So Kobe said he studied how white sharks hunted seals to prepare for his subsequent meeting with Iverson. That day got here on February twentieth in 2000, when the Lakers visited the Sixers in Philadelphia for the first of two head-to-head games performed that season. But as an alternative of watching the two stars go at it in a shootout, it was a shutdown.

According to eyewitnesses, the helicopter's engine had began "sputtering" earlier than happening. All 5 folks on board, including Bryant himself and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, perished in the fiery crash. If it ever appeared like Kobe was speaking completely fluent Italian, don't fret, you were not having a stroke. In fact, Bryant learned Italian during his childhood, because he truly grew up in Italy. When he was just 6-years-old, his dad signed on with an Italian basketball staff and moved the family to Europe.

This materials will not be printed, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least quarter-hour. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Bryant was born to former NBA player Joe “Jellybean” Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant, who named him after the well-known beef of Kobe, Japan. When he was 6 years old, his father retired from the NBA and moved the household to Rieti, Italy, the place Kobe discovered how to speak fluent Italian and how to play basketball.

Vanessa Bryant paid tribute to her late daughter Gigi Bryant, three years after she and pop Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash. On April 13, 2016, Bryant dazzled a sold-out crowd on the Staples Center and fans in all places in the last recreation of his career, scoring 60 factors and leading the Lakers to a win in opposition to the Utah Jazz. In 2008, Bryant was named Most Valuable Player and carried his group to the NBA Finals, where they misplaced to the Boston Celtics. In the 2009 NBA Finals, the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic to win the championship. Shortly afterward, Bryant was part of the memorial service to honor pal and music superstar Michael Jackson.

“Lise, come right here.” I go in there, he pauses the tape, stands up in his flip flops and does the transfer he’s been finding out. Shay and I bathe, we exit, like out out — Kobe did not really go out much — come back, one in the morning. “Lise, come right here.” He’s still in his room watching movies. That’s why should you take a glance at Kobe’s early interviews, the greatest way he licks his lips, the greatest way his mannerisms … it is all a learned behavior from him watching his favorite player, Michael Jordan. If you watch him walk, he would ooze Michael Jordan.

Bryant's performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight. Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, the youngest of three kids and the only son of Pamela Cox Bryant and former NBA participant Joe Bryant. He was additionally the maternal nephew of NBA player John "Chubby" Cox. His dad and mom named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they noticed on a restaurant menu.

Bryant at the free-throw line, 2005In the first game of the 2002–03 season, Bryant recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and four steals in an 87–82 loss to the visiting Spurs. On November 1, Bryant recorded a triple-double of 33 factors, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in a 108–93 win over the LA Clippers. He additionally set an NBA record for three-pointers in a recreation on January 7, 2003, when he made 12 in opposition to the Seattle SuperSonics. Bryant averaged 30 factors per recreation and launched into a historic run, posting 40 or more factors in 9 consecutive video games whereas averaging forty.6 in the whole month of February.

This meant that geometry class was seen as understanding the angles of the sport. History class taught me completely different types of management. Through Shakespeare, I realized in regards to the nature of mankind. From The Iliad, I started to query on the age of 12 if I recognized with the hero Hector or Achilles. Taking exams helped me steady my pulse and assume clearly under duress. The examples are endless but my philosophy is simple.