Factfile on 18-time NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday at age 41 after playing his entire 20-season career with the Los Angeles Lakers:Name: Kobe BryantFormer Team: Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2016)Position: GuardBirthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USABorn: August 23, 1978Died January 26, 2020Height: 6feet, 6inches, 1.98mWeight: 212lbs, 96kg- Bryant was the son of Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant, who played eight seasons in the NBA- Bryant spent eight years of his childhood with his family in Italy- Bryant married Vanessa Laine, April 18, 2001. Daughter Natalia was born in January, 2003; daughter Gianna was born May, 2006; daughter Bianka was born December, 2016 and daughter Capri was born June, 2019Awards/career highlights- Bryant won five NBA championships -- 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010- Named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in leading Lakers to titles in 2009 and 2010- Earned Olympic gold medals with USA at 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics- Named NBA regular-season MVP in 2007-08 season and a record-tying four-time NBA All-Star Game MVP -- 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011- On January 22, 2006 scored a career-high 81 points in Lakers' 122-104 victory over Toronto, second-most points in a game in NBA history- In 2018, his movie "Dear Basketball" won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. - Selected with 13th overall choice by Charlotte Hornets in 1996 NBA draft, becoming the 27th player to join NBA straight from high school. - Acquired by Lakers shortly after draft- Named an NBA All-Star 18 times - 1998 and 2000-2016- Two-time NBA scoring champion - 2006 and 2007- 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner- Had both his jersey numbers, 8 and 24, retired by the Lakers, an unprecedented move- Scored 33,643 points, grabbed 7,047 rebounds and passed off 6,306 assists over 1,346 career NBA games- Scored a season-high 60 points in his last NBA game on April 13, 2016 in a 101-96 Lakers' victory over Utah, becoming the oldest player in NBA history to score 60 points at 37 years and 234 daysSome of the significant injuries that affected Bryant during his career:- Broken metacarpal bone in right hand, 1999-00 season- Right index finger laceration, sprained right shoulder, 2003-04- Severely sprained right ankle, 2004-05- Index finger avulsion fracture, right knee swelling, sprained left ankle, 2009-10- Torn left Achilles tendon requiring surgery, 2012-13- Broken bone in left knee, 2013-14- Torn right shoulder rotator cuff, 2015AFP

Source: Punch January 26, 2020 21:56 UTC