Kobe Bryant was 41 years old and in the prime of his life when he died. But his legacy lives on--and we're not talking about his basketball legacy, there is a legacy off the court that many people don't know. In a sport where many players are high profile and traded - or opt to enter free agency to earn a few extra million dollars - Bryant stuck around at the Lakers for his whole career.
In being the ultimate superstar, both of his jersey numbers - 8 and 24 - have deservedly been retired by the Lakers, with Bryant the franchise's all-time record points scorer.
Kobe - nicknamed the Black Mamba during his career - also wrote a series of kid's books and even won an Oscar for his short film Dear Basketball in 2018.
Besides being the fierce competitor, Kobe had an ultra-generous side that wasn't as well-known after his retirement. He helped a number of organizations and personally helped individuals like frequently inviting current NBA stars to his home to train them up. Yet Kobe was one who preferred to stay in the background, generally unseen and unknown by the public.
Here are just a few of the things Kobe did off the court:
Partner of My Friend’s Place which helps youth experiencing homelessness move toward wellness, stability and self-sufficiency.
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Partner of Stand Up on Second which helps give permanent supportive housing, vocational training and member driven services to the homeless.
National Museum of African American History and Culture milestone donor. As a milestone donor, Kobe contributed $1 million or more, for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. On the day of its opening, the NBA legend tweeted, “Go. See. This. Museum. There is no greater testament to this country than the stories in this building. Honored to be a part of it @NMAAHC
Partner of Mamba FC, a youth soccer club in Orange County that, according to the KVBFF website, trains young athletes to become leaders and promotes health and fitness.
Make-A-Wish Foundation partner. For more than 20 years, Bryant was an advocate for children battling life-threatening illnesses. According to the Make-A-Wish foundation, over the span of his career, the father of four personally met with over 100 children through the 501 nonprofit organization that creates life-changing wishes for youth with a critical sickness.
Venture Capital firm owner, Bryant also launched a venture capital firm with partner and serial entrepreneur Jeff Stibel back in 2013, according to Crunchbase. The pair made a mix of early- and late-stage investments in Los Angeles-based companies like LegalZoom, Scopely, Art of Sport, The Honest Company, RingDNA, FocusMotion, DyshApp and Represent.
In 2019, his investment firm expanded with a $1.7 billion investment vehicle that was launched in partnership with the private equity fund, Permira, according to a report in USA Today.
Not to mention all of the countless people he has helped silently. There are many coming out of the woodwork to talk about how Kobe the man helped them.
NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant And Teenage Daughter Died In Crash
Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba. The 5-time NBA champion, the husband and the father is gone.
Reports have been confirmed that Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant died in a helicopter crash Sunday morning. He was 41 and Gianna was only 13.
According to TMZ.com, Kobe was traveling with at least 3 other people in his private helicopter when it went down. A fire broke out. Emergency personnel responded, but nobody on board survived. 5 people are confirmed dead. We're told Vanessa Bryant was not among those on board.
Bryant was on his way to a travel basketball game with his daughter when the helicopter crashed.
Kobe was known for using his helicopter to travel for years -- dating back to when he played for the Lakers. He was known for commuting from Newport Beach, CA to the STAPLES Center in DTLA in his Sikorsky S-76 chopper.
His longtime on-court collaborator and Lakers teammate, Shaquille O'Neal just posted a tribute to Kobe ... saying, "There’s no words to express the pain I’m going through now with this tragic and sad moment of loosing my friend, my brother, my partner in winning championships, my dude and my homie."
He continued, "I love you brother and you will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW!"
Kobe's last tweets was in honor of fellow NBA All-star, LeBron James beating out his scoring record from the night before.
James inscribed his sneakers with "Mamba 4 Life" and "8/24 KB" in gold marker before the game, showing respect for Bryant, an 18-time All-Star with the Lakers who is eligible for the Basketball Hall of Fame this year. All week, in the lead-up to the milestone, he was quick to laud Bryant.
"It's another guy that I looked up to when I was in grade school and high school," James said. "Seeing him come straight out of high school, he is someone that I used as inspiration. It was like, wow. Seeing a kid, 17 years old, come into the NBA and trying to make an impact on a franchise, I used it as motivation. He helped me before he even knew of me because of what he was able to do. So, just to be able to, at this point of my career, to share the same jersey that he wore, be with this historical franchise and just represent the purple and gold, it's very humbling and it's dope.
KB is survived by his wife Vanessa. Together, they have four daughters -- Gianna, Natalia and Bianca and their newborn Capri. Kobe and Vanessa got married in 2001 after meeting in 1999.
