In Honor Of Kobe Bryant On What Would Have Been His 42nd Birthday

Aug 23, 2020 by apost team

In 1978 a basketball legend was born. The world mourned when he was taken too soon, after a fatal helicopter crash earlier this year. We look back at the extraordinary life of LA Lakers basketball player Kobe Bryant on what would have been his 42nd birthday.

Kobe Bean Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kobe followed in the footsteps of his father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, who was also an NBA player. After spending a large chunk of his childhood in Italy, the Bryant family moved back to Philadelphia in 1991, where Kobe joined the NBA straight out of high school.

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Kobe Bryant spent his entire career playing for the Los Angeles Lakers–an astonishing 20 seasons, which saw him win five NBA titles. According to the NBA website, he won a "record four NBA All-Star Game MVP awards, he was the overall league MVP in 2008, a two-time NBA scoring champion, and 12 All-Defensive selections."

Bryant is also an Olympic gold medallist. He played on the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams, winning gold medals with teammates Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony, among several other players.

In April 2016 Bryant decided to retire. He played his very last game on April 13 to a sold-out crowd at the Staples Center. He played in style till the end, scoring 60 points and leading the Lakers to a win against the Utah Jazz.

Bryant addressed the crowd and all his fans at the end of the game, saying: "I can't believe how fast 20 years went by. This is absolutely crazy ... and to be standing at center court with you guys, my teammates behind me, appreciating the journey that we've been on — we've been through our ups, been through our downs. I think the most important part is we all stayed together throughout."

Kobe had a tragic and untimely death on January 26 of this year, when the helicopter he was flying in with 13-year-old daughter Gianna crashed, killing all nine members on board. He was en route to the Mamba Sports Academy, where he was due to coach a tournament that his daughter would have played in. An emotional and star-studded memorial service was held at Staples Corner. He is survived by his wife, Vanessa Bryant, 38, and daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and 1-year-old Capri.

Bryant's wife, Vanessa, posted on Instagram, 

"There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon." We are sure it is a difficult time for the family, who no doubt will celebrate his life together.

On January 17, just 9 days before Bryant's tragic death, the basketball legend gave his final interview to USA Today's Mark Medina. The interview offered insight into what Bryant was planning for the future and featured many sweet quotes about coaching his late daughter, Gianna. He also spoke about various projects he had done in the past that he was proud of, including his Oscar-winning short film, Dear Basketball. 

But most of all, Bryant was happy that after retiring from the Lakers, he had more free time to spend with his wife and children.

“It's been great, man,” Bryant told Medina. “I got a chance to spend so much time with my family and largely control my own schedule.”

The basketball world lost a true star earlier this year. Share your tributes to Kobe below, and let all the basketball fans you know celebrate and remember the life of one of the greats.