The untimely death of Kobe
Bryant has brought lots of agony and shock to his family, the NBA universe, and
many other people around the world. Some of these people may not get over the
pain his death has caused.
The
NBA superstar died on Sunday, January 26 in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles. The
copter crash claimed not only his life but that of Gianna, his 13-year-old daughter
– who was a budding basketball player with high hopes of following in her
father’s footsteps – and 7 others.
Soccer
Stars Mourn the NBA Legend
The death of the basketball
legend and others has deeply touched top soccer players in the world like
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gerard Pique, Neymar, Thiery Henry, and
others.
These top stars have stormed
various social media platforms to express their grief, mourn Kobe, and extend
their condolences to his wife and other members of his family.
Bryant was a brilliant
basketball player who excelled in the game for 20 years; all spent at the LA
Lakers. He is the only basketball player in NBA history to wear two jersey
numbers – No. 8 and No. 24.
These numbers were retired on
his behalf or in his honor by Los Angeles Lakers when Kobe Bryant retired from
the net game.
Stunning
Records Achieved in NBA History By Kobe Bryant
During Bryant’s active
playing days at LA Lakers, the legend achieved some remarkable records, and
many experts allege that those records may never be broken.
Kobe entered the NBA right
from high school, earning himself the nickname “Black Mamba” as he
went on to become one of the best and greatest basketball stars the world has
ever seen.
Here are some of his astonishing records in basketball before he retired in 2016:
- NBA Most Valuable Player 200
- Two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, i.e.
2009 and 2010
- Two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner for the
United States in 2008 and 2012
- Scoring champion in two separate seasons in
2006 and 2007
- Four-time NBA All-Star Most Valuable Player,
i.e. in 2002, 2007, 2009, and 2011
- Five-time NBA champion i.e. 2000, 2001, 2002,
2009, 2010
- 18-time
NBA All-Star in 18 consecutive seasons i.e. 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016.
Even after he retired from
the game of basketball and before death came calling, the personal records of
Bryant were extraordinarily great.
For instance, Kobe is the
only basketball player in NBA history to score nothing less than 600 points in
the postseason for 3 years, back-to-back. That is 633 (2008), 695 (2009), and
671 (2010).
The Black Mamba is also the
Youngest Player to start an All-Star game. He was 19 years and 169 days at the
time.
Reigning Spanish champions,
Barcelona held a one-minute silence before commencing their training in respect
of the great sportsman and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
Investigations which is
conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are still ongoing
to determine the cause of the crash. The bodies
of the victims involved in the crash have since been recovered from
the wreckage their respective families contacted.
