Photo: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sports Icons · Community memorial
Kobe Bryant
August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020 · Basketball Player · United States
“Mamba forever.”
Five NBA championships, twenty seasons, one city. Kobe's relentless devotion to his craft became a language of its own — the Mamba Mentality.
4 lights
every light is a memory
Lights around the world
People from 4 countries have lit a light here.
Their story
Kobe Bryant joined the Los Angeles Lakers straight out of high school in 1996 and never wore another jersey. Over twenty seasons he won five NBA championships, scored 81 points in a single game, and turned obsessive dedication into a philosophy that reached far beyond basketball.
After retiring, he won an Academy Award for his animated short Dear Basketball and poured himself into coaching his daughter Gianna's team — the second act of a life built on love of the game.
Kobe and Gianna died in a helicopter accident on 26 January 2020, along with seven others. The city of Los Angeles painted its walls with their names. Mamba forever.
A life in moments
1978
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1996
Drafted into the NBA at 17 and joins the Los Angeles Lakers.
2006
Scores 81 points in a single game — the second-highest in NBA history.
2016
Scores 60 points in his final game. Mamba out.
2020
Passes away alongside his daughter Gianna, aged 41.
Today
8 and 24 hang in the rafters. His mentality lives on in millions.
Important dates
- Birthday · August 23
- Anniversary · January 26
Latest lights & memories
lit with love around the world
A light was lit.
“Every crumpled paper thrown at a bin — 'Kobe!' — is a small candle for you. Forever.”
“You taught us the 4am work ethic. Rest easy with Gigi.”
“Basketball is a religion here, and you were our saint.”
Others we remember
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