JAKARTA - If there is, NBA legend Kobe Bryant turns 43 on August 23. Let's remember the life and greatness of the Black Mamba, as the basketball star is known, on the court.
Kobe was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1978. He is a basketball player who entered the NBA All-Star team 18 times and collected five NBA championship rings with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The all-time leading goalscorer in Lakers history is the first guard in NBA history to play 20 seasons. His 18 All-Star titles is the second most of all time, while it is the record for most consecutive appearances as a starter.
Bryant's four NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards equals Bob Pettit in the most in NBA history.
Kobe gave himself the nickname Black Mamba in the mid-2000s, and the nickname was widely adopted by the general public.
At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, he won two gold medals as a member of the US national team. In 2018, he won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for the film Dear Basketball (2017).
Kobe Bryant's DeathKobe tragically died in a helicopter crash with his daughter Gianna and seven other people on January 26 last year.
The helicopter crashed en route to Camarillo, California, for one of the games that Gianna was participating in. On the trip, there were also two of Gianna's teammates and their respective families.
Everything went smoothly for 15 minutes. Then, they had to make room for air traffic before continuing on.
According to authorities, the helicopters had a low altitude of 400-600 feet, and were asked to remain so until they arrived at their destination. Pilot Ara Zobayan agreed.
Shortly after there was a change of operator at the air traffic control office, the pilot continued his journey to a mountainous area with minimal visibility.
When communication resumed with the new men on duty, the pilot stated he had risen above the clouds up to 4,000 feet due to weather conditions. Moments later, the helicopter descended at high speed and crashed.
Five years earlier, Zobayan had been warned for not having a license to fly in an area with poor visibility. He was then asked to comply with the rules.
Vanessa Bryant, Kobe's wife, has filed a lawsuit claiming that the pilot was primarily responsible for the crash.
What should also be underlined is, there is no black box on the plane.
On his birthday, Kobe's wife, Vanessa, remembers her husband through an emotional post on Instagram social media.
The 39-year-old philanthropist referred to Kobe as 'eternal love' with flashback shots dating to the 2000 NBA Finals when the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers, the Lakers' first championship in 12 years.
"Happy birthday, Papi," Vanessa wrote in the photo showing Kobe kissing her. 'Te Amo por siempre. Eternal love.'
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