The Kings received, , but the Lakers went on to win the sequence in 5 video games and advanced to face the Phoenix Suns in the next spherical. Kobe Bryant is dejected after dropping the ball late in the second half of Game 3 of the 1999 Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs within the playoffs on the Forum. The Lakers lost, , giving the Spurs a 3-0 benefit within the series. From the very begin when Kobe Bryant played his first game for the Los Angeles Lakers as an 18-year-old basketball phenom, his path to greatness seemed assured. Bryant will be featured on two NBA 2K24 covers – the Kobe Bryant edition and the Black Mamba version, which is an ode to Bryant’s nickname as a player – 2K announced in a tweet Thursday. Of course, the Double Team alum himself deserves lots of credit score as nicely.

The cause of the crash was exhausting to research, as the helicopter was not outfitted with a black field. Over a 12 months after the crash, on February 9, 2021, the NTSB declared that pilot Ara Zobayan most likely turned disoriented after flying into thick clouds. The 5 board members additionally mentioned Zobayan, who also died in the crash, ignored his training and violated federal laws in the course of the 40-minute flight.

“Your steadiness is how a lot you take care of what you’re doing, your concentrate on what you’re doing. The means you stability that is catching a break when you can. But there’s no true stability in a piece life and a homelife.” His intense rehab worked. Prescott was back on the sphere for the Cowboys for the first game of the 2021 season, and he threw for 403 yards and three touchdowns that evening in a loss to the Buccaneers, the reigning Super Bowl champions. Prescott’s harm got here during some of the making an attempt durations of his life off the sphere and some of the profitable stretches of his profession on it.

To say I didn’t study issues from him that I still use to this day can be a disservice. To be fair, I suppose what happened is that, as you become old, your body starts breaking down, and you want to actually love the process in order to get by way of that. But for him, with his huge toe and his knee, it grew to become very exhausting for him to rise up within the morning and push by way of those things.

In 2022, the Bryant property reached a new agreement with Nike to continue producing the signature shoe of the late basketball star. The agreement with the swoosh additionally includes a shoe honoring Gianna “Gigi” Bryant. One of Bryant’s most profitable investments got here while he was nonetheless enjoying in the NBA.

"Dear Basketball" is a five-minute movie during which Bryant narrates his retirement announcement letter. In the documentary "Kobe Bryant's Muse," the basketball legend spoke about his early relationship with basketball, which began round age 3. Overseas, the sport turned his refuge from the pressures of regularly transferring throughout his father's career. Kobe was properly remembered for being one of the few greats to get drafted straight from highschool. The Lower Merion prodigy received drafted by the Hornets with the 13th decide in 1996 and made major impacts within the NBA in his rookie year. However, this poses the query of whether or not student-athletes must be permitted to skip college and join the professional ranks instantly.

They easily swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the first spherical. In the semifinals spherical, the Lakers swept the Sacramento Kings. In Game 4 towards the Kings, Bryant recorded 48 points, 16 rebounds and three assists in a 119–113 series-clinching win. They swept the San Antonio Spurs within the Conference Finals to advance to the Finals, earlier than shedding their first recreation towards the Philadelphia 76ers in extra time.

Bryant rarely drew costs when he played defense, which he believed spared his physique and contributed to his longevity. However, some critics have advised that Bryant's defensive accolades in his later years have been based more on his status than his precise play. 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, changing into the youngest dunk champion on the age of 18. Bryant's performance all year long earned him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight.