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Kobe Bryant: Remembering the 24 moments that defined the life and career of a global icon

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant

The making of a global superstar

By Matias Grez, Patrick Sung and Ben Church, CNN

The sporting world and beyond is mourning the death of Kobe Bryant, aged 41. The NBA legend and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine on board a helicopter that crashed on Sunday.

CNN looks back at 24 defining moments in the career of an NBA great, who mesmerized, broke records and transcended his sport.

The world reacts to Kobe Bryant's death 1:48

1978
- From Kobe Bryant/Twitter
  
  August 23
  
  Birth
  
  Kobe Bean Bryant is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Pam and Joe Bryant, who is a professional basketball player. Bryant is named after Kobe beef, a type of Wagyu steak from Japan’s Kobe region. His middle name – Bean -- is derived from his father’s nickname, Jellybean.
1984
- Courtesy Davide Giudici
  
  European adventure
  
  After his father retires from the NBA in 1983, the Bryant family moves to Italy where his Dad continues to play basketball until 1991.
1996
- Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
  
  June 26
  
  Drafted
  
  After being named National High School Player of the Year and the Naismith Player of the Year, Bryant is selected by the Charlotte Hornets as the 13th pick in the NBA’s first round of the draft. On July 11, 1996, Bryant is traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac.
- Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images
  
  NBA debut
  
  Bryant plays in his debut NBA season -- mainly coming off the bench for the Lakers -- and becomes both the youngest player (18 years and 72 days) and the youngest starter (18 years and 158 days) in league history.
1998
- Tim Clary/AFP/Getty Images
  
  All-Star debut
  
  After becoming the youngest ever Slam Dunk Contest winner in 1997, Bryant goes on to play in the All-Star game a year later to become the youngest All-Star starter in history.
2000
- Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images
  
  June 19
  
  First NBA title
  
  Despite a frosty relationship, Bryant and Shaquille O’Neil form an unstoppable center-guard partnership to lead the Lakers to three successive NBA titles, which is dubbed the “Three-peat.” Bryant becomes the youngest player to win three championships.
2002
- David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images
  
  All-Star MVP
  
  Bryant leads The West to victory over The East in the 2002 All-Star game, scoring 31 points and recording five assists and five rebounds to be named All-Star MVP for the first time. He is to pick up that accolade again in 2007, 2009 and 2011.
2003
- Ethan Miller/Getty Images
  
  January
  
  Family
  
  Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, gives birth to their first child, daughter Natalia. The couple have another three children, Gianna (pictured), 13, who died along with Bryant in Sunday’s crash, Bianca, three, and Capri, seven months.
- Pool/Getty Images
  
  July 18
  
  Sexual assault case
  
  Bryant is charged with one count of sexual assault in a case involving a 19-year-old hotel worker. The charge accuses Bryant of "sexual penetration or intrusion and (that) he caused submission of the victim through actual physical force," according to District Attorney Mark Hurlbert.
2004
- Stephen Chernin/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
  
  September 1
  
  Charges dropped
  
  The criminal sexual assault charge is dropped.
2005
- Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images
  
  March 2
  
  Civil lawsuit
  
  Bryant’s accuser agrees to settle her civil lawsuit. The terms of the settlement are not disclosed.
2006
- Noah Graham/NBAE/NBAE via Getty Images
  
  January 22
  
  81 points
  
  Bryant scores 81 points in the Lakers' 122-104 win over Toronto. To this day it remains the second-highest points tally in a single game, surpassed only by Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962.
2008
- Icon Sports Wire/Getty Images
  
  May 6
  
  League MVP
  
  After leading the Lakers to a 4-0 demolition of the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2007-08 playoffs, Bryant is named as the league MVP for the first and only time in his career.
- Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images
  
  August 24
  
  Gold medal
  
  An all-star Team USA -- with Bryant as captain -- sweeps aside all in its path to be crowned Olympic champion at Beijing 2008. It’s dubbed the “Redeem Team,” a play on the famous “Dream Team” nickname of the 1992 side, following the disappointing bronze medal in Athens four years prior.
2009
- Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
  
  June 14
  
  Finals MVP
  
  Bryant leads the Lakers to a first NBA title since 2002 and is named Finals MVP for the first time in his career. He records 40 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in Game 1 as the Lakers go on to win 4-1.
2010
- Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images
  
  June 17
  
  Finals MVP
  
  For the second season in a row, Bryant is named the NBA Finals MVP as the Lakers win consecutive titles. The Lakers win Game 6 to avoid elimination against the Boston Celtics and recover from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter of Game 7 to take the title.
2011
- Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images
  
  December 16
  
  Vanessa
  
  After staying with Bryant through the sexual assault allegations and after his public apology for cheating on his wife, Vanessa files for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences.” On January 11, 2013 the couple publicly announce their reconciliation and remain married up until Bryant’s death.
2012
- Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
  
  August 12
  
  Second gold medal
  
  Bryant helps Team USA win a second straight Olympic gold medal, beating Spain 107-100 in the final in a rematch of four years earlier.
2014
- Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
  
  December 14
  
  Surpasses Michael Jordan
  
  In a 100–94 victory over Minnesota, Bryant reaches 32,310 career points to move into third on the NBA's all-time scoring list and overtake Michael Jordan’s tally of 32,310.
2015
- Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
  
  November 29
  
  Announces retirement
  
  In a poetic post on The Players' Tribune, Bryant announces that he will retire at the end of the NBA season. He later tells reporters he is "at peace" with his decision.
2016
- Harry How/Getty Images
  
  April 13
  
  Final game
  
  Bryant scores an incredible 60 points in the final game of his career, helping the Lakers defeat the Utah Jazz 101-96. He is swarmed by players and coaches on court after the game.
2017
- Harry How/Getty Images
  
  December 18
  
  Lakers retire jerseys
  
  Following his retirement, the LA Lakers retire both of Bryant's famous jersey numbers -- No. 8 and No. 24 -- during a ceremony at the Staples Center.
2018
- Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
  
  March 4
  
  Oscar
  
  Bryant adds an Academy Award to his plethora of trophies, winning an Oscar for best short animated film -- "Dear Basketball" -- based on a poem he wrote.
2020
- Chris Delmas/AFP/Getty Images
  
  January 26
  
  Death
  
  Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna are among nine people killed when a helicopter crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California. The news shocks the world with tributes pouring in for the NBA legend.