It’s been a year now since one of the most famous personalities in sports history has been taken from us in an unfortunate helicopter crash.
On January 26, 2020, Kobe Bean Bryant fell victim to a horrible tragedy in Calabasas, CA. On that fateful day, he and several other passengers on board his helicopter — including his second daughter, Gianna. The news spread globally so fast and hit millions of people so hard that it became one of the top stories of 2020.
On the first anniversary of his passing, we recall and remember the legend that was Kobe Bryant.
A Career of Legendary Proportions
Kobe Bryant, a.k.a. The Black Mamba, was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets as the 13th pick in the first round back in 1996. He was then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he stayed for his entire 20-year career as a pro. He was the first guard to be drafted straight out of high school.
He turned heads and caught everyone’s attention during his rookie year despite not having enough playing time. He worked his way up the ranks and eventually became one of the Lakers’ starters and one of the best players in the franchise’s history, putting him in the company of legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and Wilt Chamberlain, among others.
He proved that he wasn’t just all-hype and no substance. He held himself to a higher standard and did his very best to outwork his opponents and teammates. His competitiveness gave him the killer instinct that set him apart from everyone else.
Proof? Check out the things he was able to achieve since he started in ‘96:
5-time NBA champion
2-time NBA Finals MVP
NBA Most Valuable Player in 2008
18-time All-Star
4-time NBA All-Star Game MVP
11-time All-NBA First Team
2-time All-NBA Second Team
2-time All-NBA Third Team
9-time NBA All-Defensive First Team
3-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team
2-time NBA Scoring Champion
1997 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Champion
NBA All-Rookie Second Team
Naismith Prep Player of the Year
All of these have made Bryant one of the best to lace up and play the game. His untimely death has sped up his induction into the NBA Hall of Fame in May 2021.
The Birth of the Black Mamba
Although Kobe was a very celebrated player and famous sports celebrity, his journey has not been glitz and glamorous. There were a few seasons where he faced some of the biggest challenges in his life. During these times, he created an alter-ego, the Black Mamba, to help him deal with his struggles on and off the court.
According to Kobe in his auto-documentary, “Muse,” he gave himself the moniker Black Mamba to separate his personal life from his professional life. Although he never really mentioned what it was in particular that he was dealing with, it was somehow already understood what his lowest point in life was, for the nickname was created during his personal struggles in 2003 and 2004.
He says that he went from being a person at the top of his game to being lost in life and not knowing where to go. Many remember that in 2003, Bryant was charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old lady in Colorado. Although it was not specified in the documentary, he talked a lot about how his family was on the verge of dissolution at the time.
All the negative press and publicity, not to mention the pressure from detractors, was overwhelming, and he nearly toppled over. Thus, he had to separate his professional life from his personal life, leaving the “Black Mamba” in charge on the court while “Kobe” handled things outside the sport.
This allowed him to stay at the top of his game and recover from what could have destroyed him and his legacy. The birth of the Black Mamba gave him the second wind he needed to establish himself as one of the sports all-time greats and the only player to ever be the closest thing to Michael Jordan as we’re going to get.
Life After the NBA
When he retired from the game and hung up his jersey, he continued to excel in all that he did. He worked on becoming business-savvy and was well on his way to being a really successful businessman. He established the Mamba Sports Academy, which has dropped “Mamba” from its name in honor of Kobe, to provide proper training and support to men, women, and youth to elevate their game.
He also won an Oscar for his 2017 short film, Dear Basketball, which was intended as a love letter to the sport that he held close to his heart.
But more than the accomplishments he had outside the world of pro basketball, he worked hard at becoming the best husband and father he could be to his wife and daughters. He more than made up for all the time he missed precious family time for all the years he was in the game. He made his family his primary focus in life and worked all of his other affairs around his time with them. While most retired athletes get episodes of wanting to go back to their sport, he never regretted his retirement decision. He was quite content and satisfied with how he lived his life and enjoyed his time with his family in retirement.
Looking at Kobe’s life, we can learn many wonderful lessons that can inspire us to become better people. He’s not perfect, but he strived to be the best man that he can be for his wife, his daughters, his friends, and his fans.
