassed only by Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. While Chamberlain was fed repeatedly by teammates for inside shot in an explosive victory, Bryant created his own shot - mostly from the outside - in a game that the Lakers left behind by half-time by 14 and did not withdraw until the fourth quarter. Chamberlain, playing in an era when the game went faster and scoring chances more, accounted for 59 percent of his team's points in Philadelphia 169-147 wins, compared to Bryant scoring 66 percent of the Lakers 122 points. That same month, Bryant has also been the first player since 1964 to score 45 points or more in four games in a row, joining Chamberlain and Baylor as the only players to have done so. For January, Bryant averaged 43.4 points per game, the eighth highest month average in NBA history and highest for any player other than Chamberlain. At the end of the 2005-06 season, Bryant set a Lakers single-season franchise record for most of the game's 40 points (27) and most points were printed (2,832). He won a league scoring title for the first time with an average of 35.4 points per game, becoming only the fifth player in league history with an average of at least 35 in a single season. Bryant finished fourth in the vote for the 2006 NBA Player Awards, but received 22 first-place votes - second only to winner Steve Nash.
Later in the season, it was reported that Bryant would replace his back number from 8 to 24 at the start of the 2006-07 NBA season. Bryant's first high school number was 24 before he switched to 33. After the Lakers season ended, Bryant told TNT that he wanted 24 as a rookie, but that was not available, like 33, retired with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Bryant wore 143 at Adidas ADCD camp and selected 8 by adding the numbers. In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers played well enough to achieve a 3-1 lead over the Phoenix Suns, culminating with a shot that forced and won the game Bryant in Game 4. They came within six seconds to eliminate the second-Line Suns in Game 6, however, they lost the 126-118 game when overtime. Despite Bryant's 27.9 points per game in the series, the Lakers failed and eventually fell to the Suns in seven games. After scoring 50 points on 20 of 35 shoots in Game 6, Bryant was criticized for only taking three shots in the second half of the 121-90 Game loss to Phoenix.
During the 2006-07 season, Bryant was selected for his 9th All-Star Game appearance, and on February 18, he recorded 31 points, 6 assists and 6 steals, earning the second All-Star Game MVP trophy. During the season, Bryant was involved in a number of incidents on the ground. On January 28 while trying to draw contact on the leap potential of the game jump, he swung his arm, attacking San Antonio Spurs guard Manu GinÃÆ'³bili in the face with his elbow. After a league review, Bryant was suspended for the next game at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. The basis given for the suspension is that Bryant has made an "unnatural movement" in swinging his arm back. Then, on March 6, he seemed to be repeating the motion, this time attacking the Minnesota Timberwolves guarding Marko Jari ?. On 7 March, the NBA handed Bryant a second one-match suspension. In his first game back on March 9, he elbowed Kyle Korver in a face that was retroactively reclassified as a striking violation of Type 1.
On March 16, Bryant scored a season-high 65 points in a home game against the Portland Trail Blazers, which helped end a 7-match Lakers winning streak. This is the second best scoring achievement during his 11-year career. The following game, Bryant scored 50 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves, after which he scored 60 points in a road win against the Memphis Grizzlies - becoming the second Laker to score three 50-plus direct points, an achievement not seen since Jordan survived. did it in 1987. The only other Laker to do so was Baylor, who also scored 50 in three consecutive contests in December 1962. The next day, in a game against the New Orleans Hornets, Bryant scored 50 points, making it the second player in NBA history has four matches 50 points behind Chamberlain, who grabbed him twice by five and seven. Bryant finished the year with a total of ten 50-plus point games, just matched by Chamberlain. Bryant also won the second straight scoring title of the season. Throughout the 2006-07 season, his shirt became the best-selling NBA jersey in the United States and China. A number of journalists attributed the increase in sales to Bryant's new number, as well as the performance of the All-Star in the field. In the 2007 NBA playoffs, the Lakers were once again eliminated in the first round by the Phoenix Suns, 4-1.
Back to top (2007-2010)
On May 27, 2007, ESPN reported that Bryant stated that he wanted to be traded if Jerry West did not return to the team with full authority. Bryant later reiterated his desire to return to the Western franchise but denied stating that he wanted to be traded if that did not happen. However, three days later, on Stephen A. Smith radio program, Bryant expressed outrage over the Lakers "insiders" who claimed that Bryant was responsible for Shaquille O'Neal's departure from the team, and publicly stated, "I want to be traded." Three hours after making the remark, Bryant stated in another interview that after having a conversation with Jackson's head coach, he had reconsidered his decision and canceled his trade request. Bryant was later featured in a famous amateur video saying that Andrew Bynum's center was supposed to be trading for All-Star Jason Kidd.
On 23 December 2007, Bryant became the youngest player (29 years, 122 days) to reach 20,000 points, in a match against the New York Knicks, at Madison Square Garden. This record has been broken by LeBron James. Despite a small finger injury hand shooting, described as "a complete rip of radial collateral ligament, avulsion fracture, and volcano plate injury in MCP joint" that occurred in the game on February 5, 2008, Bryant played all 82 regular season games instead of opting for surgery. Regarding his injuries, he stated, "I prefer to delay any surgical procedures until after our Lakers season, and the Olympics this summer, but this is the injury I have experienced and the Lakers' medical staff should only keep monitoring day by day. "In early September 2008, Bryant decided not to undergo surgery to repair the injury.
Aided by the signing of the Spanish All-Star Pau Gasol, Bryant led his team to a best 57-25 West record. The Lakers swept the Nuggets in the first round and on May 6, 2008, and Bryant was officially announced as a league MVP. He said, "This is a long journey, I am very proud to represent this organization, to represent this city." West, who was responsible for bringing Bryant to the Lakers, was on hand at a press conference to watch Bryant receive his MVP trophy from NBA commissioner David Stern. He declared, "Kobe deserves it, he's just been a great season, not surprising me in the slightest." In addition to winning his MVP award, Bryant was the only unanimous choice for the All-NBA team on May 8, 2008, for his third and sixth consecutive career seasons. He will then become the headline of the NBA All-Defensive First Team with Kevin Garnett, receiving 52 points overall including 24 first-place nods, earning eight choices.
The Lakers ended the 2007-08 regular season with a 57-25 record, finishing first in the Western Conference and preparing for a first-round match against the Nuggets. In Game 1, Bryant, who says he made himself as a pass through most games, scored 18 of his 32 points in the last 8 minutes to keep Los Angeles safe. That makes Denver the first 50-winning team swept from the first round of the playoffs since the Memphis Grizzlies fell in four games to the San Antonio Spurs in 2004. In the first game of the next round against the Jazz, Bryant scored 38 points as the Lakers beat the Jazz in Game 1 The Lakers won the next game as well, but dropped Game 3 and 4, even with Bryant putting up 33.5 points per game. The Lakers then won the next two games to win the semi-finals at 6. This sets the place of the Western Conference Final against the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers beat Spurs in 5 games, sending themselves into the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. It marked the fifth time in Bryant's career and the first time without O'Neal going into the NBA Finals. The Lakers then lost to the Boston Celtics in 6 matches.
In the 2008-09 season, the Lakers opened the campaign by winning their first seven games. Bryant led the team to tie the franchise record for most of the wins to start the season with 17-2, and in mid-December they set a 21-3 record. He was selected for the eleventh consecutive All-Star Game as a starter, and was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for December and January in addition to being named the Western Conference Player this week three times. In the game against the Knicks on February 2, 2009, Bryant scored 61 points, scoring a record for scoring most points at Madison Square Garden. During the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, Bryant counted 27 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals awarded the All-Star Game co-MVP with former team-mate O'Neal. The Lakers finish the regular season with the best record in the west (65-17). Bryant was runner-up in MVP voting behind LeBron James, and was selected for First Team All-NBA and First Team All-Defensive for the seventh time in his career.
In the playoffs, the Lakers beat Utah Jazz in five games and the Houston Rockets in seven games in two opening rounds. After finishing the Denver Nuggets in the Final Conference in six games, the Lakers earned their second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals where they defeated the Orlando Magic in five games. Bryant was awarded the first NBA Finals MVP title after winning his fourth championship, averaging 32.4 points, 7.4 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks. He became the first player since West in the 1969 NBA Finals with an average of at least 32.4 points and 7.4 assists for the final series and the first since Jordan with an average of 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the title winning team at final.
During the 2009-10 season, Bryant made six shots that won the game including a one-footed, one-foot-3 hammer against the Miami Heat on 4 December 2009. Bryant considers the shot of one of the most fortunate he made. A week later, Bryant suffered an avulsion fracture on his right index finger in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite his injury, Bryant chose to continue playing with it, rather than taking time off to rest his injury. Five days after his finger injury, he made another shot that won the game, having missed the chance in the rules, this time against the Milwaukee Bucks in an overtime match. Bryant also became the youngest player (31 years, 151 days) to reach 25,000 points during the season, beyond Chamberlain. He continued his dominant clutch game which made yet another three-game challenger against the Sacramento Kings, and what would have been the winning goal against the Boston Celtics. The next day, he surpassed the West to become the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. After missing five games with an ankle injury, Bryant made his comeback and made another three points to give the Lakers a one-point lead with four seconds remaining against the Memphis Grizzlies. Two weeks later, he made his sixth shot of the season's game against the Toronto Raptors.
On April 2, 2010, Bryant signed a three-year contract extension worth $ 87 million. Bryant finished the regular season with four absences from the last five games, with injuries to his knees and fingers. Bryant suffered a lot of injuries throughout the season and as a result, missing nine games. The Lakers started the playoffs as the number one seed in the Western Conference against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who eventually beat them in six games. The Lakers swept the Utah Jazz in the second half and advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they faced the Phoenix Suns. In Game 2, Bryant finished the game with 13 assists, setting a new career playoff; it was the most helpful by the Lakers in the playoffs since Magic Johnson had 13 in 1996. The Lakers went on to win the series in six games capturing the Western Conference Championships and advance to the NBA Finals for the third consecutive season. In a rematch against 2008 Boston Celtics champion Bryant, despite shooting 6 for 24 from the field, led the Lakers back from a thirteen point third quarter deficit in Game 7 to win the championship; he scored 10 of the top 23 points in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 15 rebounds. Bryant won his fifth championship and won the second NBA Finals MVP award in a row. This marks the first time the Lakers won Game 7 against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Bryant said that this is the most satisfying of all five championships.
Pursuing the sixth championship (2010-2013)
Bryant wants the sixth championship to match Jordan's number. The Lakers started the 2010-11 season by winning their first eight games. In the ninth game of the season, playing against the Denver Nuggets, Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to achieve 26,000 career points. Bryant also recorded his first triple-double since January 21, 2009. On January 30 against the Celtics, he became the youngest player to score 27,000 points. On February 1, 2011, Bryant became one of seven players with at least 25,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, and 5,000 assists. In Boston on February 10, Bryant scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half as the Lakers rallied from a 15-point deficit to a 92-86 victory over the Celtics. It was the Lakers' first win of the season against one of the top four league teams, as they entered the 0-5 match in the previous game and have been outscored by an average of 11 points. Bryant, was picked for his 13th and 13th straight All-Star game after being the leading ballot, had 37 points, 14 rebounds and three steals in the All-Star Game 2011 and won his fourth All-Star MV, tying Hall of Famer Bob Pettit for the All-Star MVP award at most. During the season, Bryant moved from 12th to 6th in the all-time NBA scoring list, past John Havlicek, Dominique Wilkins, Oscar Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes and Moses Malone. Bryant finished the season with an average of less than 20 shots per game, the fewest since the 2003-04 season.
On April 13, 2011, the NBA fined Bryant $ 100,000 for directing a gay slur on referee Bennie Adams in frustration in the match of the previous day. The Gay & amp; The Lesbian Alliance on Defamation applauded the NBA's decision to fix Bryant, and the Human Rights Campaign said Bryant's language was "disgraceful" and "unpleasant". Bryant stated that he was open to discussing the matter with gay rights groups and wanted to appeal against fines. He then apologized for the use of the word. Bryant and other Lakers appeared in the Lakers public service announcement denouncing his behavior. The team's quest for the three peatlands ended when they were swept by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs. The Mavericks will continue to win the 2011 NBA Finals.
Bryant received experimental platelet rich plasma therapy called Orthokine in Germany to treat pain in his left knee and ankle, and Mike Brown replaced Jackson who retired as coach of the Lakers at the end of the season. Bryant started the season with a wounded wrist. On January 10, 2012, Bryant scored 48 points against the Suns, the most widely performed by players in the 16th season. "Not bad for the seventh best player in the league", said Bryant, referring to ESPN's pre-season ratings of top NBA players. He went on to score 40, 42, and 42 in the next three games. This is the sixth time in his career he scored 40 points or more in four straight games, a feat that was only surpassed by Chamberlain (19 times). In the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, Bryant scored 27 points to make Jordan a top scorer in the All-Star Game. He also suffered a broken nose and concussion in the third quarter of the All-Star Game after a foul violation of Dwyane Wade. In April, Bryant missed seven games with a bruised left shin. He returned three games before the end of the regular season. In the last game of the regular season, against Sacramento, he chose not to go for the possibility of scoring the NBA's third goal, having needed 38 points to surpass Kevin Durant. The Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by Durant Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs, losing in five games.
The Lakers in 2012-13 acquired center Dwight Howard and point guard Steve Nash. On November 2, 2012, Bryant scored 40 points with two steals, and he passed Magic Johnson (1724) as the Lakers career leader in the steal. However, the Lakers lost the game for the Clippers and started the season 0-3 for the first time in 34 years and only the fourth time in franchise history. After starting the season 1-4, Brown's coach was fired. He was replaced by Mike D'Antoni, whom Bryant knew when Bryant's son played in Italy and D'Antoni was also a star player there. Bryant has grown close to D'Antoni during their time with Team USA. On 5 December against New Orleans, Bryant became the youngest player (34 years and 104 days) in league history to score 30,000 points, joining the Chamberlain Hall of Famers, Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone as one of five players to reach that milestone. On December 18, in a 101-100 victory over Charlotte Bobcats, Bryant scored 30 points in his seventh consecutive game, the longest barrage ever owned by NBA players after 34 years of age; it was the fourth longest streak in his career. His win will be broken at 10 on December 28 in a 104-87 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, when he scored 27 points, sitting in the entire fourth quarter. In a move to boost the team's defenses, D'Antoni begins to ask Bryant to keep the best opposing perimeter players; Bryant is the main defender of Cavrieers' Kyrie Irving, who was held to 15 points. Bryant admits he is a more focused defender when he has a challenging defensive task as opposed to when he plays the ball against weaker players. His defense disrupted the opponent and liberated Nash from an unfavorable fight.
Bryant led the league in scoring through much of the first 42 games. With a disappointing 17-25 start of the season, D'Antoni had Bryant been the main facilitator on the offense and Nash moved off the ball and became more of a spot-up shooter. In the next three games, Bryant has at least 10 assists in three wins with a total of three games of 39 assists, most in his career. He missed triple-double in every game with nine rebounds twice and eight in the other. In two notable victories in March, he scored at least 40 points and had at least 10 assists in back-to-back games, becoming the first Laker to achieve since West in 1970.
With the Lakers struggling to secure the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, coupled with team injuries, Bryant started playing almost all 48 minutes of every game. On 10 April 2013, Bryant became the first player in NBA history to earn 47 points, eight rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals in an NBA game. On 12 April, Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon against the Golden State Warriors, ending his season. The injury comes as he plays seven consecutive quarters and at least 40 minutes for seven games in a row. The 34-year-old Bryant averages his minutes (38.6) in six years, and only Portland rookie Damian Lillard averages more than a minute. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak had spoken to Bryant about his tenfold playing time 10 days earlier, but Bryant insisted the minutes needed to continue were given the Lakers playoff boost. Bryant underwent surgery on April 13 to repair his tear, and is expected to miss six to nine months. He ended the season with his habit scoring an average of 27.3 points, 46.3 percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds and 6 assists. However, The New York Times called him leading the Lakers back into the playoff clash "probably some of the best work of his career." Eight times he reached 40 points during the season, and eleven times he had 10 or more assists in his role as a distributor, dubbed "Magic Mamba" after the skill of passing Magic Johnson. Bryant's help is the second highest in his career and his field goal percentage is the highest since 2008-09. The Lakers ended the season at 45-37, good for the seventh in the West. Playing without Bryant, the Lakers were swept four games by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.
The years of injury (2013-2015 )
Bryant returned to training in November 2013, after the 2013-2014 season has begun. On November 25, he signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers for a value of about $ 48.5 million. He remains the highest-paid player in the league, though he accepts a discount deal; he is eligible to receive an extension starting at $ 32 million per year. Bryant's contract became a topic of polarization, with critics arguing that stars had to take less money to allow their teams more financial freedom, while supporters denied that the biggest NBA stars were paid less than their true value. Bryant returned to play on December 8 after missing the first 19 games of the season. On December 17, Bryant equaled his season by 21 points in a 96-92 victory over Memphis, but he suffered a lateral tibial fracture in his left knee which is expected to keep him out for six weeks. He has played six matches since returning from an Achilles injury, which included time at point guard after injuries to Nash, Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar. Bryant recorded an average of 13.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds. Despite the absence, he was selected by fans to start the All-Star 16th game. Bryant does not feel he deserves selection, and some people liken him with career achievement awards for his past performance. However, he missed playing in the game, still hampered by his knee. On 12 March 2014, the Lakers decided Bryant went out for the rest of the season, citing his need for more rehabilitation and limited time remaining in the season. At the time, the team was 22-42 and tied for the worst record in the Western Conference. The Lakers finished 27-55 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
Bryant returned for the 2014-15 season, 19th season with the Lakers, who replaced D'Antoni with his former Lakers teammate Byron Scott. On 30 November 2014, in a 129-122 overtime win against the Toronto Raptors, Bryant recorded his 20th triple-double career with 31 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds. At the age of 36, he became the oldest NBA player to have won 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in one game. On December 14th, Bryant became NBA's third highest scorer of all time, with Jordan (32.292) in a 100-94 victory against Minnesota. He played in his first 27 games of the season, averaging a team-high with 26.4 points and 35.4 minutes per game while leading the league with 22.4 shots per game. However, Scott held him for three straight games to rest after one of his worst appearances of the season, when Bryant made nine turnovers and scored 25 points on just 8-for-30 filming in a 108-101 defeat to Sacramento. He suffered pain in his knees, legs, back, and Achilles tendon and Scott plans to reduce his workload to the front. Three times Bryant has exceeded 40 minutes in one game, and the coach blamed himself for burdening him after he started the season in excellent shape. For the season, Bryant has shot just 37 percent of the field, and the team record is only 8-19. In his second game back after the break, he had 23 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in a 111-103 win over Denver, and became the third player in league history to record multiple triple-doubles in a season at 36 or older. On 21 January 2015, Bryant suffered a rotator cuff injury on his right shoulder while driving the baseline to a two-handed dunk against New Orleans Pelicans. Although he is not left-handed, he returns to play in the game and attacks when shooting, dribbling, and almost exclusively through his left hand. Before the injury, Bryant has rested in 8 of 16 games. He underwent a season-ending surgery for injury, finishing the season averaging 22.3 points but shooting a career low of 37.3 percent, well below his 45.4 percent career to start the season. He is expected to be sidelined for nine months with targeted returns ahead of the 2015-16 season. The Lakers ended the season with a 21-61 record, surpassing the franchise record for most of the losses in a season that they had set the previous year.
Final season (2015-2016)
After recovering to play in preseason 2015-16, Bryant suffered a calf injury and missed the last two weeks of an exhibition game. However, he played in the season opener to start his 20th season with the Lakers, surpassing John Stockton's 19 league record for the most seasons with the same team. On November 24, 2015, the Lakers fell to 2-12 after losing 111-77 from the Warriors. Bryant scored just four points in 25 minutes at 1-for-14 shooting, matching the worst game of his career in which he tried at least five shots. On December 1, 2015, Bryant played his final game against his home team, the Philadelphia 76ers, where the Lakers lost 103-91.
On November 29, 2015, Bryant announced via The Players' Tribune that he will retire at the end of the season. In his poem entitled "Dear Basketball", Bryant writes that he fell in love with the game at the age of six; "A very deep love, I give you everything for me/From my mind & body/For my soul and body." The 2015-16 season "is all that's left to give./My heart can take a blow/My mind can handle the grind/But my body knows it's time to say goodbye And that's good I'm ready to let you go." In a shared letter to Lakers fans before that night's game against the Indiana Pacers, Bryant wrote, "What you have done for me is far greater than anything I've done for you.... My love for this city, this team and for each of you, each one will never fade, thank you for this wonderful journey. "
At the time of his announcement, he was second in the team within minutes (30.8) behind Jordan Clarkson and led the team with 16.7 goals on the pitch per game, while averaging just 15.7 points and firing a low-career 31.5 percent. His free-throwing effort has dropped from his career average, and his game has become too dependent on pump forgery and long-range shots, making it the worst-league 19.5 percent from three points apart on seven matches, almost doubling his career on average. In his press conference after the announcement, he admitted his declining skills. "Even though I play like garbage, I have worked very, very hard not to play like garbage and I do everything I can and I feel good about it", he said.
Bryant called for an opposing team on the road to not hold a ceremony in court to honor him or give him a public prize. Before announcing his resignation, he was steadfast not wanting a frenzy of a staged concert tour, preferring to hear jokes from cheers. However, he was honored around the leagues with video tribes, and fans greeted him with applause, even in the arena that historically scoffed at him like the TD Garden in Boston and the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. Previously, Bryant was respected but unloved, and he was surprised by the cheers he received now.
On February 3, Bryant made seven three-pointers and scored a season-high 38 points, including 14 of the team's 18 points in the final 5:02 game, for a 119-115 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The win ended a 10-game losing streak, and the Lakers avoided the longest losing streak in franchise history. Bryant became the fourth NBA player over the age of 37 to record at least 35 points, five rebounds and five assists in one game. Bryant is the top overall vote taker for the 2016 All-Star Game with 1.9 million votes, ahead of Stephen Curry of 1.6 million. After moving to the small forward of the season, Bryant was selected as a frontcourt starter for the first time. Playing in his first All-Star game since 2013, Bryant scored 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Friends of the West team offered to give him the ball in an attempt to get him another MVP All-Star, but he refused.
On April 13, 2016, Bryant played his last NBA game against Utah Jazz, scoring a season-high 60 points (most points scored by the player of the season), including defeating the entire Jazz team 23-21 in the fourth quarter, in a Lakers 101-96 victory. The Lakers ended the season with a 17-65 record; this is the worst season record in the history of the organization. Bryant became the oldest player to score 60 or more points in a match in 37 years and 234 days.
Careers of national team
Bryant refused to play in the 2000 Olympics because he was getting married off-season. He also decided not to play in the FIBA ​​World Championship â € <â € <2002. Bryant was initially chosen for the FIBA ​​Championship of America in 2003 but resigned after undergoing arthroscopic and knee shoulder surgery. The following summer, he had to resign from the Olympic team due to his sexual assault case. Together with LeBron James, he was one of the first two players to be publicly named to the 2006-2008 US roster in 2006 by Jerry Colangelo. However, he was once again absent after knee surgery and did not participate in the FIBA ​​World Championship 2006.
Bryant's national team career in the United States finally began in 2007. He was a member of the US Senior Men's National Team in 2007 and the FIBA ​​Championship Team USA USA who finished 10-0, won gold and qualified United States men for 2008 Olympic Games. He started in all 10 FIBA ​​matches Americas Americaship USA. Bryant averaged 15.3 points, 2.9 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game in the tournament.
On June 23, 2008, he was appointed Senior US Men's National Team for the 2008 Summer Olympics. This is the first time he has gone to the Olympics. Bryant scored 20 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, along with six assists, when Team USA beat Spain 118-107 in a gold medal on 24 August 2008, for his first gold medal in world competition since the 2000 Olympics. He averaged 15 , 0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists when shooting.462 from the field in eight Olympic contests.
Bryant rejoined the national team for the 2012 Summer Olympics. He retired from the team after winning another gold medal.
Player profile
While listed at 6 feet 6 inches tall (1.98 m), he states that his original height is 6 feet 4 inches (1.94 m) barefoot, and weighs 205 pounds (93 kg), Bryant plays mainly as a shooting guard. He is often cited as one of the most dangerous goalscorers in the NBA. Bryant has drawn a frequent comparison to Jordan, after whom he modeled his style of play. Like Jordan, he became best known for shooting down a jump shot. Chris Ballard of Sports Illustrated describes yet another of Bryant's most famous moves as a "step-and-pause" step: Bryant thrusts his non-pivot foot forward to let the defender relax, but instead of carrying a rear-foot prick, he pushed it and drove around his opponent to get to the basket.
Bryant has a reputation for taking pictures in moments of tight match closing, even when he works double or three teams, and is listed as one of the major players in the NBA. In the 2012 NBA general manager's general survey, Bryant was elected for the 10th consecutive season as a general manager the player wanted to take a clutch image with the game on the line. Bryant enjoys being a villain, and likes to be mocked and then silencing the crowd with his game. His ability to make difficult shots has also invited criticism of his shot options. Throughout his career, Bryant was underestimated for being a selfish and high-volume shooter; he missed more field effort in his career than any other player in NBA history. Phil Jackson, who coached Bryant for years, stated that Bryant "tends to force action, especially when the game does not go as he wishes." When his shot is inactive, Kobe will hit unceasingly until his luck changes. According to Bryant, "I'll go 0 to 30 before I'll go 0 to 9; 0 to 9 means you beat yourself, you make yourself out of the game."
In addition to his attacking ability, Bryant also proved himself to be a prominent defender. Bryant rarely draws charges when he plays defensive, which he believes saves his body and contributes to his longevity. Some critics have argued that Bryant's defensive appreciation in his later years is based more on his reputation than the real game.
Bryant was also praised for his work ethic. Throughout his first 16 seasons, his body was resilient, and he showed a high threshold of pain while often playing with injury. Fierce rival, Bryant makes opponents and teammates are both objects of his scorn. Many players consider him difficult to play because of his commitment and high performance. According to sports writer Mark Heisler of Forbes, "around 2004-2007, Kobe is the most isolated superstar NBA ever sees." He did, however, lead the Lakers to two championships after the departure of Shaquille O'Neal; During this period, he became more of a mentor to his teammates than ever before in his career. Bryant's old head coach Phil Jackson notes that the biggest difference between the first and second tasks in training the Lakers is that over the last period, "[Bryant] hugging his team and his teammates, calling them while we're on the road and inviting them out for dinner As if the other players are now his partner, not his personal lance bearer. "
NBA career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
Legacy
Bryant is called "one of the greatest players in the history of our game" by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, and The New York Times wrote that he already has "one of the most decorated careers in sports history." Reuters called him "arguably the best player of his generation", while both Sports News and TNT named him their NBA player for a decade for the 2000s. In 2008 and again in 2016, ESPN placed him as the second-biggest shooting keeper of all time after Jordan. Players including Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, and Derrick Rose call Bryant their generation version of Jordan. The-Enterprise describes Bryant as "probably the biggest Laker in the history of the organization". He is the Lakers' all-time top scorer, and five titles are tied for the most part in franchise history. The two numbers he wore during his career, 8 and 24, have been retired by the Lakers on December 18, 2017.
With a career average of 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, he is considered one of the most complete players in NBA history. He is the first player in NBA history to have at least 30,000 career points and 6,000 career assists, and is one of only four players with 25,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 6,000 assists. Bryant led the NBA in scoring during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. The performance of 81 points against Toronto in 2006 is the second highest in NBA history, behind only 100 Chamberlain. He has scored at least 50 points 24 times in his career, the third in league history behind Jordan (31) and Chamberlain (118); six times Bryant scored at least 60. He is only the third player in NBA history to average 40 points in a calendar month, which he has achieved four times. Bryant was elected as a league MVP in 2008 and led his team to the 2008 NBA Finals as the first seed in the Western Conference. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal as a member of the US men's basketball team, sometimes referred to as the "Redeemer Team". He won another gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He led the Lakers to two other championships in 2009 and 2010, winning the Finals MVP award on both occasions.
Bryant is an All-Star 18 times, who finished second behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 19. He has picked a record 18 times in a row, each time as a starter. On four occasions (2003, 2011, 2013, 2016) he is the top voter. Four times Bryant was named All-Star MVP, a record he shared with Bob Pettit. He has been selected for the All-NBA Team on 15 occasions, tied for the most part with Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan, and his first 11 team titles are tied for the most ever with Karl Malone. Bryant is also an All-Defensive Team 12-time option, just following Duncan 15, and nine times he is named First Team All-Defensive, tied with Jordan, Garnett, and Gary Payton for the most of all time. He is the first guard to play 20 seasons in the NBA. He also won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments