Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bean Bryant was born in Philadelphia and moved to Italy at age 6 when his father Joe "Jellybean" Bryant played professionally there. Kobe became fluent in Italian and Spanish and fell in love with the game by watching tapes of Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. At 13, the family returned to the United States. At 17, after a senior year that saw him win numerous national player of the year awards, he entered the NBA Draft directly from high school.

Traded to the Los Angeles Lakers after being drafted 13th by Charlotte Hornets, Bryant joined Shaquille O'Neal to form one of basketball's great partnerships. Together they won three consecutive NBA championships (2000-2002). Their relationship was as combustible as it was successful, and O'Neal's departure forced Bryant to lead the Lakers alone.

The post-Shaq era revealed a different Kobe — perhaps the most relentless individual competitor in the post-Jordan era. His 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006 remains the second-highest single-game total in NBA history. He won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010, earning Finals MVP both times and silencing those who questioned whether he could lead a team to the top.

Bryant died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on January 26, 2020, alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. The global outpouring of grief — from NBA arenas to favelas in Brazil to streets in China — testified to the universality of his legend. He was 41 years old.