Kobe Bryant's widow Vanessa has shared a message of hope for others suffering with grief, ahead of the one-year anniversary of the tragic deaths of her husband and their teenage daughter, Gianna.
It’s been a year since Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash in Southern California.
They were on their way to a basketball tournament on a Sunday morning. Bryant, Gigi — that’s what most called his daughter — and everyone else aboard the helicopter were killed instantly in the crash, officials said.
The Associated Press has moved thousands of photos of Bryant, who won five championships in his 20 NBA seasons, all with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a Grammy winner. He was a best-selling author of children’s books. He will soon be officially enshrined as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Here is Bryant’s NBA life, depicted in photo form, followed by a look at his legacy:
Photos: Kobe Bryant's NBA life, in photo form
1996
1996: Bryant was a 17-year-old kid when he entered the NBA and had a childlike grin when the Lakers introduced him as the newest member of their franchise. He never played for another.
1997
1997: Bryant faced a steep learning curve as a rookie, averaging 7.6 points per game. A year later, he was an All-Star and on his meteoric rise to stardom.
1998
1998: In his first All-Star Game, Bryant showed he belonged among the game’s best, scoring 18 points opposed Michael Jordan.
1999
1999: Bryant’s relationship with Shaquille O’Neal was often complex, but they would form one of the top duos in NBA history.
2000
2000: Bryant rode a double-decker bus to Staples Center when the Lakers won their first of the five championships with him in purple and gold.
2001
2001: This was always a certainty: When fans came to watch Kobe Bryant, they would get a show.
2002
2002: Bryant’s confidence was soaring. The Lakers rolled through the playoffs, winning a third consecutive NBA title.
2003
2003: Bryant and O’Neal were often portrayed as rivals, and they bickered often. Clearly, however, they had moments that both enjoyed.
2004
2004: Bryant’s legacy was marred by the allegation that he raped a 19-year-old Colorado hotel worker. A civil suit was eventually brought, Bryant issued an apology through his attorney and the case was later dropped when the accuser refused to testify.
2005
2005: Bryant had the best offensive season of his career in 2005-06, leading the NBA by averaging 35.4 points per game.
2006
2006: Games against the Boston Celtics always brought out the best in Bryant; the Celtics and Lakers have been rivals for decades.
2007
2007: Bryant was always an intense competitor. Here, celebrating a basket in a playoff game against Phoenix, he showed how much more the postseason meant.
2008
2008: Bryant dove into the stands in an effort to save a loose ball in Dallas. No play was insignificant to him.
2009
2009: Bryant led the Lakers to the fourth championship of his career, the first since he and O’Neal won three straight in the early 2000s.
2010
2010: The fifth and final championship of Bryant’s NBA career. As the final seconds of those NBA Finals ticked away, Bryant leaped onto the scorer’s table and, as confetti fell and some stuck to his soaked uniform, he held five fingers high. The meaning was clear.
2011
2011: Bryant was adored globally, including South Korea, where he threw a basketball clinic for children during a tour of five Asian cities.
2012
2012: Bryant played in the Olympics twice for USA Basketball. He left both times with a gold medal.
2013
2013: Whenever Bryant visited China, it wasn’t uncommon for thousands of fans to show up just to get a glimpse of someone who was as revered as any player there — including Chinese star Yao Ming.
2014
2014: Bryant was among the players who wore “I Can’t Breathe” shirts in 2014 to protest the death of Eric Garner, a Black man killed by police in New York.
2015
2015: Bryant averaged 22.3 points in his next-to-last season in the NBA, the 15th time in his 20 seasons that he would average at least 20 points.
2016
2016: Wherever Bryant went in his final season, opposing fans cheered and let him know how much he would be missed.
His final game
April 13, 2016: Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, right, fist-bumps his daughter Gianna after the last NBA basketball game of his career, against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, April 13, 2016, in Los Angeles. Bryant scored 60 points as the Lakers won 101-96.
In this Jan. 30, 2020, file photo, a video is played in remembrance of late Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant while his retired jerseys hang in the rafters prior an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings in Los Angeles.
Analysis: Kobe's presence remains strong, legacy growing
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer
Kobe Bryant wasn't in the bubble with the Los Angeles Lakers last fall when they won the NBA championship. He wasn't at the All-Star weekend in Chicago where half the players wore his number on their uniforms, the other half wearing his daughter's jersey number. He wasn't there to hear the Basketball Hall of Fame announced that his career was worthy of enshrinement.
Yet his presence was so clearly felt in each of those moments.
Bryant, his daughter Gianna and the other seven people who climbed aboard that helicopter on a Sunday morning in Southern California have been gone for exactly one year now — Tuesday marks the grim anniversary of the crash that took their lives.
Keep scrolling for a photo gallery of tributes to Kobe Bryant after his death
Tears have been shed. Stories have been told. Tributes have been made.
And if there was any doubt about what kind of legacy Bryant — a five-time NBA champion, still the No. 4 scorer in NBA history, a 20-year veteran of the league — left behind, it has been erased now. He still resonates, maybe more than ever.
"God rest his soul, God rest the soul of Gigi and the seven others that perished," said Miami assistant coach and former NBA player Caron Butler, who was close with Bryant for years. "The legacy that he left, man, he did it all. He inspired. When you think about being better, embracing the storm, having the right mentality and perspective about life and always trying to be better, he embodied it all and that's why his legacy will live forever."
Bryant is gone, but that doesn't mean Butler is wavering on a promise he made. Butler famously had a longtime affinity for Mountain Dew, even drinking it during games when others thought he was having Gatorade. When Butler played for the Lakers, Bryant strongly urged him to kick the habit.
Butler was taping an ad last year for Mountain Dew. He took a sip for the cameras. He then spit the drink out.
"Out of respect to my brother," Butler said.
Butler and Bryant were brothers in the teammate sense. Tony Altobelli lost his actual brother, John Altobelli, in the crash. Alyssa Altobelli was a teammate of Gianna Bryant; she was on the helicopter along with John, her father, and mother Keri.
John Altobelli was the baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Southern California. Tony Altobelli is the sports information director at that school; sports information directors are tasked with promoting their teams, in good times and bad, always trying to find a positive way to tell a story. And somehow, even for a story this painful, Tony Altobelli has managed to do that.
His brother died with Kobe Bryant. That's how the world got to know who his brother was.
"It's nice to see his memory, and just his way of his life being celebrated by people far beyond our area," Tony Altobelli said. "It takes a little bit of the sting off what happened. I've kind of jokingly said if it had to happen, I'm glad a global figure was with him when it happened because now the whole world knows about my brother, my sister-in-law and my niece. And I think that's pretty cool."
Christina Mauser died in the crash as well; she was one of the coaches at Bryant's academy. Tony Altobelli and Mauser's husband Matt have become friends in the last year; they didn't know each other before Jan. 26, 2020. Matt Mauser has organized a concert to honor those who died in the crash and to serve as a benefit for the foundation he started in his wife memory; it streams Tuesday night.
Sarah Chester and her 13-year-old daughter Payton, another of the players along with Gianna and Alyssa, also were on board. Also killed was the pilot, Ara Zobayan. The Lakers were in the air when the news broke, flying home from a game in Bryant's hometown of Philadelphia. Word spread around the NBA quickly; the Golden State Warriors were just starting practice when someone there found out.
"Everything stopped," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "The music stopped. The players stopped. Nobody said a word. A lot of guys dropped to the floor and started crying. Nothing happened for 10 minutes. We all just sat there in silence. It was one of the worst moments of all our lives."
The Lakers are not planning any formal marking of the day, nor is the NBA. It is not a day for celebration. It is a day for remembrance, not that it's needed.
Bryant's legacy lives on. He won't be forgotten. Nor will Jan. 26, 2020.
"I don't think any of us will ever forget that day," Kerr said.
Tim Reynolds is a national basketball writer for The Associated Press. Write to him at treynolds@ap.org
24 photos of tributes to Kobe Bryant after his death
24 images of tributes to Kobe Bryant after his death
FILE - In this April 13, 2016, file photo, a giant banner congratulating Kobe Bryant is draped around Staples Center before his last NBA basketball game in downtown Los Angeles. Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2020, file photo, spectators pay tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant prior to the start of the Italian Basketball second division match between Rieti and Scafati in Rieti's PalaSojourne, Italy. Bryant spent seven years of his childhood in Rieti, where his father, Joe Bryant, made his Italian basketball debut in 1984 when Kobe was 6 years-old. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2020, file photo, people walk beside a giant mural of former NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna at a basketball court in Taguig, south of Manila, Philippines. Artists in this tenement building gathered and painted this image after learning of Bryant's death. Bryant, his daughter and 7 others died in a helicopter crash. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2020, fans gather in front of several memorials set up at LA Live, near Staples Center where the Los Angeles Lakers play, to memorialize Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles following a helicopter crash that killed the former NBA basketball player, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2020, file photo, shadows are cast on a memorial wall as fans gather at LA Live, near Staples Center where the Los Angeles Lakers play, to memorialize Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles following a helicopter crash that killed the former NBA basketball player, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2020, file photo, sneakers and a Los Angeles Lakers uniform with the numbers worn by NBA star Kobe Bryant are left at a memorial for Bryant while fans gather to pay their respect near Staples Center in Los Angeles. Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday, Jan. 26. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
People lift weights on a sidewalk outside the Hardcore Fitness gym, due to COVID-19 restrictions, under a mural honoring NBA star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi near Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. Bryant, who became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Lakers, died in a helicopter crash with his daughter Gigi and other passengers on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
FILE - A picture of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan is played at a memorial for Bryant in front of Staples Center Jan. 28, 2020, in Los Angeles. Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File)
An image of Vanessa Bryant, from left, Kobe Bryant, Natalia Bryant, and Gianna Bryant appears during the Kobe Bryant tribute segment at the 51st NAACP Image Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo wears shoes that pay tribute to Kobe Bryant during an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Jennifer Hudson sings a tribute to former NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who were killed in a helicopter crash Jan. 26, before the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)
FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2020, file photo, the jerseys of late Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, right, and his daughter Gianna are draped on the seats the two last sat on at Staples Center, prior to the Lakers' NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Los Angeles. A person with knowledge of the details says a public memorial service for Bryant, his daughter and seven others killed in a helicopter crash is planned for Feb. 24 at Staples Center. The Los Angeles arena is where Bryant starred for the Lakers for most of his two-decade career. The date corresponds with the jersey numbers he and 13-year-old daughter Gianna wore, 24 for him and 2 for her. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo, File)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James throws down his note cards while he speak to the crowd in remembrance of Kobe Bryant, prior to the team's NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
Players stand during a tribute to Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant and other victims in the helicopter crash before the NFL Super Bowl 54 football game between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
The image of Kobe Bryant and and his daughter Gigi who were killed last week in a helicopter crash, appears on the Burj Khalifa as the UAE tribute to their memories, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
Jesse Reyes Zaragoza writes a message on a memorial display of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, outside the Golden 1 Center before the Los Angeles Lakers played the Sacramento Kings in an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Cellist Ben Hong performs during a memorial for the Kobe Bryant prior to an NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, in Los Angeles. Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
Art works are seen at a memorial for the late Kobe Bryant near Staples Center prior to an NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, in Los Angeles. Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
The Los Angeles Lakers honor the late Kobe Bryant by laying out t-shirts for fans prior to an NBA game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, in Los Angeles. Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
Los Angeles Kings left wing Alex Iafallo wears a sticker on his helmet honoring Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi before an NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020, in Los Angeles. All the Kings players wore the stickers on their helmets. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker)
A fan writes on at a memorial for Kobe Bryant in front of Staples Center Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, in Los Angeles. Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
People gather at a memorial for Kobe Bryant near Staples Center Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, in Los Angeles. Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
Tony Bisogno carries his son Apollo at a memorial for Kobe Bryant near Staples Center Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, in Los Angeles. Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
Nicole Mascarenhas, wipes her eyes in front of a screen with the late Kobe Bryant at a memorial for Kobe Bryant near Staples Center Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, in Los Angeles. Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
