text:
Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American retired professional basketball player and businessman. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, and ranks third on the league's all-time regular season scoring and fourth on the all-time postseason scoring list. He holds the NBA record for the most seasons playing with one franchise for an entire career, and is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time.
The son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, Kobe Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He declared for the NBA draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets, who traded him to the Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, and he was named an All-Star by his second season. Despite a feud between them, Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002.
In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault in Colorado, but the charges were eventually dropped, and a civil suit was settled out of court. After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. Bryant became the cornerstone of the Lakers, and he led the NBA in scoring during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. In 2006, he scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in league history behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. Bryant was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, he led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the Finals MVP Award on both occasions. He continued to be among the top players in the league through 2013, when the 34-year-old Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon. Although he recovered, his play was limited the following two years by season-ending injuries to his knee and shoulder, respectively. Citing his physical decline, he announced that he would be retiring after the 2015-16 season.
At 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points. He became the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history on February 1, 2010, when he surpassed Jerry West. Following his second year in the league, Bryant was chosen to start every All-Star Game until his retirement for a record 18 consecutive appearances, and his four All-Star MVP Awards are tied for the most in NBA history. At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, he won gold medals as a member of the U.S. national team. Sporting News and TNT named Bryant the top NBA player of the 2000s.
Bryant was born in Philadelphia, as the youngest of three children and the only son of former NBA player Joe Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant. He is also the maternal nephew of basketball player John "Chubby" Cox. His parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu. His middle name, Bean, is derived from his father's nickname "Jellybean". Bryant was raised Roman Catholic. When Bryant was six, his father left the NBA and moved his family to Rieti in Italy to continue playing professional basketball. Bryant became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak fluent Italian. During summers, he would come back to the United States to play in a basketball summer league.
Bryant started playing basketball when he was 3 years old, and his favorite team growing up was the Lakers. Bryant's grandfather would mail him videos of NBA games, which Bryant would study. At an early age, he also learned to play soccer and his favorite team was A.C. Milan. Upon Joe Bryant's retirement from playing basketball in 1991, the Bryant family moved back to the United States.
Bryant's retired No.33 jersey and banner at the Lower Merion High School gym.
Bryant earned national recognition during a spectacular high school career at Lower Merion High School located in Ardmore, in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. As a freshman, he played for the varsity basketball team. He became the first freshman in decades to start for Lower Merion's varsity team, but the team finished with a 4-20 record. The following three years, the Aces compiled a 77-13 record, with Bryant playing all five positions. During his junior year, he averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists and was named Pennsylvania Player of the Year, attracting attention from college recruiters in the process.Duke, Michigan, North Carolina and Villanova were at the top of his list; however, when Kevin Garnett went in the first round of the 1995 NBA draft, he began considering going directly to the pros.
At Adidas ABCD camp, Bryant earned the 1995 senior MVP award, while playing alongside future NBA teammate Lamar Odom. While in high school, then 76ers coach John Lucas invited Bryant to work out and scrimmage with the team, where he played one-on-one with Jerry Stackhouse. In his senior year of high school, Bryant led the Aces to their first state championship in 53 years. During the run, he averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals, and 3.8 blocked shots in leading the Aces to a 31-3 record. Bryant ended his high school career as Southeastern Pennsylvania's all-time leading scorer at 2,883 points, surpassing both Wilt Chamberlain and Lionel Simmons.
Bryant received several awards for his performance his senior year including being named Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Men's National Basketball Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American, and a USA Today All-USA First Team player. Bryant's varsity coach, Greg Downer, commented that he was "a complete player who dominates" and praised his work ethic, even as the team's top player. In 1996, Bryant took R&B singer Brandy to his senior prom, though the two were, and remain, just friends. Ultimately, however, the 17-year-old Bryant made the decision to go directly into the NBA, only the sixth player in NBA history to do so. Bryant's news was met with a lot of publicity at a time when prep-to-pro NBA players were not very common (Garnett being the only exception in 20 years). His basketball skills and SAT score of 1080 would have ensured admission to any college he chose, but he did not officially visit any campuses. In 2012, Bryant was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald's All-Americans.
The first guard to ever be taken out of high school, Bryant was chosen as the 13th overall draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996. According to Arn Tellem, Bryant's agent at the time, Bryant playing for the Charlotte Hornets was "an impossibility". However, Bill Branch, the Hornets' head scout at the time, said that the Hornets agreed to trade their draft selection to the Los Angeles Lakers before picking Bryant. The teams agreed to the trade the day before the draft and the Lakers told the Hornets whom to select five minutes before the pick was made. Branch said that prior to the trade agreement, the Hornets never even considered drafting Bryant. Prior to the draft, Bryant had worked out in Los Angeles, where he scrimmaged against former Lakers players Larry Drew and Michael Cooper and, according to then-Laker manager Jerry West, "marched over these people". On July 1, 1996, West traded his starting center, Vlade Divac, to the Hornets in exchange for Bryant's draft rights. Since he was still 17 at the time of the draft, his parents had to cosign his contract with the Lakers until he was able to sign his own when he turned 18 before the season began.
Adjusting to the NBA (1996-1999)
Bryant debuted in the Summer Pro League in Long Beach, California, scoring 25 points in front of a standing-room-only crowd. Defenders struggled to get in front of him, and his performance excited West and Lakers coach Del Harris. He scored 36 points in the finale, and finished with averages of 24.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in four game. As a rookie in 1996-97, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel. At the time he became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game (18 years, 72 days; a record since broken by Jermaine O'Neal and former teammate Andrew Bynum), and also became the youngest NBA starter ever (18 years, 158 days). Initially, Bryant played limited minutes, but as the season continued, he began to see some more playing time. By the end of the season, he averaged 15.5 minutes a game. During the All-Star weekend, Bryant participated in the Rookie Challenge and won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, becoming the youngest dunk champion ever at the age of 18. Bryant's performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight. The Lakers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals in the playoffs against the Utah Jazz, when Bryant was pressed into a lead role at the end of Game 5. Byron Scott missed the game with a sprained wrist, Robert Horry was ejected for fighting with the Utah's Jeff Hornacek, and Shaquille O'Neal fouled out with 1:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. Bryant shot four air balls at the end of the game; the Jazz won 98-93 in overtime to eliminate the Lakers 4-1. He first whiffed a game-winning 2-point jump shot in the fourth quarter, and then misfired three three-point field goals in overtime, including two tying shots in the final minute. O'Neal commented that " was the only guy who had the guts at the time to take shots like that."
In Bryant's second season, he received more playing time and began to show more of his abilities as a talented young guard. As a result, Bryant's point averages more than doubled from 7.6 to 15.4 points per game. Bryant would see an increase in minutes when the Lakers "played small", which would feature Bryant playing small forward alongside the guards he would usually back up. Bryant was the runner-up for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award, and through fan voting, he also became the youngest NBA All-Star starter in NBA history. He was joined by teammates O'Neal, Van Exel, and Jones, making it the first time since 1983 that four players on the same team were selected to play in the same All-Star Game. Bryant's 15.4 points per game was the highest of any non-starter in the season.
The 1998-99 season marked Bryant's emergence as a premier guard in the league. With starting guards Van Exel and Jones traded, Bryant started every game for the lockout-shortened 50-game season. During the season, Bryant signed a 6-year contract extension worth $70 million. This kept him with the Lakers until the end of the 2003-04 season. Even at an early stage of his career, sportswriters were comparing his skills to those of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. The playoff results, however, were no better, as the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Three-peat (1999-2002)
Bryant was a member of the Lakers teams that won three consecutive NBA Championships from 2000 to 2002.
Bryant's fortunes would soon change when Phil Jackson became coach for the Lakers in 1999. After years of steady improvement, Bryant became one of the premier shooting guards in the league, earning appearances in the league's All-NBA, All-Star, and All-Defensive teams. The Lakers became championship contenders under Bryant and O'Neal, who formed a legendary center-guard combination. Jackson utilized the triangle offense he used to win six championships with the Chicago Bulls, which would help both Bryant and O'Neal rise to the elite class of the NBA. The three resulting championships won consecutively in 2000, 2001, and 2002 further proved such a fact.
Bryant started the 1999-2000 season sidelined for six weeks due to an injury to his hand suffered during a preseason game against the Washington Wizards. With Bryant back and playing over 38 minutes a game, he saw an increase in all statistical categories in the 1999-2000 season. This included leading the team in assists per game and steals per game. The duo of O'Neal and Bryant backed with a strong bench led to the Lakers winning 67 games, tied for fifth-most in NBA history. This followed with O'Neal winning the MVP and Bryant being named to the All-NBA Team Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Team for the first time in his career (the youngest player ever to receive defensive honors). While playing second fiddle to O'Neal in the playoffs, Bryant had some clutch performances including a 25-point, 11 rebound, 7 assist, 4 block game in game 7 of the Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. He also threw an alley-oop pass to O'Neal to clinch the game and the series. In the 2000 Finals against the Indiana Pacers, Bryant injured his ankle in the second quarter of Game 2 after landing on the Pacers' Jalen Rose's foot. Rose later admitted he placed his foot under Bryant intentionally. Bryant did not return to the game, and he also missed Game 3 due to the injury. In Game 4, Bryant scored 22 points in the second half, and led the team to an OT victory as O'Neal fouled out of the game. Bryant scored the winning shot to put the Lakers ahead 120-118. With a 116-111 Game 6 victory, the Lakers won their first championship since 1988.
Statistically, the 2000-01 season saw Bryant perform similarly to the previous year, but he averaged 6 more points a game (28.5). It was also the year when disagreements between Bryant and O'Neal began to surface. Once again he led the team in assists with 5 per game. The Lakers however, only won 56 games, an 11-game drop off from last year. The Lakers would respond by going 15-1 in the playoffs. They easily swept the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and San Antonio Spurs to advance to the Finals, before losing their first game against the Philadelphia 76ers in OT. They would go on to win the next 4 games and bring their second championship to Los Angeles in as many seasons. During the playoffs, Bryant played heavy minutes which brought his stats up to 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. In the playoffs, teammate O'Neal declared Bryant the best player in the league. Bryant ended up making the All NBA Second team and All NBA Defensive Team for the second year in a row. In addition, he was also voted to start in the NBA All-Star Game for the 3rd year in a row (no game in 1999).
In the 2001-02 season, Bryant played 80 games for the first time in his career. He continued his all-round play by averaging 25.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. He also had a career high 46.9% shooting and once again led his team in assists. He claimed his first All-Star MVP trophy after a 31-point performance in Philadelphia, when he was loudly booed by fans as they had throughout the game, stemming from his earlier comment to a 76ers heckler during the Finals that the Lakers were "going to cut your hearts out". While making the All-NBA Defensive team again, he was also promoted to the All-NBA First Team for the first time in his career. The Lakers won 58 games that year and finished second place in the Pacific Division behind in-state rival Sacramento Kings. Bryant was suspended one game after he punched Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers after the Lakers' March 1, 2002 victory over the Pacers.
The road to the Finals would prove a lot tougher than the record run the Lakers had the previous year. While the Lakers swept the Blazers and defeated the Spurs 4-1 in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Lakers did not have home court advantage against the Sacramento Kings. The series would stretch to 7 games, the first time this happened to the Lakers since the 2000 Western Conference Finals. However, the Lakers were able to beat their division rivals and make their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance. In the 2002 Finals against the New Jersey Nets, Bryant averaged 26.8 points, 51.4% shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists per game, which included scoring a quarter of the teams points. At age 23, Bryant became the youngest player to win three championships. Bryant's play was notable and praised for his performance in the 4th quarter of games, specifically the last 2 rounds of the playoffs. This cemented Bryant's reputation as a "clutch player".
Coming up short (2002-2004)
Bryant prepares to shoot a free throw in 2005.
In the 2002-03 season, Bryant set an NBA record for three-pointers on January 7, 2003, making 12 against the Seattle SuperSonics. He averaged 30 points per game and embarked on a historic run, posting 40 or more points in nine consecutive games while averaging 40.6 in the entire month of February. In addition, he averaged 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, all career highs to that point. Bryant was once again voted to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive 1st teams, and came in third place in voting for the MVP award. After finishing 50-32 in the regular season, the Lakers floundered in the playoffs and lost in the Western Conference semi-finals to the eventual NBA champions San Antonio Spurs in six games.
In the following 2003-04 season, the Lakers were able to acquire NBA All-Stars Karl Malone, and Gary Payton to make another push at the NBA Championship. Before the season began, Bryant was arrested for sexual assault. This caused Bryant to miss some games due to court appearances or attend court earlier in the day and travel to play games later in same day. In the final game of the regular season, the Lakers played the Portland Trail Blazers. Bryant made two buzzer beaters to win the game and the Pacific Division title. At the end of the fourth quarter, Bryant made a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to send it into overtime. The game eventually went to a second overtime, in which Bryant made another 3-pointer as time expired to lift the Lakers past the Blazers, 105-104.
With a starting lineup of O'Neal, Malone, Payton, and Bryant, the Lakers were able to reach the NBA Finals. However, they were upset in five games by the Detroit Pistons, who won their first championship since 1990. In that series, Bryant averaged 22.6 points per game and 4.4 assists. He shot 35.1% from the field. Jackson's contract as coach was not renewed, and Rudy Tomjanovich took over. O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant. The following day, Bryant declined an offer to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers and re-signed with the Lakers on a seven-year contract.
Scoring records and playoff upsets (2004-2007)
Bryant was closely scrutinized and criticized during the 2004-05 season with his reputation badly damaged from all that had happened over the previous year. A particularly damaging salvo came when Jackson wrote The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul. The book detailed the events of the Lakers' tumultuous 2003-04 season and has a number of criticisms of Bryant. In the book, Jackson called Bryant "un-coachable". Midway through the season, Tomjanovich suddenly resigned as Lakers coach, citing the recurrence of health problems and exhaustion. Without Tomjanovich, stewardship of the remainder of the Lakers' season fell to career assistant coach Frank Hamblen. Bryant was the league's second-leading scorer at 27.6 points per game, but he was surrounded by a subpar supporting cast, and the Lakers went 34-48 and missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. The year signified a drop in Bryant's overall status in the NBA, as he did not make the NBA All-Defensive Team and was also demoted to the All-NBA Third Team. During the season, Bryant also engaged in public feuds with Malone and Ray Allen.
The 2005-06 NBA season would mark a crossroads in Bryant's basketball career. Despite past differences with Bryant, Jackson returned to coach the Lakers. Bryant endorsed the move, and by all appearances, the two men worked together well the second time around, leading the Lakers back into the playoffs. Bryant's individual scoring accomplishments posted resulted in the finest statistical season of his career. On December 20, 2005, Bryant scored 62 points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks. Entering the fourth quarter, Bryant outscored the entire Mavericks team 62-61, the only time a player has done this through three quarters since the introduction of the shot clock. When the Lakers faced the Miami Heat on January 16, 2006, Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal made headlines by engaging in handshakes and hugs before the game, signifying a change in the feud that had festered between them. A month later, at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, the two were seen laughing together.
Bryant scored a career high of 81-points against the Toronto Raptors in Staples Center, second-highest single scoring performance in NBA history, surpassed only by Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962.
On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points in a 122-104 victory against the Toronto Raptors. In addition to breaking the previous franchise record of 71 set by Elgin Baylor, Bryant's 81-point game was the second-highest point total in NBA history, surpassed only by Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. Whereas Chamberlain was fed repeatedly by teammates for inside shots in a blowout win, Bryant created his own shotmostly from the outsidein a game which the Lakers trailed at halftime by 14 and did not pull away until the fourth quarter. Chamberlain, playing in an era when the games were paced faster and scoring opportunities were more plentiful, accounted for 59 percent of his team's points in Philadelphia's 169-147 win, compared to Bryant scoring 66 percent of the Lakers' 122 points. In that same month, Bryant also became the first player since 1964 to score 45 points or more in four consecutive games, joining Chamberlain and Baylor as the only players ever to do so. For the month of January, Bryant averaged 43.4 points per game, the eighth highest single month scoring average in NBA history and highest for any player other than Chamberlain. By the end of the 2005-06 season, Bryant set Lakers single-season franchise records for most 40-point games (27) and most points scored (2,832). He won the league's scoring title for the first time by averaging 35.4 points per game, becoming just the fifth player in league history to average at least 35 in a season. Bryant finished in fourth place in the voting for the 2006 NBA Most Valuable Player Award, but received 22 first place votessecond only to winner Steve Nash.
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 NBA 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 was 33, retired with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Bryant wore 143 at the Adidas ABCD camp, and chose 8 by adding those numbers. In the first 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 shots in Game 4. They came within six seconds of eliminating the second-seeded Suns in Game 6, however, they lost that game 126-118 in overtime. Despite Bryant's 27.9 points per game in the series, the Lakers broke down, and ultimately fell to the Suns in seven games. After scoring 50 points on 20 of 35 shooting in the Game 6 loss, Bryant was criticized for only taking three shots in the second half of the 121-90 Game 7 loss to Phoenix.
Bryant scored fifty points or more in four consecutive games and ten total in the 2006-07 season.
During the 2006-07 season, Bryant was selected to his 9th All-Star Game appearance, and on February 18, he logged 31 points, 6 assists, and 6 steals, earning his second career All-Star Game MVP trophy. Over the course of the season, Bryant became involved in a number of on court incidents. On January 28 while attempting to draw contact on a potential game winning jumpshot, he flailed his arm, striking San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginbili in the face with his elbow. Following a league review, Bryant was suspended for the subsequent game at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. The basis given for the suspension was that Bryant had performed an "unnatural motion" in swinging his arm backwards. Later, on March 6, he seemed to repeat the motion, this time striking Minnesota Timberwolves guard Marko Jari. On March 7, the NBA handed Bryant his second one-game suspension. In his first game back on March 9, he elbowed Kyle Korver in the face which was retroactively re-classified as a Type 1 flagrant foul.
On March 16, Bryant scored a season-high 65 points in a home game against the Portland Trail Blazers, which helped end the Lakers 7-game losing streak. This was the second-best scoring performance of his 11-year career. The following game, Bryant recorded 50 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves, after which he scored 60 points in a road win against the Memphis Grizzliesbecoming the second Laker to score three straight 50-plus point games, a feat not seen since Jordan last did it in 1987. The only other Laker to do so was Baylor, who also scored 50+ in three consecutive contests in December 1962. In the following day, in a game against the New Orleans Hornets, Bryant scored 50 points, making him the second player in NBA history to have four straight 50-point games behind Chamberlain, who achieved it twice with streaks of five and seven. Bryant finished the year with a total of ten 50-plus point games, matched only by Chamberlain. Bryant also won his second straight scoring title that season. Throughout the 2006-07 season, his jersey became the top selling NBA jersey in the United States and China. A number of journalists have attributed the improved sales to Bryant's new number, as well as his continuing All-Star performance on the court. In the 2007 NBA playoffs, the Lakers were once again eliminated in the first round by the Phoenix Suns, 4-1.
Back on top (2007-2010)
On May 27, 2007, ESPN reported that Bryant stated that he wanted to be traded if Jerry West did not return to the team with full authority. Bryant later confirmed his desire for West's return to the franchise, but denied stating that he would want to be traded if that does not occur. However, three days later, on Stephen A. Smith's radio program, Bryant expressed anger over a Lakers "insider" who claimed that Bryant was responsible for Shaquille O'Neal's departure from the team, and publicly stated, "I want to be traded." Three hours after making that statement, Bryant stated in another interview that after having a conversation with head coach Jackson, he has reconsidered his decision and backed off his trade request. Bryant was later shown in an infamous amateur video saying that center Andrew Bynum should have been traded for All-Star Jason Kidd.
Bryant's Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in 6 games during the 2008 NBA Finals.
On December 23, 2007, Bryant became the youngest player (29 years, 122 days) to reach 20,000 points, in a game against the New York Knicks, in Madison Square Garden. This record has since been broken by LeBron James. Despite an injury to his shooting hand's small finger, described as "a complete tear of the radial collateral ligament, an avulsion fracture, and a volar plate injury at the MCP joint" that occurred in a game on February 5, 2008, Bryant played all 82 games of the regular season instead of opting for surgery. Regarding his injury, he stated, "I would prefer to delay any surgical procedure until after our Lakers season, and this summer's Olympic Games. But, this is an injury that myself and the Lakers' medical staff will just have to continue to monitor on a day-to-day basis." In early September 2008, Bryant decided not to have surgery to repair the injury.
Aided by the signing of Spanish All-Star Pau Gasol, Bryant lead his team to a West best 57-25 record. The Lakers swept the Nuggets in the first round and on May 6, 2008, and Bryant was officially announced as the league MVP. He said, "It's been a long ride. I'm very proud to represent this organization, to represent this city." West, who was responsible for bringing Bryant to the Lakers, was on hand at the press conference to observe Bryant receive his MVP trophy from NBA commissioner David Stern. He stated, "Kobe deserved it. He's had just another great season. Doesn't surprise me one bit." In addition to winning his MVP award, Bryant was the only unanimous selection to the All-NBA team on May 8, 2008 for the third straight season and sixth time in his career. He would then headline the NBA All-Defensive First Team with Kevin Garnett, receiving 52 points overall including 24 first-place nods, earning his eighth selection.
The Lakers concluded the 2007-08 regular season with a 57-25 record, finishing first in the Western Conference and setting up themselves for a first-round contest against the Nuggets. In Game 1, Bryant, who said he made himself a decoy through most of the game, scored 18 of his 32 points in the final 8 minutes to keep Los Angeles safely ahead. That made Denver the first 50-win team to be swept out of the first round of the playoffs since the Memphis Grizzlies fell in four games to the San Antonio Spurs in 2004. In the first game of the next round against the Jazz, Bryant scored 38 points as the Lakers beat the Jazz in Game 1. The Lakers won the next game as well, but dropped Games 3 and 4, even with Bryant putting up 33.5 points per game. The Lakers then won the next two games to win the semifinals in 6. This set up a Western Conference Finals berth against the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers defeated the Spurs in 5 games, sending themselves to the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. This marked the fifth time in Bryant's career and the first time without O'Neal to go to the NBA Finals. The Lakers then lost to the Boston Celtics in 6 games.
Derek Fisher (left) and Bryant (center) with President Barack Obama during the White House visit honoring their Lakers' 2009 championship
In the 2008-09 season, the Lakers opened the campaign by winning their first seven games. Bryant led the team to tie the franchise record for most wins to start the season going 17-2, and by the middle of December they compiled a 21-3 record. He was selected to his eleventh consecutive All-Star Game as a starter, and was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for December and January in addition to being named Western Conference Player of the week three times. In a game against the Knicks on February 2, 2009, Bryant scored 61 points, setting a record for the most points scored at Madison Square Garden. During the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, Bryant who tallied 27 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals was awarded All-Star Game co-MVP with former teammate O'Neal. The Lakers finished the regular season with the best record in the west (65-17). Bryant was runner-up in the MVP voting behind LeBron James, and was selected to the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team for the seventh time in his career.
In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz in five games and the Houston Rockets in seven games in the opening two rounds. After finishing off the Denver Nuggets in the Conference Finals in six games, the Lakers earned their second straight trip to the NBA Finals where they defeated the Orlando Magic in five games. Bryant was awarded his first NBA Finals MVP trophy upon winning his fourth championship, achieving series averages of 32.4 points, 7.4 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks. He became the first player since West in the 1969 NBA Finals to average at least 32.4 points and 7.4 assists for a finals series and the first since Jordan to average 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists for a title-winning team in the finals.
Bryant shoots a left-handed floater over future teammate Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic on January 18, 2010.
During the 2009-10 season, Bryant made six game-winning shots including a buzzer-beating, one-legged 3-pointer against the Miami Heat on December 4, 2009. Bryant considered the shot one of the luckiest he has made. A week later, Bryant suffered an avulsion fracture in his right index finger in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite the injury, Bryant elected to continue playing with it, rather than take any time off to rest the injury. Five days after his finger injury, he made another game winning shot, after missing on an opportunity in regulation, this time against the Milwaukee Bucks in an overtime game. Bryant also became the youngest player (31 years, 151 days) to reach 25,000 points during the season, surpassing Chamberlain. He continued his dominant clutch plays making yet another game-winning three-pointer against the Sacramento Kings, and what would be the game-winning field goal against the Boston Celtics. The following day, he surpassed West to become the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. After being sidelined for five games from an ankle injury, Bryant made his return and made another clutch three-pointer to give the Lakers a one-point lead with four seconds remaining against the Memphis Grizzlies. Two weeks later, he made his sixth game-winning shot of the season against the Toronto Raptors.
On April 2, 2010, Bryant signed a three-year contract extension worth $87 million. Bryant finished the regular season missing four of the final five games, due to injuries to his knee and finger. Bryant suffered multiple injuries throughout the season and as a result, missed nine games. The Lakers began the playoffs as the number one seed in the Western Conference against the Oklahoma City Thunder, eventually defeating them in six games. The Lakers swept the Utah Jazz in the second round and advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they faced the Phoenix Suns. In Game 2, Bryant finished the game with 13 assists, setting a new playoff career high; it was the most assists by a Laker in the playoffs since Magic Johnson had 13 in 1996. The Lakers went on to win the series in six games capturing the Western Conference Championship and advancing to the NBA Finals for a third straight season. In a rematch against the 2008 Champion Boston Celtics, Bryant, despite shooting 6 for 24 from the field, led the Lakers back from a thirteen-point third quarter deficit in Game 7 to win the championship; he scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, and finished the game with 15 rebounds. Bryant won his fifth championship and earned his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award. This marked the first time the Lakers won a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Bryant said that this was the most satisfying of all of his five championships.
Chasing a sixth championship (2010-2013)
Bryant and Lakers meet with President Barack Obama in honor of 2010 championship.
Bryant wanted a sixth championship to match Jordan's total. The Lakers started the 2010-11 season by winning their first eight games. In his ninth game of the season, playing against the Denver Nuggets, Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 26,000 career points. Bryant also recorded his first triple double since January 21, 2009. On January 30 against the Celtics, he became the youngest player to score 27,000 points. On February 1, 2011, Bryant became one of seven players with at least 25,000 points, 5,000 rebounds and 5,000 assists. In Boston on February 10, Bryant scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half as the Lakers rallied from an early 15-point deficit for a 92-86 win over the Celtics. It was the Lakers' first victory of the season against one of the league's top four teams, as they entered the game 0-5 in previous matchups and had been outscored by an average of 11 points. Bryant, selected to his 13th straight All-Star game after becoming the leading vote-getter, had 37 points, 14 rebounds, and three steals in the 2011 All-Star Game and won his fourth All-Star MVP, tying Hall of Famer Bob Pettit for the most All-Star MVP awards. During the season, Bryant moved from 12th to 6th place on the NBA all-time career scoring list, passing John Havlicek, Dominique Wilkins, Oscar Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes, and Moses Malone. Bryant finished the season averaging less than 20 shots a game, his fewest since the 2003-04 season.
On April 13, 2011, the NBA fined Bryant $100,000 for directing a gay slur at referee Bennie Adams in frustration in the previous day's game. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation praised the NBA's decision to fine Bryant, and the Human Rights Campaign said that Bryant's language was a "disgrace" and "distasteful". Bryant stated that he was open to discussing the matter with gay rights groups and wanted to appeal his fine. He later apologized for the use of the word. Bryant and other Lakers appeared in a Lakers public service announcement denouncing his behavior. The team's quest for another three-peat was ended when they were swept by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs. The Mavericks would go on to win the 2011 NBA Finals.
Bryant wearing mask in 2012 after suffering broken nose.
Bryant received experimental platelet-rich plasma therapy called Orthokine in Germany to treat the pain on his left knee and ankle, and Mike Brown replaced the retired Jackson as coach of the Lakers in the offseason. Bryant began the season playing with an injured wrist. On January 10, 2012, Bryant scored 48 points against the Suns, the most ever by a player in his 16th season. "Not bad for the seventh-best player in the league", said Bryant, referring to a preseason ESPN ranking of the NBA's top players. He went on to score 40, 42, and 42 in his next three games. It was the sixth time in his career he scored 40 or more points in four straight games, a feat exceeded only by Chamberlain (19 times). At the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, Bryant scored 27 points to pass Jordan as the career scoring leader in the All-Star Game. He also suffered a broken nose and a concussion in the third quarter of the All-Star Game after a hard foul from Dwyane Wade. In April, Bryant missed seven games with a bruised left shin. He returned three games before the end of the regular season. In the last game of the regular season, against Sacramento, he chose not to go for a possible third NBA scoring title, having needed 38 points to surpass Kevin Durant. The Lakers were knocked out of the playoffs by Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs, losing in five games.
The Lakers in 2012-13 acquired center Dwight Howard and point guard Steve Nash. On November 2, 2012, Bryant scored 40 points with two steals, and he passed Magic Johnson (1,724) as the Lakers career leader in steals. However, the Lakers lost the game to the Clippers and started the season 0-3 for the first time in 34 years and just the fourth time in franchise history. After starting the season 1-4, coach Brown was fired. He was replaced by Mike D'Antoni, who Bryant knew as a child when Bryant's father was playing in Italy and D'Antoni was also a star player there. Bryant had grown close with D'Antoni during their time with Team USA. On December 5 against New Orleans, Bryant became the youngest player (34 years and 104 days) in league history to score 30,000 points, joining Hall of Famers Chamberlain, Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Karl Malone as one of five players to reach that milestone. On December 18, in a 101-100 win over the Charlotte Bobcats, Bryant scored 30+ points in his seventh consecutive game, the longest streak ever by an NBA player after turning 34 years old; it was the fourth-longest such streak in his career. His streak would be snapped at 10 on December 28 in a 104-87 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, when he scored 27 points, sitting out the whole fourth quarter. In a move to improve the team's defense, D'Antoni began having Bryant guard the opponent's best perimeter player; Bryant was the primary defender on the Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving, who was held to 15 points. Bryant acknowledged he was a more focused defender when he had a challenging defensive assignment as opposed to when he played off the ball against weaker players. His defense disrupted opponents and freed Nash from unfavorable matchups.
Bryant dunking against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2013.
Bryant was leading the league in scoring through much of the first 42 games. With a disappointing 17-25 start to the season, D'Antoni had Bryant became the primary facilitator on offense and Nash was moved off the ball and became more of a spot-up shooter. In the next three games, Bryant had at least 10 assists in three wins with a three-game total of 39 assists, the most in his career. He missed a triple double in each game with nine rebounds twice and eight in the other. In two crucial wins in March, he scored at least 40 points and had at least 10 assists in back-to-back games, becoming the first Laker to accomplish the feat since West in 1970.
With the Lakers fighting to secure the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference, coupled with injuries on the team, Bryant began playing almost all 48 minutes each game. On April 10, 2013, Bryant became the first player in NBA history to get 47 points, eight rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and three steals in an NBA game. On April 12, Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon against the Golden State Warriors, ending his season. His injury came while he was playing seven consecutive quarters and at least 40 minutes for seven consecutive games. The 34-year-old Bryant was averaging his most minutes (38.6) in six years, and only Portland rookie Damian Lillard was averaging more minutes. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak had spoken to Bryant about his extensive playing time 10 days earlier, but Bryant insisted the minutes needed to continue given the Lakers' playoff push. Bryant had surgery on April 13 to repair the tear, and it was estimated he would miss six to nine months. He ended the season with his customary numbers scoring average of 27.3 points, 46.3 percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds, and 6 assists. However, The New York Times called his leading of the Lakers back into playoff contention "perhaps some of the finest work of his career." Eight times he reached 40 points during the season, and eleven times he had 10 or more assists in his role as distributor, dubbed "Magic Mamba" after the passing skills of Magic Johnson. Bryant's assists were the second-highest of his career and his field goal percentage was its highest since 2008-09. The Lakers finished the season at 45-37, good for seventh in the West. Playing without Bryant, the Lakers were swept in four games by the San Antonio Spurs.
Injury-plagued years (2013-2015)
Bryant shooting against Marcin Gortat in 2014
Bryant resumed practicing starting in November, after the start of the 2013-14 season. On November 25, he signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers at an estimated value of $48.5 million that would make him the first NBA player to play 20 years with the same franchise. He remained the league's highest-paid player, despite accepting the discounted deal; he had been eligible to receive an extension starting at $32 million per year. His contract became a polarizing topic, with detractors arguing that stars should take less money to allow their teams more financial freedom, while supporters countered that the NBA's biggest stars were being paid less than their true value. Bryant resumed playing on December 8 after missing the season's first 19 games. On December 17, Bryant matched his season high of 21 points in a 96-92 win over Memphis, but he suffered a lateral tibial plateau fracture in his left knee that was expected to sideline him for six weeks. He had played six games since returning from his Achilles injury, which included time at point guard after injuries to Nash, Steve Blake, and Jordan Farmar. Bryant was averaging 13.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds. Despite being sidelined, he was voted by fans to start in his 16th All-Star game. Bryant did not feel he was deserving of the selection, and some likened it to a career achievement award for his past performance. However, he missed playing in the game, still hampered by his knee. On March 12, 2014, the Lakers ruled Bryant out for the remainder of the season, citing his need for more rehab and the limited time remaining in the season. At the time, the team was 22-42 and tied for the worst record in the Western Conference. The Lakers finished 27-55 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
Bryant returned for the 2014-15 season, his 19th season with the Lakers, who had replaced D'Antoni with Bryant's former Lakers teammate, Byron Scott. On November 30, 2014, in a 129-122 overtime victory against the Toronto Raptors, Bryant recorded his 20th career triple-double with 31 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds. At age 36, he became the oldest NBA player to ever achieve 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game. On December 14, Bryant became the NBA's third all-time leading scorer, passing Jordan (32,292) in a 100-94 win against Minnesota. He played in the first 27 games of the season, averaging team-highs with 26.4 points and 35.4 minutes per game while leading the league with 22.4 shots per game. However, Scott held him out for three straight games to rest after one of his worst performances of the season, when Bryant committed nine turnovers and scored 25 points on just 8-for-30 shooting in a 108-101 loss to Sacramento. He was suffering from soreness in his knees, feet, back, and Achilles tendons, and Scott planned to reduce his workload going forward. Three times Bryant had exceeded 40 minutes in a game, and the coach blamed himself for overloading him after he started the season in such great shape. For the season, Bryant had been shooting just 37 percent from the field, and the team's record was only 8-19. In his second game back after resting, he had 23 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds in a 111-103 win over Denver, and became just the third player in league history to record multiple triple-doubles in a season at age 36 or older. On January 21, 2015, Bryant suffered a rotator cuff tear in his right shoulder while driving baseline for a two-handed dunk against the New Orleans Pelicans. Though he is right-handed, he returned to play in the game and ran the offense while shooting, dribbling, and passing almost exclusively with his left hand. Prior to the injury, Bryant had been rested in 8 of 16 games. He underwent season-ending surgery for the injury, finishing the season averaging 22.3 points but shooting a career-low 37.3 percent, well below his 45.4 percent career mark to start the season. He was expected to be sidelined for nine months with a return targeted toward the start of the 2015-16 season.
Final season (2015-2016)
After recovering to play in the 2015-16 preseason, Bryant suffered a calf injury and missed the final two weeks of exhibition games. However, he played in the season opener to begin his 20th season with the Lakers, surpassing John Stockton's league record of 19 for the most seasons with the same team. On November 24, 2015, the Lakers fell to 2-12 after losing 111-77 to the Warriors. Bryant scored just four points in 25 minutes on 1-for-14 shooting, matching the worst-shooting game of his career in which he attempted at least five shots. On December 1, 2015, Bryant played his last game against his hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers, where the Lakers lost 91-103.
Bryant against Washington after his retirement announcement
On November 29, 2015, Bryant announced via The Players' Tribune that he would be retiring at the end of the season. In his poem titled "Dear Basketball", Bryant wrote that he fell in love with the game at age six; "A love so deep I gave you my all/From my mind & body/To my spirit & soul." The 2015-16 season "is all I have left to give./My heart can take the pounding/My mind can handle the grind/But my body knows it's time to say goodbye./And that's OK./Im ready to let you go." In a letter distributed to Lakers' fans before that evening's game against the Indiana Pacers, Bryant wrote, "What you've done for me is far greater than anything I've done for you. … My love for this city, this team and for each of you will never fade. Thank you for this incredible journey."
At the time of his announcement, he was second on the team in minutes (30.8) behind Jordan Clarkson and leading the team with 16.7 field goal attempts per game, while averaging just 15.7 points and shooting a career-low 31.5 percent. His free throw attempts had dropped from his career average, and his game had become over-reliant on pump fakes and long-range shots, making a league-worst 19.5 percent from three-point range while attempting seven a game, almost double his career average. In his press conference after the announcement, he acknowledged his declining skills. "Even though I play like shit, Ive worked really, really hard not to play like crap and I do everything I possibly can. And I feel good about that", he said.
Bryant defending LeBron James in his final Cleveland game
Bryant requested that opposing teams on the road not hold any on-court ceremonies in his honor or present him any gifts in public. Prior to announcing his retirement, he had been steadfast about not wanting the fuss of a staged farewell tour, preferring to hear boos instead of cheers. Still, he was honored around the league with video tributes, and fans greeted him with ovations, even at arenas that historically jeered him like TD Garden in Boston and Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. Previously, Bryant was respected but not beloved, and he was astonished at the cheers he was now receiving.
On February 3, Bryant made seven three-pointers and scored a season-high 38 points, including 14 of the team's 18 points in the last 5:02 of the game, for a 119-115 win over Minnesota. The win ended a 10-game losing streak, and the Lakers averted establishing the longest losing streak in franchise history. Bryant became just the fourth NBA player over 37 years old to log at least 35 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a game. Bryant was the leading overall vote-getter for the 2016 All-Star Game with 1.9 million votes, ahead of Stephen Curry's 1.6 million. Having moved to small forward that season, Bryant was selected as a frontcourt starter for the first time. Playing in his first All-Star game since 2013, Bryant had 10 points, six rebounds, and seven assists. West teammates offered to feed him the ball in an attempt to get him another All-Star MVP, but he declined.
On April 13, 2016, Bryant played his final NBA game against the Utah Jazz, scoring a season-high 60 points (the most points scored by a player that season), including outscoring the entire Jazz team 23-21 in the fourth quarter, in the Lakers' 101-96 victory. Bryant became the oldest player to score 60 or more in a game at 37 years and 234 days old.
National team career
Bryant in a game against China at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Bryant declined to play in the 2000 Olympics as he was getting married in the off-season. He also decided not to play in the 2002 FIBA World Championship. Bryant was originally selected for the FIBA Americas Championship in 2003, but withdrew after undergoing arthroscopic shoulder and knee surgeries. In the following summer, he had to withdraw from the Olympic team because of his sexual assault case. Along with LeBron James, he was one of the first two players to publicly named to the 2006-2008 U.S. preliminary roster in 2006 by Jerry Colangelo. However, he was once again sidelined after knee surgery and didn't participate in the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
Bryant's United States national team career finally began in 2007. He was a member of the 2007 USA Men's Senior National Team and USA FIBA Americas Championship Team that finished 10-0, won gold and qualified the United States men for the 2008 Olympics. He started in all 10 of the USA's FIBA Americas Championship games. Bryant averaged 15.3 points, 2.9 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game in the tournament.
On June 23, 2008, he was named to the USA Men's Senior National Team for the 2008 Summer Olympics. This was his first time going to the Olympics. Bryant scored 20 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, along with six assists, as Team USA defeated Spain 118-107 in the gold medal game of the 2008 Summer Olympics on August 24, 2008, for its first gold medal in a worldwide competition since the 2000 Olympics. He averaged 15.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting .462 from the field in eight Olympic contests.
Bryant rejoined the national team for the 2012 Summer Olympics. He retired from the team after winning another gold medal.
Bryant shoots a fadeaway over Shane Battier in 2009.
Standing at 6 feet 6 inches tall (1.98 m) and weighing 205 pounds (93 kg), Bryant primarily played as a shooting guard. Able to create a decent shot at any time, he is often cited as one of the most dangerous scorers in the NBA. Bryant has drawn frequent comparisons to Jordan, after whom he modeled his playing style. Like Jordan, he became most known shooting a fall-away jump shot. Chris Ballard of Sports Illustrated describes another of Bryant's most famous moves as the "jab step-and-pause": Bryant jabs his non-pivot foot forward to let the defender relax and instead of bringing the jab foot back, pushing off it and driving around his opponent to get to the basket.
Bryant established a reputation for taking shots in the closing moments of tight games, even amid double or triple teams, and has been noted as being one of the premier closers in the NBA. In an annual survey of NBA general managers, he was selected in 2012 for the 10th consecutive season as the player they most wanted taking the shot with the game on the line. Bryant enjoys being the villain, and revels in being booed and silencing the crowd with his play. His ability to make difficult shots has also drawn criticism of his shot selection. Throughout his career, he has been disparaged for being a selfish high-volume shooter; he has missed more field goal attempts in his career than any other player in NBA history. Phil Jackson states that Bryant "tends to force the action, especially when the game isn't going his way. When his shot is off, Kobe will pound away relentlessly until his luck turns." According to Bryant, "I would go 0 for 30 before I would go 0 for 9; 0 for 9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game."
Aside from his abilities on offense, he has established himself as a standout defender. Bryant rarely draws charges playing defense, which he believes has spared his body and contributed to his longevity. Some critics have suggested that the defensive accolades in his later years were earned more on his reputation than his actual play. His role with the Lakers became more focused on offense and conserving his energy for the playoffs, and Metta World Peace assumed the responsibility of guarding the opponent's top player on the wing.
Bryant is also lauded for his work ethic. Through his first 16 seasons, his body was resilient, and he exhibited a high pain threshold while often playing through injuries. A fierce competitor, opponents and teammates alike have been the object of his scorn. Many players have considered him difficult to play with because of his high level of commitment and performance. According to sportswriter Mark Heisler of Forbes, "circa 2004-2007, Kobe was the most alienated superstar the NBA had ever seen." He did, however, lead the Lakers to two championships post-O'Neal while becoming more of a mentor to his teammates. Bryant's longtime head coach Phil Jackson noted that the biggest difference during his second tenure in coaching the Lakers was that " embraced the team and his teammates, calling them up when we were on the road and inviting them out to dinner. It was as if the other players were now his partners, not his personal spear-carriers."
NBA career statistics
GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
FG% Field goal percentage 3P% 3-point field goal percentage FT% Free throw percentage
RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game
BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high
Denotes seasons in which Bryant won an NBA championship
* Led the league
1996-97 L.A. Lakers 71 6 15.5 .417 .375 .819 1.9 1.3 .7 .3 7.6
1997-98 L.A. Lakers 79 1 26.0 .428 .341 .794 3.1 2.5 .9 .5 15.4
1998-99 L.A. Lakers 50 50 37.9 .465 .267 .839 5.3 3.8 1.4 1.0 19.9
1999-00 L.A. Lakers 66 62 38.2 .468 .319 .821 6.3 4.9 1.6 .9 22.5
2005-06 L.A. Lakers 80 80 41.0 .450 .347 .850 5.3 4.5 1.8 .4 35.4*
2013-14 L.A. Lakers 6 6 29.5 .425 .188 .857 4.3 6.3 1.2 .2 13.8
2015-16 L.A. Lakers 66 66 28.2 .358 .285 .826 3.7 2.8 .9 .2 17.6
Career 1,346 1,198 36.1 .447 .329 .837 5.2 4.7 1.4 .5 25.0
All-Star 15 15 27.6 .500 .324 .789 5.0 4.7 2.5 .4 19.3
1997 L.A. Lakers 9 0 14.8 .382 .261 .867 1.2 1.2 .3 .2 8.2
1998 L.A. Lakers 11 0 20.0 .408 .214 .689 1.9 1.5 .3 .7 8.7
1999 L.A. Lakers 8 8 39.4 .430 .348 .800 6.9 4.6 1.9 1.3 19.8
2000 L.A. Lakers 22 22 39.0 .442 .344 .754 4.5 4.4 1.5 1.5 21.1
2001 L.A. Lakers 16 16 43.4 .469 .324 .821 7.3 6.1 1.6 .8 29.4
2006 L.A. Lakers 7 7 44.9 .497 .400 .771 6.3 5.1 1.1 .4 27.9
Career 220 200 39.3 .448 .331 .816 5.1 4.7 1.4 .6 25.6
See also: List of career achievements by Kobe Bryant
Bryant handling the ball in 2014, when he became the first NBA player with over 30,000 points and 6,000 assists
Bryant was called "one of the greatest players in the history of our game" by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, and The New York Times wrote that he has had "one of the most decorated careers in the history of the sport."Reuters called him "arguably the best player of his generation", while both Sporting News and TNT named him their NBA player of the decade for the 2000s. In 2008 and again in 2016, ESPN ranked him the second greatest shooting guard of all-time after Jordan. Players including Kevin Durant,Dirk Nowitzki,Dwyane Wade, and Derrick Rose have called Bryant their generation's version of Jordan.The Press-Enterprise described Bryant as "maybe the greatest Laker in the organization's history". He is the Lakers' all-time leading scorer, and his five titles are tied for the most in franchise history. Both numbers he wore during his career, 8 and 24, are slated to be retired by the Lakers on December 18, 2017.
With career averages of 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, he is considered one of the most complete players in NBA history. He was the first player in NBA history to have at least 30,000 career points and 6,000 career assists, and is one of only four players with 25,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 6,000 assists. Bryant led the NBA in scoring during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. His 81-point performance against Toronto in 2006 was the second-highest in NBA history, behind only Chamberlain's 100. He has scored at least 50 points 24 times in his career, which is third in league history behind Jordan (31) and Chamberlain (118); six times Bryant scored at least 60. He was just the third player in NBA history to average 40 points in a calendar month, which he has accomplished four times. Bryant was voted the league MVP in 2008 and led his team to the 2008 NBA Finals as the first seed in the Western Conference. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. men's basketball team, occasionally referred to as "The Redeem Team". He won another gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He led the Lakers to two more championships in 2009 and 2010, winning the Finals MVP award on both occasions.
Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, which ranks second behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 19. He has been chosen a record 18 straight times, each time as a starter. On four occasions (2003, 2011, 2013, 2016) he was the leading vote-getter. Four times Bryant was named the All-Star MVP, a record he shares with Bob Pettit. He has been selected to the All-NBA Team on 15 occasions, tied for the most with Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan, and his 11 first-team honors are tied for the most ever with Karl Malone. Bryant is also a 12-time All-Defensive Team selection, trailing only Duncan's 15, and nine times he was named to the All-Defensive First Team, tied with Jordan, Garnett, and Gary Payton for the most all-time. He was the first guard to play 20 seasons in the NBA. He also won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1997 and is its youngest winner. In his career, Bryant has scored 40-plus points in 121 games, and 21 times he has recorded a triple-double.
Bryant at premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in 2007
In November 1999, 21-year-old Bryant met 17-year-old Vanessa Laine while she was working as a background dancer on the Tha Eastsidaz music video "G'd Up". Bryant was in the building working on his debut musical album. The two began dating and became engaged just six months later in May 2000, while Laine was still a senior at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California. To avoid media scrutiny, she finished high school through independent study. According to Vanessa's cousin Laila Laine, there was no prenuptial agreement. Vanessa said Bryant "loved her too much for one".
They married on April 18, 2001, at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, California. The wedding was not attended by Bryant's parents, his two sisters, his longtime advisor and agent Arn Tellem, or his Laker teammates. Bryant's parents were opposed to the marriage for a number of reasons. Reportedly Bryant's parents had problems with him marrying so young, especially to a woman who was not African-American. This disagreement resulted in an estrangement period of over two years, which ended when the couple's first daughter was born.
In 2013, Bryant had a legal disagreement with an auction house over memorabilia from his early years that his mother intended to auction. Pamela Bryant received $450,000 from the auction house for the items, and claimed Bryant had given her the rights to the items he had remaining in her home. However, his lawyers asked the auction house to return the items to Bryant. Before the scheduled trial, a settlement was reached allowing the sale of less than 10% of the original items. Bryant's parents apologized to him in a written statement, which also acknowledged the financial support Bryant had provided them in the past.
In January 2002, Bryant bought a Mediterranean-style house for $4 million, located on a cul-de-sac in Newport Coast, Newport Beach, which sold in May 2015.
The Bryants' first child, a daughter named Natalia Diamante Bryant, was born in 2003. The birth of Natalia influenced Bryant to reconcile his differences with his parents. Vanessa Bryant suffered a miscarriage due to an ectopic pregnancy in the spring of 2005. Their second daughter, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, was born in 2006. On December 16, 2011, Vanessa Bryant filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences, and the couple requested joint custody of their daughters. On January 11, 2013, Bryant and his wife both announced via social media that they had called off their divorce.
In an early 2007 interview, it was revealed that Bryant still speaks Italian fluently. He has also conducted press interviews in Spanish. Bryant assigned himself the nickname of "Black Mamba", citing a desire for his basketball skills to mimic the eponymous snake's ability to "strike with 99% accuracy at maximum speed, in rapid succession." During the 2012-13 season, he began referring to himself as "vino" to describe how his play had been aging like a fine wine.
In 2016, it was announced that Kobe and Vanessa Bryant were going to have their third child, and in early December 2016, Vanessa gave birth to their third daughter named Bianka.
Sexual assault allegation
In the summer of 2003, the sheriff's office of Eagle, Colorado, arrested Bryant in connection with an investigation of a sexual assault complaint filed by a 19-year-old hotel employee. Bryant had checked into The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Eagle County in advance of undergoing knee surgery nearby. The accuser stated that Bryant raped her in his hotel room the night before Bryant was to have the procedure. Bryant admitted to an adulterous sexual encounter with his accuser, but denied her sexual assault allegation.
The accusation tarnished Bryant's reputation, as the public's perception of Bryant plummeted, and his endorsement contracts with McDonald's and Nutella were terminated. Sales for Bryant's replica jersey fell significantly from their previous highs. However, in September 2004, the assault case was dropped by prosecutors after the accuser refused to testify in the trial. Afterward, Bryant agreed to apologize to her for the incident, including his public mea culpa: "Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter." The accuser filed a separate civil lawsuit against Bryant, which the two sides ultimately settled with the specific terms of the settlement being undisclosed to the public.
Bryant at Nike store launch ceremony in Taipei in 2007
Before starting the 1996-97 NBA season, Bryant signed a six-year contract with Adidas worth approximately $48 million. His first signature shoe was the Equipment KB 8. Bryant's other earlier endorsements included deals with The Coca-Cola Company to endorse their Sprite soft drink, appearing in advertisements for McDonald's, promoting Spalding's new NBA Infusion Ball, Upper Deck, Italian chocolate company Ferrero SpA's brand Nutella, Russell Corporation, and appearing on his own series of video games by Nintendo. Many companies like McDonald's and Ferrero SpA terminated his contracts when rape allegations against him became public. A notable exception was Nike, Inc., who had signed him to a five-year, $40-45 million contract just before the incident. However, they refused to use his image or market a new shoe of his for the year, but eventually did start promoting Bryant once his image recovered 2 years later. He has since resumed endorsement deals with The Coca-Cola Company, through their subsidiary Energy Brands to promote their Vitamin Water brand of drinks. Bryant was also the cover athlete for NBA '07: Featuring the Life Vol. 2 and appeared in commercials for the video games Guitar Hero World Tour (with Tony Hawk, Michael Phelps, and Alex Rodriguez) in 2008 and Call of Duty: Black Ops (alongside Jimmy Kimmel) in 2010.
In a 2008 video promoting Nike's Hyperdunk shoes, Bryant appears to jump over a speeding Aston Martin. The stunt was considered to be fake, and the Los Angeles Times said a real stunt would probably be a violation of Bryant's Lakers contract. After promoting Nike's Hyperdunk shoes, Bryant came out with the fourth edition of his signature line by Nike, the Zoom Kobe IV. In 2010 Nike launched another shoe, Nike Zoom Kobe V. In 2009, Bryant signed a deal with Nubeo to market the "Black Mamba collection", a line of sports/luxury watches that range from $25,000 to $285,000. On February 9, 2009, Bryant was featured on the cover of ESPN The Magazine. However, it was not for anything basketball related, rather it was about Bryant being a big fan of FC Barcelona.CNN estimated Bryant's endorsement deals in 2007 to be worth $16 million a year. In 2010, Bryant was ranked third behind Tiger Woods and Jordan in Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid athletes with $48 million.
On December 13, 2010, Bryant signed a two-year endorsement deal with Turkey's national airline, Turkish Airlines. The deal involved Bryant being in a promotional film to be aired in over 80 countries in addition to his being used in digital, print and billboard advertising.
Bryant has appeared as the cover athlete for the following video games:
Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside
NBA Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant
NBA Courtside 2002
NBA 3 On 3 Featuring Kobe Bryant
NBA '07: Featuring the Life Vol. 2
NBA '09: The Inside
NBA 2K17 (Legend Edition; Legend Edition Gold)
In September 2012, Bryant shot a commercial for Turkish Airlines with FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi. In the airline's latest commercial, the duo competes to win the attention of a young boy. In 2013, Forbes listed Bryant the fifth highest paid sports star in the world behind Floyd Mayweather, Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James and Lionel Messi.
In high school, Bryant was a member of a rap group called CHEIZAW, named after the Chi Sah gang in the martial arts film Kid with the Golden Arm. The group was signed by Sony Entertainment, but the company's ultimate goal was to eliminate the group and have Bryant record on his own. The label wanted to capitalize on Bryant's youth and NBA fame. He performed at a 1997 concert by Sway & King Tech and recorded a verse for a remix of Brian McKnight's "Hold Me". Bryant even appeared on Lakers teammate O'Neal's Respect, starting the track "3 X's Dope", though Bryant's name was not listed on the credits.
Sony pushed Bryant from his roots of underground hip hop into a more radio-friendly sound. His debut album, Visions, was scheduled to release in the spring of 2000. The first single, "K.O.B.E'", featured supermodel Tyra Banks singing the hook. The single debuted in January 2000, and was performed at NBA All-Star Weekend that month; the song was not well received. Sony abandoned plans for the album, which was never released, and dropped Bryant later that year. The Sony president who originally signed Bryant had already left, and Bryant's other backers had mostly abandoned him. Afterwards, Bryant co-founded an independent record label, Heads High Entertainment, but it folded within a year.
Bryant at Sprite commercial event in Shanghai in 2011.
In 2011, Bryant was featured in Taiwanese singer Jay Chou's single, "The Heaven and Earth Challenge" (, pronounced "Tian Di Yi Dou"). The proceeds for downloads of both the single and ringtones were donated to impoverished schools for basketball facilities and equipment. The music video of the single also features Bryant. The song was also used by Sprite in its 2011 marketing campaign in China.
In 2009, rapper Lil Wayne titled a song "Kobe Bryant". Similarly, in 2010, the rapper Sho Baraka released a song called "Kobe Bryant On'em", which was featured in his album Lions and Liars.
Bryant is the official ambassador for After-School All-Stars (ASAS), an American non-profit organization that provides comprehensive after-school programs to children in 13 US cities. Bryant also started the Kobe Bryant China Fund which partnered with the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, a charity backed by the Chinese government. The Kobe Bryant China Fund raises money within China earmarked for education and health programs. On November 4, 2010, Bryant appeared alongside Zach Braff at the Call of Duty: Black Ops launch event at the Santa Monica Airport, where they presented a $1 million check to the Call of Duty Endowment, an Activision-founded nonprofit organization that helps veterans transition to civilian careers after their military service has ended.
Kobe Inc.
Bryant established Kobe Inc. to own and grow brands in the sports industry. The initial investment was in the BodyArmor sports drink company in 2014. The headquarters are in Newport Beach, California.
Bryant-Stibel
On August 22, 2016, Kobe along with his business partner Jeff Stibel launched Bryant-Stibel, a venture capital firm focused on different businesses including media, data, gaming, and technology, with $100 million in funding. The pair have already invested in 15 businesses together since 2013.


text:
<!DOCTYPE html>

  <meta charset="utf-8" />
  <meta http-equiv="x-ua-compatible" content="ie=edge" />
  <?php if (is_front_page()) { ?>
    <title><?= get_bloginfo(); ?></title>
  <?php } else { ?>
    <title><?php echo get_the_title() . ' | ' . get_bloginfo(); ?></title>
  <?php } ?>
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
  <?php
  global $woocommerce;
  global $post;

  // get cart quantity
  $qty = $woocommerce->cart->get_cart_contents_count();

  // get cart url
  $cart_url = $woocommerce->cart->get_cart_url();

  $cart_class = 'cart';
  if (get_permalink( $post->ID ) === $cart_url) {
    $cart_class .= ' current-menu-item current_page_item';
  }

  ?>
  <?php wp_head(); ?>

<body <?php body_class(); ?>>

<a href="<?php echo esc_url( home_url( '/' ) ); ?>" ><?=get_bloginfo(); ?>

      menu

        <?php
        wp_nav_menu( array(
          'theme_location' => 'header-menu',
          'container' => false,
          'items_wrap' => '%3$s',
          ) );
        ?>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Hundreds of Catholics from various parts of the country yesterday attended the consecration ceremony new Monze Diocese Moses Hamungole at St. Vincent De Paul Parish in Monze District.
Bishop Hamungole 's consecration comes after his appointment by Pop Francis on February 10, 2014 following the resignation of Bishop Emelio Partriarca who administered Monze Diocese since 1999.
And in his homily during the consecration mass, Livingstone Diocese Raymond Mpezele said though the appointment of Bishop Hamungole may have taken some people by surprise as is always the case, the appointment was God's doing.
Bishop Mpezele urged the new Bishop, government officials and politicians present to allow the spirit of God to guide them so that they are filled with love for others.
He noted that if politicians allowed themselves to be guided by the spirit of God, they would love others in other political camps and would not use unfriendly language to their opponents.
"I call upon politicians in Zambia to show love and respect to other politicians in other camps because they are also fellow Zambians and children of God", Bishop Mpezele said.
And outgoing Bishop Emilio Patriarca thanked the priests and parishioners under the Diocese of Monze for their generous support during his reign.
Bishop Patriarca also wished his successor God's guidance as he steers the sheep of Monze.
The ceremony was attended by District Commissioners from Southern Province, members of parliament, opposition leaders, Bishops from across Zambia and Africa and delegates from the Vatican in Italy.


We're proud to now offer online ordering directly. Just click the link button below to get your order started.
Or, if you're feeling old school, give us a call.
- #tributemarketmenu: join us every Thursday, generally starting from 5pm (depending on how ambitious we are) for an Iron Chef style three course menu, all the produce sourced straight from the farmer's market and made completely on the fly. follow us on instagram to see what we come up with this week!


Many moons ago when I was a wee lass and hung out in a chat room with other folks from the Online Writing Workshop, we used to engage in many group writing activities like word racing (the first one to get to 500 wins!) and the picture game. I don't miss the chat room that much, but I do miss word racing and the picture game.
The latter is really simple. Find a picture, share it with the group, then write something inspired by the picture for 5 to 10 minutes. No stopping or editing or thinking, just whatever comes out. It can be a scene or a snippet of dialogue or description or exposition. Anything the picture makes you write. We then shared our efforts.
The only real problem with the picture game was that eventually we had this tendency to try hard to be brilliant and impress each other. The point wasn't to be amazing, but just to write and get the creative juices going. Some people did get stories out of it, though.
The game continued after the chat room mostly broke up in the form of an LJ community. But no one has posted in there since 2005, so I'm guessing that's dead.
Since Hannah pointed out the National Geographic Picture of the Day LJ I've had the urge to start up the picture game again. But I don't want it to be a strictly LJ thing or even a THING thing. Just a bunch of writers who, if they see an awesome picture, play the game and post their results somewhere. I'm thinking that if we all tag the entries "Picture Game" in del.icio.us or Technorati or something we can keep track of new snippets wherever they are posted. (My inclination is to use del.icio.us because it's easy and lots of people seem to like it. If there's a better aggregator for such things, let me know). I also plan to post mine to Ficlets and link them from the sidebar on my blog at fluidartist.
The rules for this new version are simple. Again, find a picture that inspires you. NatGeo's Picture of the Day is awesome, as is the Astronomy Picture of the Day. I've found some amazing stuff using StumbleUpon's picture stumble. And, of course, Flickr has an interesting pictures page. Once you've chosen your picture, take a moment to look at it then write for 5 – 10 minutes. Again, write anything that comes to you, don't stop, don't think, and don't try too hard to be awesome. When you're done, post your writing in the comments of the picture if possible or to your own journal (with a link to the pic). Then tag your entry or comment picture-game in del.icio.us so that other people can find it.


Next stop, Luang Prabang | Goodbye UK, Hello World!
Another night with little sleep (abed at 4:30am, awake at 8:00am) before rushing around packing everything, changing currency and scoffing some breakfast. I had to walk to another hostel where a tuk-tuk was to collect me to take me to the bus area on the old runway. In honesty, I'd have been as well walking to the bus – it was the same distance.
Just as the tuk-tuk departed, I remembered I still had my room key in my pocket. Whoops. I handed it to the guy at the hostel I was leaving from and asked him if he would return it to Babylon, which he agreed to do so. Then as we were approaching the bus, I looked out the back of the tuk-tuk to see Kam from Babylon bearing down on us on his motorbike! A rushed – noisy – conversation followed where I passed him the name of the hostel where I'd left the keys and he zoomed off to get them.
I'd been warned about this bus trip being a little rough, so I wasn't too bothered about not having slept. I usually catch up quite well on these journeys. However, it didn't work out that way.
The road up to Luang Prabang isn't that bad as far as the surface goes. A little bumpy, but certainly better than it would have been 5-6 years ago. What hasn't changed is the actual layout. The route follows old cow-tracks or something through the mountains and to say it meanders would be like saying a politician is ever so slightly dishonest. There were periods where the driver would turn the bus through 180 degree hairpin bends every 100m.
As such, sleep was difficult. It's hard to relax enough to snooze when you have to cling onto your seat to avoid ending up in the aisle. Still, I managed maybe two hours' shuteye on the six hour journey.
Finally in Luang Prabang, we were ripped off by the tuk-tuk at the bus depot (this always happens – it's kind of expected as you've nowhere else to turn to) and got dropped off sort of in the right area. Ish.
I'd buddied up with the two Dutch girls I met in Vang Vieng, and we found the main road fairly easily. They opted for a guest house at $8 per room for the two of them. The joys of travelling on my own, I decided against the same cost for my single and looked along the street. I settled on the Bou Pha Guest House mainly as the old guy sat outside wasn't hassling anyone to look at his lovely rooms. It was pleasant enough and $4 per night, which wasn't going to break the bank.
After a much-needed shower, I headed out for dinner at a nearby restaurant I'd spotted while having a stroll. The food looked nice, the prices fairly keen and the wi-fi free. I'm such a sucker. I sat there for almost three hours and wasn't hassled even once to order more than my main course and a drink. I did, however, have the same old man beg from me several times and more than one cute kid try to sell me trinkets. The staff were in no rush to shift them, but on the other hand a simple "no, sorry" and a wave sent them on their way. Thankfully they're not as determined (or annoying) as their Indian cohorts.
Then, much too late again, to bed. I have two full days here so I need to make the most of them.
I LOVED Luang Prabang…far nicer than Vientiene. Try and go on a river boat (you can barter down the prices) and isn't the Beer Lao fantastic?!
I'm enjoying it here, but it's a little quiet. If I had more time/money and someone to do things with it would get me off my hiney more I think!
Off to Cambodia tomorrow, hopefully another blog entry or two tonight if I get the chance.


text:
Q: Can I set a region to a diagonal line? I learnt from someone yesterday about graphic paths and a rectangle edge and how I could set a inner excluded rectangle.
But now I want to invalidate just a diagonal line:
using (Graphics g = Graphics.FromHwnd(this.Handle))
{
    if (_RubberLineLastStart.HasValue && _RubberLineLastEnd.HasValue)
    {
        using (GraphicsPath gp = new GraphicsPath())
        {
            Rectangle rt = GetSelectionRectangle(_RubberLineLastStart, _RubberLineLastEnd);
            gp.AddRectangle(rt);
            Region reg = new Region(gp);
            Invalidate(reg, false);
            Update();
        }
    }
}

At the moment I am converting the two points into a rectangle and just invalidating that. But can this be better?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Shining the light on historic water shortages
jkmitta January 25, 2017 236 views
Daily News0 Comments236 views 0
The Irrigation Association's second annual drought summit was co-hosted this year with the National Ground Water Association in conjunction with the 2016 Irrigation Show and Education Conference. The summit brought together key stakeholders and industry leaders for an interactive dialogue on water use during drought.
Pat Mulroy was the featured speaker. Mulroy is a senior fellow in climate adaptation and environmental policy at the William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and former general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
Mulroy spoke on the theme of change and unity to achieve change. "We need to adapt to conditions as they exist on the ground," she said.
In the next five years, it is predicted that 50 percent more food will be needed to keep up with the growing population. This means there will be an 80 percent increase in demand for water and energy. However, with less accessible water, solutions need to be a priority.
"All solutions have to be on the table and have to be taken seriously," Mulroy said. "That diversity of options is our only hope."
She went on to commend the IA and NGWA for working to find alternate water solutions and sharing the message that conservation is not always the way.
"If we can't find ways to develop co-equal goals that will forge a pathway, we're in trouble," Mulroy said, encouraging more groups to become strategic partners.
The summit also featured a panel discussion on perspectives on drought and water management. The five panelists echoed Mulroy's charge for unity and openness.
"People are resilient and are always looking for ways to adapt," said Conrad Weaver, director of the documentary Thirsty Land. Jeff Stone, executive director/CEO of the Oregon Association of Nurseries, agreed, saying we have the opportunity now to find new solutions by working with associations and interest groups.
The panel also discussed infrastructure and how the systems of the 19th and 20th centuries are not what's efficient in the 21st century. The group agreed that we need a balance of maintaining existing and creating new infrastructure – but questioned how to deal with the legalities of that. They also discussed breaking past the stigma that because we have an infrastructure, why is it necessary to spend money on a new one?
Education and awareness seemed to be the consensus to that problem. The more educational offerings, the more people understand what is happening, the more they can make informed decisions on approving spending for infrastructure and solutions to help solve our water crisis.
A full report of the drought summit will be available in early 2017.
Previous ArticleGreen Building Initiative board welcomes Ewing's VP of sustainability
Next ArticleIrrigation Legislation
jkmitta
Horizon partners with the New American Landscape Channel
The Staff January 14, 2013
Syngenta, John Deere Landscapes sign agreement
The Staff September 18, 2008
International Casual Furniture & Accessories Market announces September show schedule
The Staff June 18, 2013
Arizona State University's Global Institute of Sustainability to Host Rain Bird's Ninth "Intelligent Use of Water" Summit
Eight tips for beating the heat
The Staff April 19, 2013
SWAT now testing rainfall shutoff devices, developing new protocols

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Guns Saving Lives
Bearing Arms Against Domestic Violence
Guns, Gear, & Training
Posted at 7:45 am on July 3, 2012 by Raquel Okyay
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction." President Ronald Reagan
When I was a kid in the late 1970s, the Fourth of July was the holiday that was the most fun. I grew up on a busy New York City block, 44th Street in Astoria, Queens. Our residential concrete world was lined with apartment buildings, just a few trees, and parked cars. This may sound hard, but it was not. Our block was filled with families, dozens of children, ranging in all ages; we were friends, had respect for each other, and built bonds that would last a lifetime.
We formed clicks based upon age groups. The older kids looked out for the younger ones, oftentimes siblings of one another. We played games such as: hopscotch, bottle caps, stick ball, manhunt, and Johnny rides a pony. We played outside, not indoors stuck behind a TV set overwhelmed with sexed up media and public propaganda.
My family was hugely patriotic as were many of my neighbors and friends. For the Lacomba family American freedom was especially adored. My father, having escaped communist Cuba as a young man, rebel and journalist was fighting the good fight for freedom against Castro's communist regime until he was thrown in jail and sentenced to death.
By the grace of God he was able to escape on a boat to New York harbor and receive political asylum from a country he would later call home. He told me to kiss the ground I walk on, because I live in America, a nation that is free.
It was my father who framed a replica of the United States Constitution on our living room wall. He loves America so much, maybe more than most people. I often read and reread that document knowing my father was my hero, ultimate protector and the smartest man I will ever know. I would hang on to his every word, I still do.
Many of us went to the Roman Catholic Church, St. Joseph's on Sundays located on the corner, with our families. We greeted each other with big smiles and handshakes. At around 6:00 PM each night like clockwork the children would go home for family dinner, and resume play outside shortly thereafter, particularly during the summer months.
Across the street from my home lived a family of four. The youngest child's name was "Joey" whose birthday fell on the Fourth of July. The father of the family would purchase the best fireworks year after year in honor of America and to celebrate Joey's birthday. Everyone in the neighborhood knew Joey for his unique birthday, and knew 44th Street to be the preferred block to see an awesome firework display.
One year on Fourth of July, I got into an argument with my brother, Peter, and because I would receive a small joy out of making him cry, I pulled my leg back and kicked him in the chins as hard as I could, this was the one area that would bring Peter to his knees in pain. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my brother with all my heart, but we were kids only 14 months apart in age, it was natural for us to fight.
My parents didn't think too kindly of my unruly behavior and grounded me from that evening's firework display. Being the stubborn little girl that I was, however, I watched and enjoyed the firework display from my bedroom window. As far as I was concerned, I didn't miss a beat, and my brother surely deserved the swift kick in the shins, regardless.
Let's fast forward thirty years. America is not America anymore. Authorities would ban fireworks in my hometown for fear of a lack of safety. Americans are relegated to public events, where they sit back and watch the government's display, not one of their own. Federal and state departments now regulate our every action. Today, my unruly behavior in 1979 would be considered the no tolerance act of being a "bully".
The federal and state departments of _______ (fill in the blank), would have a say in everything we do. The 1st, 2nd, 4th, 9th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution would mean nothing anymore. People in authority enjoy money, power and control over freedom.
Yes, you all know me as an advocate for civil, constitutional rights, but my recent experiences have showed me that my sensible voice has been drowned out by big government control and a public unconcerned and so consumed with their daily lives, ignorance of what is happening to modern day America is the norm.
Wake up America! If we do not band together to combat the authorities that seek control and power, we will lose it. Ask your God to protect freedom in America because when America fails to be the bright, shining light of the world, the whole world will be vulnerable to tyranny.
This November, vote for the candidate who respects the Constitution, not just one of its tenants, but all of them; choose a candidate that truly believes in it instead of pretending to Do not vote political party labels, because they are all to blame for corruption. I beg of you, fight for freedom now, before it's too late.
Happy Fourth of July! God bless you all.
Recommended Bearing Arms Video:
Author's Bio: Raquel Okyay
More posts from Raquel Okyay
A Lobby Day Message To Virginia Gun Owners
Boebert Sued After Blocking Critic On Social Media
Gun Control Groups Pushing Ban On Open Carry
Copyright BearingArms.com/Salem Media. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you.


With security breaches being mentioned in the news every week it's more important than ever to make sure you have secure passwords.
But what if you can't remember them all?
Are you writing them down on Post-It notes and sticking them to your monitor? Do you have your "super secret" passwords written on a piece of paper and taped to the bottom of your keyboard? Do you have a Word or Excel file on your computer with the name "Passwords"?
If so, then you are a prime candidate for a password management solution from Cyclonis.
Free! Yes, Cyclonis Password Manager is free to use!
Next, visit Cyclonis to download their free password management software for Windows or Mac.
Note that you must have a Windows 7 computer with Service Pack 1 installed. Mac users must have macOS 10.11 or better. For our review we are using Windows 10 installed on a virtual machine.
After the short installation process, Cyclonis Password Manager asked us to create a master password. The master password is what you will use to secure all of your other passwords so that you don't have to remember them. This password should be one that you have never used anywhere else, is easy to remember, is easy to type, and is hard for anyone to guess including computers.
However, we would recommend something much stronger. Cyclonis doesn't store your master password on their servers but you can copy the data files to your Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox, and OneDrive accounts so that you can access your passwords from anywhere. We'll discuss that a little later in the review.
If someone were able to download that file they would have unlimited access to try to crack your master password.
While most online password checking tools will tell you that "Password!123" meets the requirements and will take 1.74 centuries to crack but, in reality, it would only take a couple microseconds to crack. So we would definitely suggest that you consider a much longer password or pass phrase.
Random words or short sentences are a great way to create a pass phrase that you can easily remember and type.
I really REALLY need to clean 0ut the garag3!!
During the installation process Cyclonis will ask if you want to scan your browsers for passwords that you may have saved there and you definitely should. Passwords stored in your web browser are not secure unless you used a browser password which most people don't.
Plus, it's a great way to quickly test some of your sites after installation is complete.
It wasn't clear if Cyclonis removed the stored browser passwords and turned off the browser password saving feature after they imported them because we didn't have any passwords stored in our browser at the time.
You will be given the option to integrate Cyclonis Password Manager with your preferred browsers. We highly recommend this as it will encourage you to use the product more often and get accustomed to creating meaningless, unmemorable passwords for all of your websites.
The best password is one you can't remember and a computer can't easily guess.
Overall the installation process was simple. Remember that if you are signed in to Chrome with your Gmail address that all of your browsers (e.g., home, work, laptop, iPad) will download and install the extension if you have that option checked in Chrome's settings.
Password managers need to do at least two things really well: Store your passwords in a "vault" and secure them all with a master password.
The product is well-designed and user-friendly. If you've used other password managers before then you'll be up and running in no time! If not, then there isn't much of a learning curve and they walk you through the process.
We signed in to one of our websites and Cyclonis automatically recorded our login information for us. It also downloaded a logo/thumbnail of the site so that we can easily recognize it. This is similar to how other password managers record your website credentials.
We also manually added a site and Cyclonis password manager recognized it when we visited that site.
One feature that we didn't expect was the requirement that you type your master password again in order to see your saved passwords in clear text. For example, after you save a new username/password and click away from the password box you can't see it again unless you retype your master password. You can disable this feature by checking the "Always authorize" box.
If you have a lot of passwords there is a search box in the top right corner to help you find what you need.
The Wallet tab is where you store payment details, ID cards, multiple profiles, and encrypted notes.
We didn't add credit cards to our wallet but all of the normal features are there. It includes the cardholder name, credit card number, security number on the back, and expiration dates. It also includes fields to store the phone number and address of your credit provider in case you need to contact them in an emergency.
You should be able to easily fill in your credit card details when you checkout at websites.
This feature is used to store your passport, drivers license, social security number, and similar information. You can store multiples of each in case you want to keep track for multiple family members or personas (home, work, side-business, etc.).
Most people have multiple personas and the profile tab is like multiple versions of yourself depending on the situation.
Your home persona uses the email address that you only give to friends or family. Your work persona has your work details and will change throughout your career. You may run a side-business and want that persona and details to be separate from your others. Or maybe you and your significant-other share the same computer login but need to have separate information.
Each of these personas can have a different address, email account, phone number, username, etc. So when you're signing up for a new website you can decide which persona you want to use to auto-populate the details.
Private notes are general information that you want to store but doesn't really fit in any of the other tabs. Examples would be the combination to your safe or details about your medical history.
Synchronizing your password manager application to your cloud storage provider (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox) might seem less secure but these cloud providers are much better at protecting your data. And you already trust them for some of your other sensitive data like your tax forms or financial plans.
If you're worried about your account being compromised then simply store your passwords locally. But you won't be able to synchronize your passwords so that you can use them on your other computers. That means you may go back to creating insecure passwords or writing them down until you get home so that you can enter them.
As long as you have a very long, hard to guess master password then you shouldn't worry about someone getting access to your cloud storage file. Be sure to use Cyclonis' built-in Password Generator to change the password at your cloud storage provider so that it's random and secure.
If you are currently using 1Password, Dashlane, or LastPass you can easily import your existing data to Cyclonis.
If you get stuck or have questions there are lots of helpful posts on Cyclonis' website. Or you can click the Help button in the app to perform a search on their knowledge-base.
There are a lot of password managers available but many of them require annual payments for yourself and family members and store your encrypted passwords on their servers.
Cyclonis is different because it allows you to use your own trusted cloud storage provider to store your data. As long as you're careful, this is a great option for people that don't want to entrust their digital life with a smaller online company that may not have the resources or budget to ensure that your data are protected.