Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five NBA championships and becoming one of the most celebrated players in the sport's history.
Bryant entered the NBA directly from high school in 1996 and developed into one of the league's most prolific scorers, known for his relentless work ethic, which he termed the 'Mamba Mentality.'
He led the Lakers to five NBA championships, including a three-peat from 2000 to 2002 alongside teammate Shaquille O'Neal, and later two more titles in 2009 and 2010 as the team's primary leader.
Bryant scored 81 points in a single game in 2006, the second-highest total in NBA history, and retired in 2016 as one of the league's all-time leading scorers. He died in a helicopter crash in January 2020 alongside his daughter and seven others, a loss widely mourned across the sports world.