Kobe Bryant
Early experience:
Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978 in Pennsylvania, USA. He is the youngest and only son of three children, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant. His parents named him Kobe before he was born - a Japanese steak name that was seen on a restaurant's menu. Kobe has two sisters, Celia and Shaya. Kobe's father Joe has played for 8 seasons in the NBA, playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, and Houston Rockets . When Kobe was 6 years old, Joe left the NBA and moved his family to Italy to continue his professional basketball career. [7] Kobe adapted to a new lifestyle and learned to speak Italian and Spanish fluently. He started playing at the age of 3, and his favorite team in his growth was the Lakers. Kobe's grandfather would send him videos of NBA games, and Kobe would study them. When Kobe was a kid, he also learned to play football, and his favorite team was AC Milan Football Club. He once said that if he stayed in Italy, he would try to become a professional football player; Kobe is a hardcore fan of former Barcelona football coach Frank Rijkaard and former Barcelona player Ronaldinho, and he also admires Barcelona's Messi. After Qiao retired in 1991, he moved his whole family back to the United States.
High school hours
At LowerMerionHifg School in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Kobe won recognition across the United States for his amazing high school career. As a newcomer, Kobe can start the school (third and fourth grade) basketball team. Kobe was coached by his father when he was in his sophomore in high school. Although the team was mediocre in his first year, Kobe played all five positions in the next three years and led the team to a record of 77 wins and 13 losses. At the adidasABCD training camp, Kobe won the 1995 high school student MVP award and fought side by side with his later teammate Lamar Odom . In high school, then-6ers head coach John Lucas invited Kobe to try and train with the team, where Kobe had a one-on-one match with Jerry Starkhouse . In his fourth year of high school, Kobe led the team to his first state championship in 50 years. In his fourth year of high school, Kobe averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals and 3.8 blocks. He led Raulmerion High School to a record of 31 wins and 3 losses. After Kobe's high school career, he surpassed Wilt Chamberlain and Lionel Simmons to break the high school scoring record in Southeast Pennsylvania with 2883 points. With his fourth-year high school performance, Kobe won several awards, including Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade's High School Player of the Year, McDonald's All-American Team, and the first-ranked player of the United States today. Kobe's high school basketball coach Greg Downer said he was "a dominant all-round player." In 1996, Kobe invited RB female singer Brandy Norwood to attend her prom, even though they were just friends. Kobe scored 1080 points on the Academic Ability Assessment Test (SAT) at Graduation, which was enough to ensure he received a basketball scholarship to enter a good college. However, in the end, the 17-year-old Kobe decided to go straight to the NBA and become the sixth player in NBA history to enter the NBA draft directly from high school. Because it is not common to enter the NBA directly from high school (Kevin Garnett is the only exception in 20 years), Kobe's decision has received a lot of attention. Kobe once said that if he went to college after graduating from high school, he would choose Duke.
NBA career:
1996 NBA Draft
As the first guard player to participate in the NBA Draft directly from high school, Kobe was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick in the first round in 1996.However, according to Kobe's then-agent agent Arn Tellem, it was "impossible" to play for the Charlotte Hornets. However, Bill Branch, then-head scout of the Hornets, said the Hornets had agreed to trade the draft pick with the Lakers the day before the draft. The Lakers didn't tell the Hornets the selected rookie until the first five minutes of the draft. Before the draft, Kobe had tried in Los Angeles, playing against former Lakers players Larry Drew and Michael Cooper. Jerry West, who was then the Lakers manager, said, "Bryant has surpassed these players." On July 11, 1996, West traded his starting center Vlad Divac to the Hornets, in exchange for Kobe's draft pick. Since Kobe was only 17 years old in the draft, his parents had to sign with the Lakers with him. It was not until the new season that Kobe, who was 18 years old, signed the contract independently.
The initial season (1996-1999)
In Kobe's rookie season, he made most of his time as Eddie Jones
Kobe won the All-Star Dunk Contest Championship in 1997 and Nick Van Exel (Nick Van Exel). At that time, he became the youngest player in NBA history (the record was later broken by teammate Andrew Bynum), and he was also the youngest starter in NBA history. At first, Kobe's playing time was limited, but as the season continued, Kobe gradually gained more playing time. At the end of the season, he averaged 15.5 minutes of playing time. On the NBA All-Star Weekend, Kobe won the 1997 All-Star Game Slam Dunk Contest, and the 18-year-old Kobe also became the youngest slam dunk Contest champion in NBA history. With his performance throughout the season, Kobe and his teammate , Travis Knight, were selected into the second team of the NBA's All Rookie Team, and became the youngest player to be selected into the All Rookie Team. In the last game of the season, Kobe made three air balls at the last critical moment. He first missed a goal that won the game in the fourth quarter, and then missed two equalizer three-pointers in the last minute of overtime. In this way, the Utah Jazz defeated the Lakers in the first round of in playoffs. Shaquille O'Neal commented a few years later: "(Kobe) is the only guy who dares to take that shot at that moment."
In Kobe's second season, he gained more playing time and began to show the ability of a talented young defender. Kobe's average score increased sharply, from 7.6 points to 15.4 points. The increase in Kobe's playing time is due to the team's "small lineup" tactical arrangement. At this time, Kobe will change to the position of a small forward and can play at the same time as the starting defender. Kobe ranked second in the 1998 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Awards, [34] and through fan votes, he also became the youngest NBA All-Star Game starter in NBA history. He was selected with his teammates Shaquille O'Neal, Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel, which made them the first time since 1983 that the same team had four players selected for the same NBA All-Star Game. Kobe averaged 15.4 points per game to become the highest score among non-starters this season.
1998-99 season marks the beginning of Kobe's performance in his ability to become the top defender in the league. With starting guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel being traded, Kobe started every game in this season, which was reduced to only 50 games due to labor disputes. This season, Kobe signed a six-year contract with the Lakers worth about $70 million. The contract allows Kobe to play for the Lakers until the 2003-04 season. Although only in the early stages of his career, some sports journalists have begun to compare Kobe's skills with Michael Jordan and Magician Earvin Johnson. And the playoffs this year did not improve much, and was swept out by San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semi-finals.
Three consecutive championships (1999-2002)
1999 Phil Jackson came to the Lakers to coach, and Kobe's fate changed. [42] After several years of steady progress, Kobe has become one of the best shooting guards in the league, appearing in NBA's best lineup many times, [43] All-Star and NBA's best defensive roster . [44] Led by Kobe and O'Neal, the center-back combination with outstanding performances, the Lakers became a strong contender for the championship. Phil Jackson used the triangular offensive tactics he used when he won six championships in Chicago Bulls to help the Lakers become an NBA championship-level team, and the three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002 are the best proof.
1999-2000 At the beginning of the season, Kobe had to stay in the audience for 6 weeks because he injured his right hand in the preseason against Washington Wizards . After returning to the arena, Kobe averaged more than 38 minutes per game, and all technical statistics improved in the 1999-2000 season. Among them, the average assists and steals per game is the team's first. Thanks to the return of O'Neal and Kobe and the strong bench lineup, the Lakers won the fifth highest regular season win in NBA history - 67 games. O'Neal won the regular season MVP of the year, while Kobe was selected for the second team of the NBA All-Squad and was selected for the first time in the NBA All-Squad (became the youngest player to win the honor). Although Kobe only played the No. 2 role in the playoffs, he scored 25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks in the seventh game of the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. Finally, he cooperated with O'Neal's aerial relay and won the Western Conference Finals series. In the finals against Indiana Pacers , Kobe sprained his ankle in the second quarter of the second game, missing the rest of that game and the third game. In Game 4, Kobe scored 22 points in the second half, leading the team to win in overtime when O'Neal left the game. Kobe scored a winning goal to help the team lead 120-118. With the victory in Game 6, the Lakers won their first NBA championship since 1988.
2000-01 season, Kobe's data in terms of statistics are very similar to the previous season, except that he averaged 6 points (28.5 points). But it was this year that the conflict between Kobe and O'Neal began to emerge. He once again led the team with 5 assists per game. Although the Lakers only won 56 games this season, 11 fewer than last season, they have achieved an excellent record of 15 wins and 1 losses in the playoffs. They easily swept the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs until they lost a game in an overtime game against the Philadelphia 76ers in the finals. They won the next four games and brought the championship trophy back to Los Angeles for the second time. Kobe has a long playing time in the playoffs, and his average number has also increased to 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists. In the playoffs, O'Neal claimed Kobe was the best player in the league. Kobe was eventually selected for the second team of All-A-Level and was selected for the All-Defensive Team for the second consecutive year. In addition, he has been selected into the All-Star starting lineup for three consecutive years (there was no All-Star Game in 1999).
In the 2001-02 season, Kobe made 80 games in his first career. He continued to perform well, averaging 25.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. Kobe's shooting percentage also reached a career-high 46.9%, and once again led the team in assists. In addition to being selected for the All-Star and Best Defensive Team again, Kobe also selected for the first time in his career as the NBA All-Star team. This year, the Lakers won 58 wins in the regular season, ranking second in the Pacific Division behind the Kings. The road to the finals is also much harder than in previous years. Although he swept the Trail Blazers in the playoffs and defeated the Spurs 4-1 Spurs , he lost his home advantage against the Kings. The series has played 7 games, the first time since the 2000 playoff Western Conference Finals. In the end, the Lakers defeated their opponents in the same district and entered the finals for the third consecutive time.In the 2002 Finals, Kobe averaged 26.8 points, 51.4% shooting percentage, 5.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists, of which the scores accounted for 1/4 of the team's scores. At the age of 23, Kobe became the youngest player to win three championships. Kobe's performance in the fourth quarter was eye-catching and praised, especially in the final two rounds of the playoffs.
A brief low (2002-2004)
In the 2002-03 season, Kobe averaged 30 points per game and completed 9 consecutive games to score 40+, averaging 40.6 points per game in February. In addition, he averaged 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.2 steals per game, both of which were career highs. Kobe once again was selected into the first team of the NBA's All-Squad and the All-Defensive Team, ranking third in the MVP vote. After 50 wins and 32 losses in the regular season, the Lakers lost to the final champion of the year, San Antonio Spurs, after six games in the Western Conference semi-finals.
The next 2003-04 season, the Lakers won the All-Star players Karl Malone (Karl Malone) and Gary Payton (Gary Payton), and once again striving for the championship. Before the season began, Kobe was arrested on sexual assault charges. This led to Kobe missing some games for appearing in court; or appearing in court earlier one day and rushing to participate in the game later the same day. In the last game of the regular season, the Lakers played against the Trail Blazers. Kobe led the Lakers to win with two finals and won the Pacific Division championship. In the last moment of the fourth quarter, Kobe made a three-pointer to equalize the score, dragging the game into overtime. The game finally entered the second overtime, and Kobe made another buzzer-beating three-pointer to help the Lakers win 105-104.
has four future basketball Hall of Fame players, O'Neal, Malone, Payton and Bryant, and the Lakers eventually made it to the NBA Finals. In the finals, the Lakers were defeated by the Detroit Pistons in five games, who won the championship for the first time since 1990. In the finals series, Kobe averaged 22.6 points per game and 4.4 assists, with a poor 35.1% shooting percentage. Phil Jackson did not renew his contract with the Lakers, and the replacement of his coaching position was Rudy Tomjanovich (Rudy Tomjanovich). O'Neal was traded to Miami Heat in exchange for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant (Brian Grant). The next day, Kobe rejected the contract provided by the Los Angeles Clippers and renewed a seven-year contract worth $136.4 million with the Lakers.
disappointed playoffs (2004-2007)
2004-05 season, because what happened in last season greatly damaged Kobe's reputation and also caused him to be controversial and criticized. Phil Jackson published his new book The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul, which detailed the turmoil of the Lakers in the 2003-04 season, and also criticized Kobe, saying that he was "uncoachable". [69] In the middle of the season, Rudy Tomjanovic suddenly resigned from his position as head coach, citing health issues. After Tom Janovic left, Lakers assistant coach Frank Hamblen took charge of the team to complete the rest of the season. Although Kobe ranked second in the league in scoring with 27.6 points per game this season, the Lakers struggled and the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since the 1993-94 season. In the award selection after this season, due to the decline in the Lakers' overall strength, Kobe failed to enter the best defensive lineup, and the best lineup was only selected for the third lineup. This season, Kobe also revealed the conflict with Ray Allen and Karl Malone.
2005-06 season was a turning point in Kobe's basketball career. Despite having disagreements with Kobe before, Phil Jackson chose to return to the Lakers to coach. Kobe agreed with this move. Various performances proved that the two of them had a good second cooperation, leading the Lakers back to the playoffs. Kobe's personal scoring statistics are also the best season of his career.In the Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks on December 20, 2005, Kobe scored 62 points in the first three quarters (not played in the fourth quarter). When he left the court, he scored 62 points higher than the Mavericks' 61 points. Kobe is the first player to do this since the introduction of the 24-second timer. On January 16, 2006, when the Lakers faced the Heat, Kobe and O'Neal's handshake and hug before the game became the headlines of the day, marking the gradual change in the contradiction between the two players. A month later, at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, the two were seen joking together. On January 22, 2006, Kobe scored a career-high 81 points against Toronto Raptors . In addition to breaking the previous record of 71 points set by Elgin Baylor, Kobe's 81 points in a single game is the second highest single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point record in 1962. In the same month, Kobe also became the first player to score 45 points or more in four consecutive games since 1964, becoming the third player to do so after Chamberlain and Baylor. Throughout January, Kobe averaged 43.4 points per game, ranking 8th in NBA history in a single month, and first in a single month in a single month except Chamberlain. At the end of the 2005-06 season, Kobe set a record of the most 40 games and the most scores in a single season in the Lakers history (2832). Kobe won the league's first title with a score of 35.4 per game. He ranked fourth in the 2006 NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, but he won 22 first-place votes - second only to the final winner Steve Nash (Steve Nash). The Lakers scored a regular season record of 45 wins and 37 losses, winning 11 more games than the previous season.
Later in the season, it was reported that Kobe will change his jersey number from 2006-07 season, from 8 to 24. His first jersey in high school was No. 24, and then he changed to No. 33. Kobe said in an interview with TNT radio that he had planned to choose No. 24 in his rookie season, but it was not possible, and the No. 33 jersey has retired with Karem Abdul-Jabbar. Kobe once wore No. 143 at Adidas ABCD training camp, so he finally chose the sum of three numbers 8 as his number. In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers did a great job, leading Phoenix Suns 3-1 in the series, with Game 4 beating the opponent with two key balls put in by Kobe. In Game 6, they were only six seconds away from knocking out the No. 2 Suns, but eventually lost the game 118-126 in overtime. Although Kobe averaged 27.9 points per game in the series, the Lakers eventually lost to the Suns in seven games. In Game 7, losing to the Suns 90-121, Kobe was criticized for having only three shots in the second half. During the offseason in 2006, Kobe had knee surgery, which prevented him from participating in the 2006 World Men's Basketball Championship. He himself once said: "The meaning of No. 24 is 24 hours. I hope to devote all my energy to basketball. This is why I chose No. 24. If I can't devote myself to it, I am not Kobe. 24 is my best interpretation."
2006-07 season, Kobe was selected for the starting lineup of the All-Star Game for the ninth time. On February 18, Kobe scored 31 points, 6 assists and 6 steals, and won the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award for the second time in his career. Throughout the season, Kobe was involved in a series of stadium accidents. On January 28, Kobe hit Spurs defender Manu Ginobili in the face after making a possible jump shot. After a league re-examination, Kobe was banned from participating in subsequent matches against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The basis for this suspension is that Kobe's waving his arm backward is "an abnormal move." Afterwards, on March 6, he seemed to repeat this move, and this time he hit Minnesota Timberwolves defender Marko Jaric. On March 7, the NBA issued a ticket to Kobe for a second ban.On March 9, in his first game of return, he elbowed Kyle Korver in the face, and the behavior was added as a first-degree malicious foul after the game.
On March 16, Kobe scored a season-high 65 points in his home game against the Trail Blazers, helping the Lakers end their seven-game losing streak. This is the second best scoring performance in his 11-year career. In the next game, Kobe scored 50 points against the Timberwolves, and in the next game, Kobe scored 60 points in the game against the Memphis Grizzlies - becoming the second Lakers player to score 50+ points in three consecutive games, and it was the second time that he had such a performance since Michael Jordan in 1987. Another Lakers player who can do this is Elgin Baylor, who scored 50+ in three straight games in December 1962. The next day, in a game against the New Orleans Hornets, Kobe scored 50 points, becoming the second player in NBA history to score 50+ points in four consecutive games after Chamberlain. The record with the most consecutive games was Chamberlain's seven games. [99] At the end of the season, Kobe scored 50+ in total, becoming the only player who can do this in a single season after Chamberlain's 1961-62 and 1962-63 seasons. He also won the scoring title for the second consecutive year. [101] In the 2007 playoffs, the Lakers lost 1-4 to the Suns in the first round of the playoffs.
MVP season (2007-2008)
27, ESPN reported that Kobe said that if Jerry West cannot return to the Lakers and gain full rights, he hopes he will be traded. Kobe later confirmed that he hoped West would return to the team, but denied that he hoped he would be traded if this matter didn't happen. However, three days later, Kobe expressed dissatisfaction with a "insider" in a telephone interview with Stephen A. Smith when he claimed that he should be responsible for O'Neal's departure; and publicly stated that "I want to be traded." Three hours after making the statement, Kobe said in another interview that he reconsidered his decision and retracted his deal request after talking to head coach Phil Jackson. Afterwards, Kobe said in a non-professional video that center Bynum should be exchanged for All-Star Jason Kidd (Jason Kidd).
On December 23, 2007, Kobe became the youngest player in history to reach 20,000 points (29 years old and 122 days). [109] Despite torn the ligament of the right hand pinky finger in the February 5, 2008 game, Kobe did not choose surgery, but played 82 games in the regular season. In early September 2008, Kobe decided not to perform surgery on his pinky finger.
Kobe led the team to a Western Conference best 57-25 record, sweeping the Denver Nuggets in the first round. On May 6, 2008, the official announced that Kobe won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, the first time in his career. He said, "It's been a long journey. I'm very proud to represent this team and this city." In addition to winning the MVP award, Kobe was the only player to be selected for the NBA All-Vote on May 8, which is his third consecutive year in the first team and his sixth career. Afterwards, he led the NBA's first team with Kevin Garnett, with Kobe scoring a total of 52 points, including 24 first-place votes, which is his eighth time being selected.
The Lakers entered the playoffs as first place in the West, and their first round opponent was the Nuggets. In the first game, Kobe, who served as bait for most of the time, scored 18 of his 32 points in the last 8 minutes of the game, ensuring that the Lakers remained ahead. The Lakers beat the Nuggets 4-0 in the first round, making the Nuggets the first team to win 50 wins since the Grizzlies were swept in the first round in 2004. In the first game against the Jazz in the second round, Kobe scored 38 points to help the Lakers beat the Jazz. The Lakers also won the second game, but lost the third and fourth games, although Kobe averaged 33.5 points per game. The Lakers won the next two games and won the Western Conference semi-finals with 6 games. The Lakers' opponent in the Western Conference Finals is the Spurs. The Lakers defeated the Spurs in 5 games and made it to the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. This is the fifth time in Kobe's career and the first time he has entered the finals without O'Neal.In the end, the Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics after 6 games.
won the championship again (2008-2010)
2008-09 At the beginning of the season, the Lakers started with a 7-game winning streak. Kobe led the team to a record-breaking record of 17-2 in the history of tie, and by mid-December, the Lakers had a record of 21-3. Kobe has been selected for the All-Star starting lineup for the 11th consecutive time and has always been the strongest contender for the Most Valuable Player Award. Kobe won the Western Conference Player of the Month in December and January, and won the Western Conference Player of the Week three times. [In a game against the New York Knicks on February 2, 2009, Kobe scored 61 points, setting the highest score record for the Madison Square Garden Arena . In the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, Kobe scored 27 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals, and shared the All-Star MVP trophy with his former teammate O'Neal. The Lakers scored the best Western Conference 65-17 in the regular season. Kobe ranked second only to in the MVP voting selection, LeBron James (LeBron James), and was selected for the NBA All-Squad First Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the seventh time in his career.
In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Jazz in 5 games and defeated the Rockets in 7 games respectively. The Lakers made their way to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year and beat the Orlando Magic 4-1 in the Finals. Kobe won the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award for the first time while winning his fourth NBA Championship. He became the first player to average 32.4 points and 7.4 assists per game after Jerry West in the 1969 NBA Finals series. He also became the second player after Michael Jordan to average 30 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and eventually won the championship in the Finals series.
Kobe contributed 6 winning goals in the 2009-10 season, including against the Miami Heat on December 4, 2009. Kobe hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer before the end of the game with a single kick. Kobe believes this goal is one of his luckiest goals. A week later, Kobe broke his right index finger in a tear-out fracture against the Timberwolves. Despite his injuries, Kobe chose to continue participating instead of resting and recuperating. Five days after his finger injury, Kobe scored another winning goal, defeating Milwaukee Bucks in overtime this time after missing a chance to win in regular time. This season Kobe also became the youngest player to score 25,000 points (31 years and 151 days), surpassing Wilt Chamberlain. He continued his performance at a critical moment, once again defeating the Kings with a buzzer-beating three-pointer, and scored the winning goal in the final game against the Celtics. The next day, Kobe surpassed Jerry West and became the Lakers' scoring champion in history. After missing five games due to an ankle injury, Kobe returned against the Memphis Grizzlies and made another key three-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to help the Lakers take a 1-point lead. Two weeks later, Kobe scored his sixth winning goal of the season against the Raptors pair.
On April 2, 2010, Kobe signed a three-year contract extension worth $87 million (later confirmed to be 83.5 million) due to knee and finger injuries, Kobe missed four of the last five games of the regular season. Kobe suffered a variety of injuries throughout the season, causing him to miss 9 games. This season, Kobe was selected for the first team of the NBA All-Squad and the first team of the NBA All-Defensive Team for the fifth consecutive year. The Lakers entered the playoffs as the number one seed in the Western Conference. They faced Oklahoma Thunder in the first round, and finally defeated the Thunder after 6 games to sweep the Utah Jazz in the second round of the playoffs, making them close to the Western Conference Finals, and their opponent is the Phoenix Suns. In Game 2, Kobe sent 13 assists, setting a career high in the playoffs; it was also the highest number of assists given by Lakers players in the playoffs since Magic Johnson in 1996. The Lakers won the Western Conference Finals series in 6 games, won the Western Conference championship, and advanced to the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year.In another game against the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics, in Game 7, Kobe led the Lakers back to a 13-point difference behind in the third quarter and won the championship despite only 6 of 24 shots; he scored 10 of his highest score of 23 points in the fourth quarter and contributed 15 rebounds. Kobe won his fifth championship and won the Finals MVP trophy again. This is the first time that the Lakers beat the Celtics in the NBA 7 Finals series. Kobe said this is the most satisfying champion of his five championships.
Chasing the Sixth Championship (2010-2013)
At the beginning of the 2010-2011 season, the Lakers started with eight consecutive victories in Game 9 against the Nuggets, and Kobe became the youngest 26,000-pointer in NBA history. Kobe also won a triple-double for the first time since January 21, 2009 (the 17th time in his career). On January 30, against the Celtics, Kobe became the youngest 27,000-pointer gentleman. On February 1, 2011, Kobe became one of the seven players who scored at least 25,000 points, 5,000 rebounds and 5,000 assists. On January 27, Kobe was selected for the NBA All-Star Game starting lineup for the 13th consecutive year as the voter. In the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, Kobe scored a game-high 37 points and 14 rebounds, winning the fourth All-Star MVP trophy in his career, tying the record held by Bob Pettit . In this season, Kobe's ranking in the NBA's all-time total score list rose from 12th to 6th, surpassing John Haflishek, Dominic Wilkins , Oscar Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes and Moses Malone . Kobe averaged less than 20 shots this season, the fewest since the 2003-2004 season.
Kobe received platelet-rich plasma therapy on his left knee and left ankle. Mike Brown replaced retired Phil Jackson as the Lakers head coach during the offseason. Kobe started the season with a wrist injury. On January 10, 2012, Kobe scored 48 points against the Suns, the highest score of any player who participated in his 16th season. "It's not bad for the seventh best player in the league," Kobe said, pointing out ESPN's ranking of the league's best player before the season. He scored 40 points, 42 points and 42 points in the next three games. This is the sixth time in Kobe's career, all of which have scored more than 40 points in four consecutive games, second only to Wilt Chamberlain (19 times). In the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, Kobe scored 27 points, surpassing Michael Jordan to become the All-Star Game's all-time scoring champion.
2012-13 season, the Lakers won center Dwight Howard and point guard Steve Nash. On December 5, 2012, Kobe became the youngest player in league history (34 years and 104 days) to reach 30,000 points, becoming the fifth player to reach this milestone after Hall of Fame players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. On January 17, 2013, Kobe became the "ticket king" of the 2013 NBA All-Star Game and was selected for the 15th consecutive NBA All-Star Game, becoming the player with the most consecutive All-Star Games in NBA history. On February 18, 2013, Kobe contributed two steals in the All-Star Game, tying Jordan's record of steals (37 times). On March 30, 2013, the Lakers played against the Kings, and Kobe surpassed Wilt Chamberlain and rose to 4th in the NBA's all-time total score list. On April 12, 2013, Kobe tore his Achilles tendon against the Golden State Warriors, ending the season early. The Lakers were also swept out by the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. On May 23, 2013, Kobe was selected for the first team of the All-A-League for the 11th time, tying the record of Carl Malone and ranking first in the league.
Final Season (2013-2016)
On November 25, 2013, he signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers, which will make him the first NBA player to play for the same team for 20 years. On March 12, 2014, the Lakers announced that Kobe's 2013-14 season was reimbursed.
2014-15 season, Kobe returned to compete in his 19th season for the Lakers, tying the record of the longest season for the same team in the NBA. [188] The Lakers coach was replaced by D'Antoni to Kobe's former Lakers teammate Byron Scott (Byron Scott). On November 30, 2014, Kobe scored his 20th triple-double, 31 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in a 129-122 overtime game. At the age of 36, he became the oldest player in the NBA to score 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. On December 14, the Lakers defeated the Timberwolves 100-94, and Kobe surpassed Jordan (32,292 points) to become the third player in the NBA's historical scoring list.
On January 24, 2015, Kobe's right shoulder rotating sleeve tendon torn. The Lakers issued an official statement that Kobe will undergo a review on January 27.
On January 22, 2016, Kobe became the "ticket king" of the 2016 NBA All-Star Game and led the Western Conference All-Star Starter. This is Kobe's 18th All-Star lineup, ranking second in history.
On April 14, 2016, Kobe ushered in the last game of his career (Lakes' home game vs. Jazz), Kobe scored 60 points with 22 of 50 shots, including 6 of 21 three-pointers, including 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 grabbing and 1 blocking, leading the Lakers to reverse the Jazz by 15 points, and staged a perfect farewell battle. After the game, Kobe officially announced his retirement.
Personal life
In November 1999, 21-year-old Kobe met 17-year-old Vanessa Lanney (Vanessa Laine), who was working as a background model for the MV of Tha Eastsidaz (a rap group) single "G'd Up". [196] Kobe was deciding to spend some time recording his hip hop album, but it was never released. The two later started dating and got engaged in May 2000 six months later. Vanessa was a fourth-year high school student at Marina High School in Hangdington Beach, California. In order to avoid the media "searching for news", she completed her studies by self-study. According to Vanessa's cousin Laila Laine, the two have no pre-marital contract at all. But Vanessa told her that Kobe said “I love her only.”
They held their wedding on April 18, 2001 at Dana Point, California (a coastal city on the southern tip of California ). But Kobe's parents, two sisters, his agent Arn Tellem, and his Lakers teammates were not present at the wedding. Kobe's parents opposed the marriage for a series of reasons. It is reported that Kobe's parents think that Kobe is too young, especially the woman he married is not an African-American. This conflict led to two years of disagreement between Kobe and his family until Kobe had his first daughter.
Kobe's first daughter, named Natalia Damont Bryant, was born on January 19, 2003. The impact of Natalia's birth resolves the gap between Kobe and his parents. In the spring of 2005, Vanessa Bryant (Vanessa Bryant) caused a miscarriage due to ectopic pregnancy. On May 1, 2006, their second child, Jaina Maria-Ornor Bryant, was born. Gina was born just six minutes earlier than Kobe's former teammate Shaquille O'Neal's Florida daughter Me'arah Sanaa. In an interview in early 2007, Kobe was still able to speak Italian fluently. [200-201] On December 16, 2011, Vanessa Bryant formally filed for divorce with Kobe because of "irreconcilable differences" between the two parties. Before the verdict was issued, the Bryant family had privately resolved all the divorce issues. Kobe and Vanessa apply for joint custody of their two daughters Natalia and Gina. On January 12, 2013, Kobe and Vanessa announced their divorce.
The nickname Kobe gave himself "Black Mamba". He hopes that his basketball skills can have this kind of snake's ability, that is, "attack quickly and continuously with maximum speed with 99% accuracy."
