KOBE Bryant, who won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, died at age 41 on Sunday in a helicopter crash in California.
Nicknamed "The Black Mamba", Kobe was born in Philadelphia in 1978, son of former NBA player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant.
He lived for eight years in Italy, where his father played professionally after his National Basketball Association (NBA) career ended.
On returning to the United States, Kobe attended Lower Merion High School outside Philadelphia and gained a reputation as one of the best high school players in the country.
Chosen as the 13th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 draft, he was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
A forward and shooting guard, he made his NBA debut in November 1996 at the age of 18 and played 20 consecutive seasons in the league.
Kobe won NBA championships with the Lakers in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010.
He also won the NBA Most Valuable Player award in 2008, and was named to the NBA All-Star team 18 times.
Kobe won Olympic gold medals with the United States in 2008 and 2012.
He retired in 2016 after playing 1,346 regular season games and averaging 25 points a game, twice leading the league in scoring.
He earned more than $300 million on the court during his career.
His career points total of 33,643 is fourth on the all-time NBA list.
Off the court, he married Vanessa Laine in 2001.
In 2005, he reached a civil settlement with a woman who said he raped her in a Colorado hotel. -- Reuters