When the Lakers gained their second championship in Philadelphia in 2001, Kobe was spotted holding the trophy within the shower and crying. Some puzzled if the conflict with O’Neal was taking its toll; Bryant would later say he was serious about the rift in his household. Bryant and Vanessa were married in Dana Point in 2001. Neither his mother and father nor his sisters nor any of his teammates attended.

Statistically, the 2000–01 season saw Bryant perform equally to the previous year, however he averaged six extra points per sport (28.5). It was also the year when disagreements between Bryant and O'Neal started to surface. Once again, Bryant led the staff in assists, with five per game. The Lakers, nonetheless, solely won fifty six video games, an 11-game dropoff from the previous year. The Lakers would reply by going 15–1 within the playoffs.

"Not dangerous for the seventh-best participant within the league," said Bryant, referring to a preseason ESPN rating of the NBA's prime players. He went on to score 40, forty two, and forty two in his next three games. It was the sixth time in his profession he scored 40 or more factors in 4 straight games, a feat exceeded only by Wilt Chamberlain . At the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, Bryant scored 27 factors to pass Michael Jordan because the profession scoring chief in the All-Star Game. He also suffered a damaged nose and a concussion in the third quarter of the All-Star Game after a tough foul from Dwyane Wade. In April, Bryant missed seven games with a bruised left shin.

Like most people who go to campus for the first time, the mixture of shock and awe of the beauty and warmth of campus was shocking. The synergy of the campus, facilities and people created an setting that welcomed him with open arms. He was on first-name basis with school, workers, facilities staff, student-athletes and coaches, all the time shaking arms or fist-bumping as he passed by. He appreciated our group for permitting him to share the house and to provide him the respect to immerse himself in his craft. He spent hours in the Bren Events Center, Crawford Court, the ARC, the swimming pools, the monitor and in our coaching room. He loved being around the students, an experience he by no means had with the choice to skip college and go straight to the pros.

In the 2000 Finals, against the Indiana Pacers, Bryant injured his ankle in the second quarter of Game 2 after landing on the Pacers' Jalen Rose's foot. In Game 4, Bryant scored 22 points within the second half and led the staff to an OT victory as O'Neal fouled out of the sport. With a 116–111 victory in Game 6, the Lakers received their first championship since 1988. With profession averages of 25.zero factors, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, he's thought of one of the full players in NBA history.

Bryant died at age forty one, alongside together with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and 7 others, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. A number of tributes and memorials have been subsequently issued, including renaming the All-Star Game MVP Award in his honor. At his time of death, Kobe was on his way to coach a youth basketball tournament at his newly rebranded MAMBA Sports Academy. The 100,000 square foot multi-sports facility in Thousand Oaks, California.

When I received traded to the Lakers in ’97, Kobe Bryant was only a rookie. We would play this taking pictures recreation every day after follow. It was me, Kobe, Brian Shaw, Mitch Richmond and Kurt Rambis. We would get to apply the subsequent day and sure sufficient, Kobe would already be there capturing nothing but threes. Like clockwork, on the finish of apply he’d say, “Let’s play the game! I’m prepared for you.” And we'd beat his ass again.

The examples are infinite however my philosophy is easy. Once I knew my seed, I was in a place to uncover my muse and my function for being was crystal clear. I don’t cover the aggressiveness of competitors behind All-Star events, sponsored occasions, and the idea that the weekend sport is a nicely deserved break.