The accuser said that Bryant raped her in his resort room the night earlier than Bryant was to have the procedure. Bryant admitted to an adulterous sexual encounter along with his accuser, but denied her sexual assault allegation. In his interview with police, Bryant also acknowledged a "frequent" adulterous sexual relationship with another girl named "Michelle" at the time. Bryant scored a career excessive of 81-points against the Toronto Raptors in Staples Center, second-highest single scoring performance in NBA historical past, surpassed only by Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point recreation in 1962. He spoke fluent Spanish, Italian and Chinese along with English with confidence and finesse. The player, who entered the league straight from high school, would typically reply worldwide reporters’ questions in their native languages.

While playing second fiddle to O'Neal in the playoffs, Bryant had some clutch performances, together with a 25-point, 11-rebound, 7-assist, 4-block game in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. In the 2000 Finals, towards the Indiana Pacers, Bryant injured his ankle within the second quarter of Game 2 after touchdown on the Pacers' Jalen Rose's foot. In Game four, Bryant scored 22 factors within the second half and led the team to an OT victory as O'Neal fouled out of the game.

On August 22, 2016, Bryant and his enterprise companion Jeff Stibel launched Bryant-Stibel, a enterprise capital firm targeted on totally different businesses including media, information, gaming, and expertise, with $100 million in funding. In 2011, Bryant was featured in Taiwanese singer Jay Chou's single, "The Heaven and Earth Challenge" (天地一鬥, pronounced "Tian Di Yi Dou"). The proceeds for downloads of each the only and ringtones were donated to impoverished colleges for basketball amenities and gear. The song was also utilized by Sprite in its 2011 advertising campaign in China. Bryant's Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in 6 video games in the course of the 2008 NBA Finals.

Bryant was additionally a 12-time All-Defensive Team selection, trailing only Duncan's 15, and 9 occasions he was named to the All-Defensive First Team, tied with Jordan, Garnett, and Gary Payton for the most all time. He was the primary guard to play 20 seasons in the NBA. He additionally won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1997 and was its youngest winner. In his career, Bryant scored 40-plus factors in 121 games, and 21 occasions he recorded a triple-double. Bryant enjoying in opposition to Gary Neal of the Washington Wizards after asserting his forthcoming retirement, 2015After recovering to play in the 2015–16 preseason, Bryant suffered a calf harm and missed the final two weeks of exhibition video games.

One of the best moments I had with Kobe was when I got a call from him during the Finals. I’m in a restaurant, I see my phone ring, and I see it’s Kobe. I run out the restaurant fast as a result of it’s so loud in the 112. ’ And so I’m sitting there, and I’m giving Kobe Bryant some of my tips of what I do. I was like, ‘Man, Kobe simply reached out to me for recommendation. What I did regulate, although, was how I various my strategy from player to player.

In 2022, to commemorate the NBA's 75th Anniversary The Athletic ranked their top seventy five players of all time, and named Bryant as the tenth greatest player in NBA historical past, the second highest capturing guard on the list, behind solely Jordan. Players including Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, and Derrick Rose called Bryant their generation's version of Jordan. The Press-Enterprise described Bryant as "maybe the best Laker in the group's history". He was the Lakers' all-time main scorer, and his 5 titles are tied for the most in franchise historical past. Both numbers he wore during his profession, 8 and 24, had been retired by the Lakers on December 18, 2017.

The couple purchased a home within the Newport Beach community of Newport Coast, where they installed his “Star Wars” memorabilia and her Disney collectibles. For her nineteenth birthday, he bought her a Lamborghini with a special adapter so she wouldn’t should drive a stick shift. When the Lakers won their second championship in Philadelphia in 2001, Kobe was noticed holding the trophy within the shower and crying. Some puzzled if the battle with O’Neal was taking its toll; Bryant would later say he was excited about the rift in his household. Bryant and Vanessa were married in Dana Point in 2001.

But he never left his American roots behind, returning to the U.S. every summer to play in developmental basketball leagues. The Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant, was more than a basketball player. He was a symbol of motivation and a picture of dedication and greatness.