A detailed timeline of the impact and legacy of Kobe Bryant across different fields.
Kobe Bryant was a celebrated American professional basketball player, renowned as one of the greatest and most influential figures in the sport. Spending his entire 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, he achieved remarkable success, securing five NBA championships. Bryant's exceptional skills and dedication earned him numerous accolades, including 18 All-Star selections, 15 All-NBA Team honors, and 12 All-Defensive Team selections. He was named the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player and twice earned the title of NBA Finals MVP. Bryant's scoring prowess is evident in his fourth-place ranking in both regular season and postseason league history. Posthumously, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and recognized as part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
1962: Chamberlain's 100-Point Game
Bryant's 81-point game on January 22, 2006 was the second-highest point total in NBA history, surpassed only by Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962.
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1988: Lakers Last Championship
The Lakers won their first championship since 1988 in 2000.
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1990: Pistons First Championship
The Detroit Pistons won their first championship since 1990 in 2004.
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2008: ESPN ranks Bryant the second-greatest shooting guard of all time
In 2008, ESPN ranked Bryant the second-greatest shooting guard of all time after Jordan.
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2009: Lil Wayne releases "Kobe Bryant" song
In 2009, American rapper Lil Wayne released a song called "Kobe Bryant."
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2009: Release of "Kobe Doin' Work" documentary
In 2009, Spike Lee's documentary film Kobe Doin' Work, chronicling Bryant during the 2007–08 NBA season, was released.
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2010: Sho Baraka releases "Kobe Bryant On'em"
In 2010, American rapper Sho Baraka released a song called "Kobe Bryant On'em" on his album Lions and Liars.
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2012: Chief Keef releases "Kobe"
In 2012, American rapper Chief Keef released a song called "Kobe" as a tribute to Bryant on his album, Finally Rich.
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2013: Launch of Granity Studios
In 2013, Kobe Bryant launched Granity Studios, a production company focused on developing various media projects.
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2016: ESPN ranks Bryant the second-greatest shooting guard of all time
In 2016, ESPN ranked Bryant the second-greatest shooting guard of all time after Jordan.
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December 18, 2017: Lakers retire Kobe Bryant's jersey numbers
On December 18, 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers retired both numbers Kobe Bryant wore during his career, 8 and 24.
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2017: Lakers Retire Bryant's Numbers
In 2017, the Lakers retired both of Kobe Bryant's numbers, 8 and 24, a unique honor in NBA history.
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October 23, 2018: Publication of "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play"
On October 23, 2018, Kobe Bryant's book, The Mamba Mentality: How I Play, which reflects on his career with photos and reflections, was published.
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2018: Academy Award Win
In 2018, Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball (2017).
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2018: Beginning of Detail television series
In 2018, Kobe Bryant began writing, producing, and hosting the television series Detail, which aired on ESPN and ESPN+.
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2018: Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
In 2018, Kobe Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for his film Dear Basketball, becoming the first African-American to win in this category. The film also won the Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject and a Sports Emmy Award in 2018.
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2018: Appearance at 92nd Academy Awards
In 2018, after winning an Oscar for Dear Basketball, Kobe Bryant appeared at the start of the In Memoriam segment of the 92nd Academy Awards.
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2019: Appearance on MTV's Ridiculousness
In 2019, Kobe Bryant appeared on MTV's Ridiculousness.
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January 2020: Helicopter Crash and Death
In January 2020, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna passed away in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
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January 26, 2020: Kobe Bryant's Death
On January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant passed away. He was a professional basketball player.
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March 2020: Posthumous release of "The Wizenard Series: Season One"
In March 2020, Kobe Bryant's fourth novel, The Wizenard Series: Season One, was released posthumously and topped the New York Times middle-grade hardcover list.
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April 2020: Election into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
In April 2020, Kobe Bryant was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, weeks after his death.
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May 2020: Mamba Sports Academy Renamed
In May 2020, the Mamba Sports Academy was renamed to Sports Academy out of respect for Kobe Bryant.
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August 2020: Omission from 2020 VMAs and Emmys
In August 2020, Kobe Bryant was not included in the montages at the 2020 VMAs and Emmys, causing upset among fans.
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2020: Lakers honor Bryant with 'Black Mamba' jerseys during NBA playoffs
During the 2020 NBA playoffs, the Lakers' players wore 'Black Mamba' jerseys in honor of Bryant. Designed by Bryant himself, the black jersey features a snakeskin pattern with yellow accents and 16 stars representing the team's 16 championships at the time. Following a Game 2 victory in the 2020 NBA Finals, LeBron James talked about how special it was to honor Bryant.
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2020: Honorary Draft Picks in WNBA
In 2020, Gianna Bryant, Alyssa Altobelli, and Payton Chester were made honorary draft picks in the WNBA draft.
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2020: Snoop Dogg's tribute tattoo
In 2020, after the Lakers won the NBA Finals, Snoop Dogg paid homage to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers with a full forearm tattoo.
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2020: Tributes at 2020 Pro Bowl
In 2020, the Pro Bowl was played on the day of Kobe Bryant's death, with NFC players conducting a prayer led by Russell Wilson and various on-field tributes made during the game.
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October 2021: Named to NBA 75th Anniversary Team
In October 2021, Kobe Bryant was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
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2021: NBA 75th Anniversary Team
In 2021, Bryant was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
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2021: Posthumous Induction into Basketball Hall of Fame
In 2021, Kobe Bryant was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, with his wife Vanessa delivering the acceptance speech on his behalf.
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January 26, 2022: Statue of Kobe and Gianna Bryant Placed at Crash Site
On January 26, 2022, which was the second anniversary of Kobe Bryant's death and the helicopter crash, a statue of Bryant and his daughter Gianna was placed at the site where the crash occurred.
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2022: Named 10th-greatest player of all time by The Athletic
In 2022, The Athletic ranked Kobe Bryant as the 10th-greatest player in NBA history and the second-highest shooting guard on the list, behind only Jordan.
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2022: Civil trial verdict
In 2022, Vanessa Bryant was awarded $15 million from L.A. County in a civil trial relating to the sharing of graphic photos from the helicopter crash, with additional funds to settle potential claims from her daughters.
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February 28, 2023: Settlement in crash photos lawsuit
On February 28, 2023, Vanessa Bryant was awarded a $28.85 million settlement from Los Angeles County over graphic photos of the helicopter crash aftermath that were shared without family permission.
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August 24, 2023: Lakers Announce Date for Kobe Bryant Statue Unveiling
On August 24, 2023, the Lakers stated that Kobe Bryant's statue outside of the Crypto.com Arena would be revealed on February 8, 2024, to honor his two numbers with the Lakers, 8 and 24, and 2 for the number of his daughter Gianna.
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February 8, 2024: Kobe Bryant Statue Unveiling
On February 8, 2024, the Kobe Bryant statue outside of the Crypto.com Arena will be revealed to honor his two numbers with the Lakers, 8 and 24, and 2 for the number of his daughter Gianna.
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