Kobe Bryant was born in 1978 in Philadelphia to parents Joe and Pam Bryant. He was their third child and showed an early talent for basketball. Bryant went on to have a legendary 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning 5 NBA championships and being named the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2008. Bryant and his 13-year old daughter Gianna tragically died in a helicopter crash in California in 2020 along with 7 others, shocking the world and prompting an outpouring of grief and tribute from fans worldwide.

2. Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His
parents, Joe and Pam, already had two girls, Sharia and Shaya. Kobe was their
third and final child. Life in the Bryant family was not your normal everyday
existence. Joe, a playground hoops legend from Philly’s John Bartram High
School, was in the midst of a scattershot pro basketball career that took him
to three different countries.

3. Bryant dunks the ball in his high school gym in Lower
Merion, Pennsylvania, during a practice in 1996.Rusty
Kennedy/AP

4. Basketball superstar who achieved global fame with two Olympic
gold medals and five NBA titles during 20 years at the LA Lakers

5. Bryant jokes with the media as he holds his Los Angeles Lakers jersey at a
news conference in Inglewood, California, in 1996.Susan Sterner/AP

6. First round NBA draft pick Kobe Bryant, 17, poses for a
photo. Photograph: Andy Hayt/NBAE via Getty Images

7. Bryant eyes the basket during the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk contest in Cleveland. Bryant was
the youngest player to win the contest.Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty images

8. A young Bryant alongside Shaquille O’Neal in November 1996.
Photograph: Andrew D Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

9. Bryant with his dad, Joe Bryant, in the locker room in 1996.
Photograph: Nathaniel S Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

10. Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls eyes the basket as he is guarded by
Bryant during a 1998 game in Los Angeles.Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images

11. Bryant throws down a dunk against the New York Knicks in
1999. Photograph: Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

12. Bryant sits on the sidelines during the Euro ABC camp in Berlin in 1999.Marcus Brandt/Bongarts/Getty Images/file

13. Shaquille O'Neal and Byrant sit on the bench before a game in 1999 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

14. Bryant goes in for a slam
dunk against the New Jersey
Nets in January 2001.Andrew
D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty
Images

15. Bryant slam dunks against the Toronto Raptors during their NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, on March 8, 2013. LUCY NICHOLSON/REUTERS

16. Kobe Bryant attends a gathering with his fans during his "Supernatural Asia Tour 2007" in Shanghai, September 8, 2007. REUTERS/Aly Song

17. Bryant holds his daughter, Gianna, after the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals.Elsa/Getty Images

18. Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa arrive as guests for the 2003 Teen
Choice Awards, in Los Angeles, August 2, 2003. REUTERS/Fred Prouser

19. Shaquille O’Neal (right) and Bryant with LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson after winning the NBA
Championship trophy in 2000. Photograph: Nathaniel S Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

20. Bryant celebrates after defeating the Boston
Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals in Los
Angeles.Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

21. A 2006 picture of the legend deep in thought before a match. Photograph: Richard Hartog/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

22. Bryant joins a teaching session for fans during a 2011 promotional tour of
South Korea at Korea University in Seoul.Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

23. Kobe Bryant carries his daughter Gianna, as his wife Vanessa and daughter Natalia (2nd R) stand next to him
during the Lakers' NBA Championship parade in Los Angeles, California, June 21, 2010. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

24. Kobe Bryant is pictured with his daughter Gianna at the WNBA All Star Game in Las Vegas, July 27, 2019. Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

25. Kobe Bryant eyes the ball during the Lakers' game against the Portland
Trailblazers in Los Angeles January 4, 2009. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

26. Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant jumps for a rebound against the Denver Nuggets during Game 2 of their NBA
Western Conference final basketball playoff game in Los Angeles, May 21, 2009. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

27. Bryant goes for the basket against the Orlando Magic during
Game five of the NBA Finals in 2009. The Lakers won the
championships defeating Orlando 99-86 for their 15th title and
first since 2002. Photograph: Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images

28. US President Barack Obama poses with Los Angeles Lakers guards
Derek Fisher (left) and Bryant (centre) during an event with the 2008-
2009 NBA Champions. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

29. Bryant shoots a free throw during a game against the Sacramento Kings
at Staples Center in 2014. Photograph: Jonathan Moore/Getty Images

30. Bryant kisses his daughter Natalia during a 2008 photo session at his home
in Newport Beach, California.Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

31. Bryant celebrates after Game 5 of the
2009 NBA Finals against the Orlando
Magic. The Lakers won 99-86 for their
15th title and first since 2002. Bryant
had 30 points, 8 rebounds and 6
assists as the Lakers completed a four-
games-to-one victory in the best-of-
seven NBA Finals.Emmanuel
Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

32. Kobe Bryant dunks against the Sacramento
Kings during their game in Los Angeles,
January 28, 2011. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

33. Bryant runs up the court during his final game in 2016. The Lakers defeated the
Utah Jazz 101-96. Bryant scored 60 points in the game.Harry How/Getty Images

34. Pau Gasol y Kobe Bryant

35. Kobe Bryant speaks at a webcast to unveil his new Nike Zoom Kobe IV
basketball shoe in Los Angeles, December 11, 2008. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

36. From left, Peyton Mannin, Abby Wambach and Bryant accept the Icon Award during the 2016 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.Kevin Winter/Getty Images

37. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, right, gestures while posing with Bryant alongside members of his family
and city officials in 2016. The city council announced August 24 as Kobe Bryant Day. The date
commemorates the numbers Bryant wore as a Laker: 8 and 24.Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

38. Kobe Bryant and family pose for a photo during a
halftime ceremony to retire his two numbers at
Staples Center in Los Angeles, December 18, 2017.
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

39. Bryant walks to center court at his jersey retirement ceremony at halftime of a basketball game in 2017.Harry How/Getty Images

40. Bryant and filmmaker Glen Keane accept the 2018 Oscar for best animated short film. "Dear Basketball"was
based on a letter Brya wrote in 2015 announcing his retirement from basketball.Kevin Winter/Getty Images

41. Bryant stands for the National Anthem at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

42. A picture from December 2019 showing Bryant and daughter Gianna, an
aspiring basketball player, who were among those killed in the helicopter
crash in January 2020. Photograph: Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

43. Kobe Bryant: 1978 - 2020
Mourning Kobe Bryant

44. A New York City subway sign that has has been changed to read "Kobe Bryant Park" in reference to the
deceased NBA player is pictured in Manhattan, New York, January 27. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

45. Mourners gather at a makeshift memorial for Kobe Bryant outside the Staples Center
after the retired Los Angeles Lakers basketball star was killed in a helicopter crash, in
Los Angeles, California, January 26, 2020. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

46. Fans gather at LA Live, across the street from Staples Center, to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant, in Los Angeles, California, January 27. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

47. A mourner pays respect outside Bryant Gymnasium at Lower Merion High School after the passing of
basketball legend Kobe Bryant, in Philadelphia, January 27. REUTERS/Michael A. McCoy

48. The shoes of Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young pay tribute to the memory of former NBA
player Kobe Bryant during the game against the Washington Wizards during the second
half at State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia January 26. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

49. Flowers are left as a tribute near the
Staples Center to pay respects to Kobe
Bryant after a helicopter crash killed the
retired basketball star, in Los Angeles,
California, January 26. REUTERS/Kyle
Grillot

50. Mourners gather near an image of Kobe Bryant shown on a large screen outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles, January 26. REUTERS/Monica Almeida

51. Mourners gather in Microsoft Square
near the Staples Center to pay respects
to Kobe Bryant after a helicopter crash
killed the retired basketball star, in Los
Angeles, California, January 26.
REUTERS/Kyle Grillot

52. Mourners gather near the Staples Center to pay
respects to Kobe Bryant, in Los Angeles,
California, January 26. REUTERS/Kyle Grillot

53. Flowers and memorabilia left as a tribute near the Staples Center, in Los Angeles, California, January 26. REUTERS/Kyle Grillot

54. Houston Rockets forward P.J. Tucker ties his shoes with a tribute message to Kobe Bryant before the
game against the Denver Nuggets in Denver, January 26. Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

55. His 48,637 minutes played is the eighth-highest total in the NBA. Flowers were laid next to a mural of the player in downtown Los Angeles. Getty Images

57. NBA legend Kobe Bryant, 41, died Sunday in a helicopter crash.
Fatal crash: Bryant was one of nine people who died when the helicopter
they were in crashed on a hillside in Calabasas, California. Among the
victims was Bryant's 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
Tributes pour in: Tributes poured in from around to world to honor
the five-time NBA champion.

58. Pictures of Nipsey Hussle and Kobe Bryant are projected during a tribute at the 62nd
Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, January 26. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

59. Show host Alicia Keys performs with Boyz II Men under an image of Kobe Bryant at the Grammy Awards, January 26. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

60. 28-ENERO-2020 END
Sound: Roberta Flack - Bridge Over Troubled Water