KOBE BRYANT A life in 6 pictures

1. Kobe Bryant, dead at 41

Kobe Bryant, the basketball legend and longtime star of the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles on Sunday, January 26, 2020. He was 41. 

Nine people were killed in the crash, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant. 

Bryant, considered one of the greatest athletes to ever play the game, was seen as a rising star before he ever put on an NBA jersey. He went on to set records, rack up MVP awards and endorsements and win untold numbers of fans before he eventually retired from the sport in 2016.

Here's his remarkable story.

2.

Big leagues, big scores

At the time, Bryant would become the youngest athlete to ever play in an NBA game. He soon gave seasoned vets a run for their money.

Here, Bryant and Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan chat during a game in 1997. During the bout, Bryant, 19 at the time, scored a team-high 33 points off the bench, and Jordan scored a team-high 36 points. 

3 Fitting in

The late 1990s afforded Bryant the time he needed to get used to the pressures and demands of NBA life.

Here, Bryant goes up for a basket during a game against the Detroit Pistons in Inglewood, California, in January 1997.

4 . Love off the court

In 1999, when he was 21, Bryant met Vanessa Laine, a 17-year-old model. Laine was working as a background dancer for a music video. He proposed six months later, and they married in 2001. They had four daughters together: Natalia, 17; Gianna, 13, who died with her father in the helicopter crash; Bianka, 3; and Capri Kobe Bryant, born in June 2019.

Here, Bryant poses with his wife at the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar party.

5 A premiere player

After Phil Jackson took over as Lakers coach in 1999, Bryant's performance only improved. He gained a reputation as a top shooting guard, and he found himself being recruited to All-NBA, All-Star, and All-Defensive teams.

Here, Bryant poses during a Lakers media day with Horace Grant, Shaquille O'Neal and Isaiah Rider in October 2000

6 . Fearsome twosome

During the early 2000s, Bryant and O'Neal formed a formidable defensive-scoring duo. The pair was largely credited for leading the Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002.

Here, Shaquille O'Neal laughs with Kobe Bryant in the fourth quarter during the Lakers' win against the Chicago Bulls in November 2002.