To remember Kobe Bryant, we celebrate his life and legacy through his own uplifting words and unique career moments.
The NBA legend and his teen daughter were among nine on board a helicopter that crashed. Kobe Bryant dies at age 41.
Kobe Bryant on chasing sucees
„When you make a choice and say, ‚Come hell or high water, I am going to be this,‘ then you should not be surprised when you are that. It should not be something that is intoxicating or out of character because you have seen this moment for so long that … when that moment comes, of course it is here because it has been here the whole time, because it has been [in your mind] the whole time.“
Kobe Bryant On resilience:
- „I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. No matter what the injury — unless it’s completely debilitating — I’m going to be the same player I’ve always been. I’ll figure it out. I’ll make some tweaks, some changes, but I’m still coming.“
- „Everything negative — pressure, challenges — is all an opportunity for me to rise.“
On teamwork:
„The important thing is that your teammates have to know you’re pulling for them and you really want them to be successful.“
On hard work.
- „I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you.“
- „I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.“
- „Dedication sees dreams come true.“
On winning:
- „I’ll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it’s sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.“
- „The moment you give up, is the moment you let someone else win“
On leadership:
„The most important thing is to try and inspire peopleso that they can be great at whatever they want to do.“
On perseverance:
„I’ve played with IVs before, during and after games. I’ve played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of asoftball. I don’t miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn’t that serious in the first place.“
On overcoming fear:
„The last time I was intimidated was when I was 6 years old in karate class. I was an orange belt and the instructor ordered me to fight a black belt who was a couple years older and a lot bigger. I was scared s–less. I mean, I was terrified and he kicked my ass. But then I realized he didn’t kick my ass as bad as I thought he was going to and that there was nothing really to be afraid of. That was around the time I realized that intimidation didn’t really exist if you’re in the right frame of mind.“
On failure:
- „I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I’m like, ‚My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don’t have it. I just want to chill.‘ We all have self-doubt. You don’t deny it, but you also don’t capitulate to it. You embrace it.“
- „Once you know what failure feels like, determination chases success.“
- „When we are saying this cannot be accomplished, this cannot be done, then we are short-changing ourselves. My brain, it cannot process failure. It will not process failure. Because if I have to sit there and face myself and tell myself ‚you are a failure,‘ I think that is almost worse than dying.“
Kobe Bryant’s greatest moments in his 20-year NBA career
Over the course of his 20-year career, Bryant showed off his scoring ability, clutch championship performances, and the stone-cold mindset exemplified in his „Black Mamba“ nickname.Here are the most memorable moments of his career and life.
Record 81-point game
The 81-point total was the most points scored in a game in Lakers history and the second most all-time behind Wilt Chamberlain’s famous 100-point mark in 1962.
The Game 7 alley-oop
With under a minute left and the Lakers up by four, Bryant dribbled into the lane and then lobbed up a high, arcing pass. Shaquille O’Neal leaped into the air and, with one hand, grabbed the ball and dunked. The iconic alley-oop clinched the win and set off ferocious applause from the home crowd.Bryant and O’Neal would go on to win three straight titles from 2000 to 2002 as part of one of the most dominant teams in NBA history.
The Game 7 win over Boston
Saving the best for last
„Bryant was not the same after that Achilles injury, and in his final few seasons, his effectiveness dropped sharply and the team repeatedly failed to make the playoffs. After several losing seasons, he announced that he planned to retire after the 2016 season.But he saved his best for last.In his final game as a Laker, Bryant turned back Father Time and scored 60 points, his highest total that season. The vintage performance, before a sold out Staples Center crowd, showed the tenacity, toughness and talent that made him one of the defining players in NBA history.“From the bottom of my heart, thank you,“ he told the adoring crowd afterward.“Mamba out,“ he said, and blew a kiss.“
Kobe doesn’t flinch
Winning an Oscar
Kobe Bryant and Glen Keane accept Best Animated Short Film for ‚Dear Basketball‘ during the 90th Annual Academy Awards in 2018.
Shaquille O’Neal emotial Instagram Post
There’s no words to express the pain Im going through with this tragedy of loosing my neice Gigi & my brother @kobebryant I love u and u will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW“
R.I.P Legend
