When the Lakers gained 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 family. Bryant and Vanessa had been married in Dana Point in 2001. Neither his dad and mom nor his sisters nor any of his teammates attended.

Statistically, the 2000–01 season noticed Bryant carry out equally to the previous year, however he averaged six more points per sport (28.5). It was additionally the year when disagreements between Bryant and O'Neal began to surface. Once once more, Bryant led the team in assists, with 5 per sport. The Lakers, nonetheless, solely won 56 games, an 11-game dropoff from the earlier 12 months. The Lakers would reply by going 15–1 within the playoffs.

Because of Kobe, partly, she continued to refine her skilled basketball career. Because of Kobe, partly, she pursued more Olympic glory. And because of Kobe, in part, her choice to step away from part of a WNBA season, her tenth, closer to the end than the beginning, was simple.

Later in the season, it was reported that Bryant would change his jersey number from 8 to 24 at the start of the 2006–07 season. Bryant's first high-school number was 24 before he switched to 33. After the Lakers' season ended, Bryant said on TNT that he wanted 24 as a rookie, but it was unavailable as it was worn by George McCloud, as was 33, retired with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Bryant wore 143 at the Adidas ABCD camp and selected eight by including these numbers. In the primary round of the playoffs, the Lakers played well enough to reach a 3–1 series lead over the Phoenix Suns, culminating with Bryant's overtime-forcing and game-winning pictures in Game four. They got here inside six seconds of eliminating the second-seeded Suns in Game 6, nevertheless, they misplaced that recreation 126–118 in extra time.

Opposing groups — cautious of his capability to regulate the game, fearful of his shooting streaks, his maverick prowess — assigned players, known as “Kobe stoppers,” to harass him on court docket. Late NBA Hall of Famer and former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has been named the duvet athlete for NBA 2K24, the video game publisher introduced Thursday. A majority of the suggestions, nonetheless, has been heartening. Commenters have stated they’ve watched it dozens of time or more, and gone out to the courts to practice. Youth coaches have advised me they ship it to their gamers. Weekend warriors took to it, hoping Bryant could give them an edge.

Bryant died at age 41, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. A number of tributes and memorials were 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 sq. foot multi-sports facility in Thousand Oaks, California.

The five board members also mentioned Zobayan, who additionally died within the crash, ignored his training and violated federal rules in the course of the 40-minute flight. The Bryants' first daughter, Natalia, was born in January 2003. The delivery resulted in a reconciliation between Bryant and his parents. Due to an ectopic pregnancy, Vanessa suffered a miscarriage within the spring of 2005. Their second daughter, Gianna Maria-Onore (also known as "Gigi"), was born in May 2006.

Nearly one year later, the details surrounding the crash – from the pilot's expertise, to the weather circumstances, to the helicopter's security options – are identified. And a ultimate dedication on what brought on the crash is now simply weeks away. The information surrounding the crash that killed Bryant and eight others are identified, and on Feb. 9, the NTSB is ready to launch a report on the cause.