Prior to announcing his retirement, he had been steadfast about not wanting the fuss of a staged farewell tour, preferring to hear boos instead of cheers. Previously, Bryant was revered however not beloved, and he was astonished at the cheers he was now receiving. Bryant later confirmed his want for West's return to the franchise however denied stating that he would want to be traded if that didn't happen.

The Lakers swept the Utah Jazz within the second spherical and superior to the Western Conference Finals, the place they confronted Phoenix Suns. In Game 2, Bryant completed the game with 13 assists, setting a new playoff profession excessive; it was probably the most assists by a Laker within the playoffs since Magic Johnson had thirteen in 1996. The Lakers went on to win the series in six games capturing the Western Conference Championship and advancing to the NBA Finals for a third straight season. Bryant gained his fifth championship and earned his second consecutive NBA Finals MVP award.

The group was traveling to a basketball sport at the Mamba Sports Academy. None of that would cease the 6-foot-6 shooting guard from changing into one of the biggest within the historical past of the game, equally harmful driving to the basket or capturing from outdoors. None of it may dull the sense of shock that came to visit Los Angeles, a city that grew to love him, when he died Sunday in a helicopter crash that additionally took the lives of his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others. Bryant is among the most achieved players in NBA history, successful 5 championships during his 20-year profession with the Lakers.

But being a “great friend” is something I won't ever be. A nice pal will name you daily and keep in mind your birthday. I’ll get so wrapped up in my shit, I’ll never do not overlook that stuff. And the people who are my associates perceive this, and they’re often the same method.

This marked the first time the Lakers received a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics within the NBA Finals. Bryant mentioned that this was the most satisfying of all of his 5 championships. He was selected to his eleventh consecutive All-Star Game as a starter, and was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for December and January in addition to being named Western Conference Player of the week 3 times. During the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, Bryant who tallied 27 factors, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and four steals was awarded All-Star Game co-MVP with former teammate Shaquille O'Neal. The Lakers completed the regular season with the best document within the west (65–17). Bryant was runner-up in the MVP voting behind LeBron James, and was selected to the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team for the seventh time in his profession.

Bryant considered the shot "one of the luckiest he has made". A week later, Bryant suffered an avulsion fracture in his right index finger in a recreation in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite the injury, Bryant elected to continue taking part in, quite than take any day with no work to rest the injury. Five days after his finger damage, he made one other game-winning shot, after lacking on a possibility in regulation, this time against the Milwaukee Bucks in an overtime game. Bryant also turned the youngest participant to achieve 25,000 factors in his profession during the season, surpassing Chamberlain.

In 2018, Bryant turned the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and the primary former professional athlete to be nominated and to win an Academy Award in any class for his filmDear Basketball. On August 22, 2016, Bryant and his business associate Jeff Stibel launched Bryant-Stibel, a enterprise capital firm centered on different businesses together with media, knowledge, gaming, and technology, with $100 million in funding. 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").

Bryant's fame has erupted in his second NBA season, much to the consternation of Lakers vice president Jerry West and coach Del Harris. On this day in 2012 after an afternoon recreation at Staples Center, Macdonald is heading house and notices a well-known white Bentley momentarily slowed in a special lane of freeway site visitors. Macdonald passes Bryant's automobile for a change, but earlier than he does, he appears instantly over with eyes extensive and offers as much as Bryant a friendly greeting with a certain part of his hand. "Go forward and get one other MVP, if you'll like. And discover the city you want to live in. But we're going to win the championship. Don't worry about it." With a brutal seven-game victory over the Celtics in the bank for Bryant, the 2010 offseason is dominated by LeBron James' choice to go away Cleveland for Miami.