Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals was adopted by O'Neal's commerce from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following O'Neal's departure Bryant turned the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring through the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring information within the course of. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most factors scored in a single recreation in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point recreation in 1962. He was awarded the common season's Most Valuable Player Award in 2008.

His brother, Jace, took his personal life in April 2020, and Prescott spoke publicly about how challenging that have had been on his own psychological health, significantly whereas in the midst of the isolating COVID-19 pandemic. Taylor, the sports activities psychologist, stated taking up alter egos offers individuals a mental shortcut to faucet into different aspects of themselves. “The extra you'll have the ability to take psychological issues and turn them into tangible things or beings, it’s more manageable,” Taylor mentioned. “A character means you don’t have to consider all this deep psychological stuff. You simply say, ‘There’s that character.’” Decision-making turns into simpler; merely channel the way you think that particular person would react—exactly what Ryan implored Prescott to do. Grover said many younger players wrestle with this complete dedication to their craft, especially NBA gamers who're younger millennials or a half of Gen Z.

Bryant was already teaching Gianna at the youth level—they were on their way to a game that tragic day on January 26, 2020. If he ever wished to show the game to others, at any level, he could have made a fabulous coach. I vividly keep in mind Kobe sitting round consuming french fries and talking basketball as a little kid. When we would be on the shootaround earlier than the sport, Kobe can be making an attempt to warm up with us. I’m not talking like, you know, shagging rebounds, like a ball boy or no matter.

On February 1, 2011, Bryant turned certainly one of seven gamers with no much less than 25,000 factors, 5,000 rebounds, and 5,000 assists. Bryant was sidelined for six weeks previous to the beginning of the 1999–2000 season because of a hand injury that he had incurred throughout a preseason sport in opposition to the Washington Wizards. When Bryant was again and enjoying over 38 minutes a game, he had an increase in all statistical categories during the 1999–2000 season.

In 1999, Bryant appeared on a remix of "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child on the Maxi single version of the song. Bryant admitted to an adulterous sexual encounter with his accuser however denied her sexual assault allegation. However, Bryant's legal professionals asked the public sale house to return the items. Before the scheduled trial, a settlement was reached permitting the auction house the sale of lower than 10% of the gadgets. They married on April 18, 2001, at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, California.

With career averages of 25.0 factors, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.four steals per recreation, Bryant was thought of some of the full players in NBA historical past. He is the fourth-leading scorer in league historical past with 33,643 factors. He was the primary player in NBA historical past to have a minimal of 30,000 career factors and 6,000 profession assists, and was considered one of only 4 gamers with 25,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, and 6,000 assists. Bryant led the NBA in scoring in the course of the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. His 81-point efficiency against Toronto in 2006 was the second-highest in NBA historical past, behind only Chamberlain's one hundred. He scored no much less than 50 factors 24 times in his career, which is third in league historical past behind Jordan and Chamberlain ; six occasions Bryant scored at least 60.

As it stands now, Durant is thirteenth all-time in NBA scoring at 26,892 factors at 34 years old and has led the NBA in scoring on four totally different occasions. He’s also the youngest scoring champion ever after his spectacular 2009–10 marketing campaign when he led all scorers at simply 21 years old. Kobe Bryant wrote a 2017 piece for The Players Tribune entitled "Obsession is Natural".

Two weeks later, he made his sixth game-winning shot of the season, towards the Toronto Raptors. On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high eighty one factors in a 122–104 victory against the Toronto Raptors. In addition to breaking the earlier franchise record of 71 set by Elgin Baylor, Bryant's 81-point sport was the second-highest point whole in NBA history, surpassed only by Chamberlain's 100-point sport in 1962. Whereas Chamberlain was fed repeatedly by teammates for inside shots in a blowout win, Bryant created his personal shot—mostly from the outside—in a sport which the Lakers trailed at halftime by 14 and did not draw back till the fourth quarter.