A Tribute To a Basketball Legend

By: Layth Dahman

Tomorrow, a memorial is to be held at Staples Center to commemorate the life and legacy of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, and his 13-year old daughter Gianna Bryant. 

It has been almost four weeks since the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, and seven other victims in the tragic helicopter crash. Kobe Bryant had many great moments on the basketball court, turning him into a legend.

At the age of 17, Kobe was one of the few NBA players drafted out of high school. He was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick of the NBA draft in 1996, and got traded to the Lakers on draft night. Since then, he spent his whole career with the Lakers.

Kobe didn`t come into the NBA great. He struggled the first couple of years. He started as an immature NBA player who had to work his way to greatness. In his rookie season, he averaged 7.6 points per game, on inefficient shooting of 42 percent, on 15 minutes per game. In his second season, he improved his scoring average to 15 points per game, shooting 43 percent from the field. His third season is when he had his breakout season averaging 20 points per game on 46 percent field goal shooting.

The best game of Kobe Bryant`s career, was when he had 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. The Lakers were down by 18 points at half-time. Kobe willed his team back with his heart, determination, and hard work, his Mamba mentality. Kobe shot an impressive 61 percent from the field, and 58 percent from 3 on 46 shots. This is the second-highest scoring game in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain.

In the summer of 2012, the Lakers traded Andrew Bynum for Dwight Howard. The Lakers also traded two first-round picks and two second-round picks and three million dollars in cash for Steve Nash. After these trades, for the 2013 season, the Lakers had a starting lineup of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, and Dwight Howard. This lineup was viewed as championship contenders but didn`t live up to the expectations. They finished as the 7th seed and got swept in the first round of the playoffs. Kobe was determined to get that team to the playoffs, but on April 12, 2013, he tore his Achilles. He showed strength by walking off his torn Achilles and making two free throws.

In Kobe's last game of his career on April 13, 2016, he scored 60 points. Kobe shot 44 percent from the field on 50 shots. He broke the record of players scoring the most points in their final game. He led the team to a 103 to 99 win and showed the young players that no NBA game is a meaningless game. He finished fourth on the all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, and Lebron James. Kobe Bryant also got selected to an All NBA Team 15 times.

Kobe finished his career as the second-best shooting guard in NBA history behind Michael Jordan. During his 20 years with the Lakers, Kobe led the team to five championships and 16 playoff appearances. Kobe was an 18-time all-star with four all-star MVP's which is tied for most all-star MVP awards.

Kobe Bryant was a great competitor and always outworked his opponents with his Mamba mentality. NBA players always looked forward to playing Kobe, knowing he would play at a very high level and at his best, every game. Another basketball great, Lebron James looked up to Kobe and wanted to follow in his footsteps of going to the NBA straight out of high school.

Although we remember Kobe for all these great moments on the court, he had a bigger impact on the game of basketball beyond the NBA.

Kobe was an advocate for women’s basketball and the WNBA. Kobe trained his daughter in hopes she would make the WNBA when she is older. Kobe instilled the Mamba mentality in his daughter. Gianna had a similar playing style to her father. She was able to do the things he was able to do at a younger age. She had his ball-handling skills, shooting skills, defensive skills, and his fadeaway jumper. Under Kobe`s mentorship, Gianna would have made the WNBA more relevant and could have been one of the greatest WNBA players of all time.

After Kobe`s basketball career, Kobe won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for his movie, Dear Basketball. This award inspired athletes, showing them that they can view themselves as more than athletes and can do many things post-retirement.

Kobe also opened the Mamba Sports Academy, to train, mentor and impact future generations of sports and youth. He trained current NBA players like Kawhi Leonard, Jordan Clarkson, Paul George, Markelle Fultz, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and many more. All players who have trained with Kobe have taken their game and play style to another level and are having a big impact on their teams.

During the recent All-Star weekend, tributes poured in. NBA commissioner Adam Silver renamed the All-Star MVP award to the Kobe Bryant MVP Award, to honor and commemorate him. This year, Kobe will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Kobe has gone too soon, but his legacy will live forever.