In addition to future animation tasks, he had been in talks with animator veteran Bruce Smith for the final six months before his demise about beginning his personal animation studio. He carried out at a 1997 concert by Sway & King Tech and recorded a verse for a remix of Brian McKnight's "Hold Me". Bryant even appeared on Lakers teammate O'Neal's Respect, starting the monitor "three X's Dope", though Bryant's name was not listed on the credits.

He was additionally the general league MVP in 2008.The accident shocked basketball fans and athletes from across the country and around the world. Countless tributes have been held to honor Bryant, his daughter and the others killed within the crash. Bryant returned for the 2014–15 season, his 19th season with the Lakers, who had changed D'Antoni with Bryant's former Lakers teammate, Byron Scott. On November 30, 2014, in a 129–122 overtime victory in opposition to the Toronto Raptors, Bryant recorded his 20th career triple-double with 31 factors, 12 assists and 11 rebounds. At age 36, he turned the oldest NBA participant to ever achieve 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a recreation.

Neither his dad and mom nor his sisters nor any of his teammates attended. Bryant would later acknowledge the engagement and marriage led to a two-year estrangement from his father. Juggling two rising superstars, each with egos, coach Phil Jackson made O’Neal his first precedence, forcing Bryant into one thing of a supporting function that didn't sit nicely with the younger guard.

The Lakers concluded the 2007–08 regular season with a 57–25 record, ending first in the Western Conference and organising themselves for a first-round contest towards the Nuggets. In Game 1, Bryant, who said he made himself a decoy by way of most of the sport, scored 18 of his 32 factors in the last 8 minutes to keep Los Angeles safely forward. That made Denver the first 50-win team to be swept out of the first round of the playoffs for the reason that Memphis Grizzlies fell in 4 to the San Antonio Spurs in 2004. In the first sport of the next round against the Jazz, Bryant scored 38 factors because the Lakers beat the Jazz in Game 1. The Lakers won the following game as nicely, but dropped Games three and 4, even with Bryant placing up 33.5 factors per recreation. The Lakers then received the next two video games to win the semifinals in 6.

"He would publicly say that neither of us might cease the opposite," added Bryant. "I refused to believe that. I rating 50. You score zero. That is what I consider. When I began guarding AI, he had 16 at the half. He finished the game with 16. Revenge was sweet." In the fourth quarter, as Bryant made shot after shot in opposition to the Utah Jazz, on his approach to 60 points, the arena was crammed with a gentle, deafening cheer. Bryant picked up a microphone afterward to handle the crowd. Flying back to L.A., he referred to as a information convention at Staples Center and, with tears in his eyes and voice quavering, acknowledged having sex with the lady but insisted it was consensual. Bryant took refuge in his relationship with Vanessa, as bodyguards accompanied them to Disneyland and received them seats on the native Cineplex after the lights went down.

"Kobe Bryant's 'airball sport' in 1997 was as defining second in his career". "Kobe Bryant's work with youngsters brings pleasure, though typically it is fleeting". At the time of his dying, he was working with Brazilian author Paulo Coelho on a youngsters's guide geared toward inspiring underprivileged children. After Bryant's demise, Coelho deleted the draft, saying in an interview that "it did not make any sense to publish with out him." He did not say how many pages had been written or whether or not the guide had a title. In 2018, Bryant and Sports Academy launched Mamba Sports Academy, a joint athletic-training business venture. The academy established places in Thousand Oaks and Redondo Beach, California.

Bryant thought-about the shot one of many luckiest he has made. Despite the harm, Bryant elected to continue taking part in with it, quite than take any day off to relaxation the harm. Five days after his finger injury, he made another recreation profitable shot, after lacking on a possibility in regulation, this time in opposition to the Milwaukee Bucks in an overtime game. Bryant also turned the youngest player to succeed in 25,000 factors in the course of the season, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain.

For the NBA 2K21 soundtrack, Damian Lillard, under his stage name Dame D.O.L.L.A., launched a tribute track additionally titled "Kobe," that includes Snoop Dogg and Derrick Milano. In 2011, Bryant was featured in Taiwanese singer Jay Chou's single "The Heaven and Earth Challenge" (天地一鬥, pronounced "Tian Di Yi Dou"). Not to be confused with the American football participant Coby Bryant.