Kobe Bryant

In honor of Black History Month, every school day The Cardinal will feature a prominent and/or historical Black American, living or dead, who has worked toward change, advancement, and/or world peace. Some of them are heroes, and some are unsung heroes, who deserve recognition, and have made a contributions to make society a better place.

February 14, 2024

Kobe Bryant was born on August 23,1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was also partly raised in Italy.

Recognized as the top American high-school basketball player while at Philadelphia suburb Lower Merion, Bryant declared for the 1996 NBA draft and was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick; he was then traded to the Lakers. As a rookie, he earned a reputation as a high-flyer by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest and was named an All-Star by his second season. Despite a feud with teammate Shaquille O’Neal, the pair led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002.

When Bryant was 21, he met Vanessa Laine who was 17. They married on April 18, 2001, at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, California. They had four children together before their divorce.

Bryant was widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, and won five NBA championships and was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. Bryant’s spotlight was brighter than almost anyone’s, and he used it to help millions of kids. For 12 years he was an ambassador for After-School All-Stars, and he used his time and his resources to inspire 90,000 kids and help build opportunities for them. For an entire generation, he was a lighthouse, a role model, and a real live superhero. His determination, integrity, and athleticism made him a true leader in Black History.

On January 26, 2020, him and his daughter Gianna both died on a helicopter that crashed nine people in Calabasas. They were headed toward the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks to attend his daughter’s basketball game. The plan was to land at Camarillo Airport, about a 20-minute drive from the sports academy and unfortunately it crashed Kobe died at age 41 and Gigi 13 and 7 other lives were lost that day but both Gigi and Bryant will always be remembered by his family, friends and everyone who knew them

About the Contributor

Daniela Gonzalez, Staff Writer

Daniela Gonzalez is a junior who was raised in San Diego and loves to go eat tacos with her dog Nala. She hates going to school on a rainy days and would rather just stay at home and play video games. She loves sunny day and going to school when it's not cold but loves sitting near a car window to feel the cold air hit her face. If she could, she would get every animal in the world. She loves to come to school to see her friends and bf, but just wishes school food would just be better. She often brings snacks to school and loves to go visit some of her old teachers but when it comes to choosing where to eat, it would have to be at Castanedas. She loves the tacos from there and when she's older, she wants to be a firefighter to help people. She used to want to be a vet but thanks to Hoover and teachers, she found her dream career. Daniela loves playing games on her phone and nintendo and spending as much time as she can with her dog. She really enjoys this school and the kind teachers at Hoover.