WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.940 Welcome to the Deep Dive. We try to give you 00:00:01.940 --> 00:00:04.780 the clearest, most useful take on really complex 00:00:04.780 --> 00:00:08.019 subjects, and today we're diving into the world 00:00:08.019 --> 00:00:10.660 of Kobe Bean Bryant. Yes. Well, it's a profound 00:00:10.660 --> 00:00:13.140 story, definitely a complicated one. Yeah, absolutely. 00:00:13.980 --> 00:00:16.640 Our goal here is really to look at his life from 00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:18.859 all angles. You've got this incredible 20 -year 00:00:18.859 --> 00:00:20.420 run with the Lakers, right? Then there's the 00:00:20.420 --> 00:00:22.480 whole Mamba mentality thing. What did that actually 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:25.280 mean? Right. And, you know, the controversies, 00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:27.140 too. They shaped how people saw him. Exactly. 00:00:27.320 --> 00:00:30.280 And then almost out of nowhere, this huge success 00:00:30.280 --> 00:00:33.259 after basketball and film and business. So we're 00:00:33.259 --> 00:00:35.219 pulling together insights from sources that really 00:00:35.219 --> 00:00:38.039 cover his whole journey start to finish. And 00:00:38.039 --> 00:00:39.799 when you just list the achievements, I mean. 00:00:40.299 --> 00:00:42.140 It's kind of mind -blowing. You're talking five 00:00:42.140 --> 00:00:45.679 NBA titles. Five rings, yeah. An MVP in 2008, 00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:49.619 18 All -Star games, nine times All -Defense first 00:00:49.619 --> 00:00:53.060 team. That last one always gets me for a score 00:00:53.060 --> 00:00:55.119 like him. It really does. Shows the two -way 00:00:55.119 --> 00:00:57.219 commitment. But what strikes me, like you said, 00:00:57.320 --> 00:00:59.859 is how he expanded what we think of as an athlete's 00:00:59.859 --> 00:01:02.539 legacy. It wasn't just about the game. Exactly. 00:01:02.859 --> 00:01:05.340 Winning an Oscar in 2018 for deer basketball. 00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:08.900 That's not your typical retirement plan for an 00:01:08.900 --> 00:01:11.480 NBA superstar. No, it is not. That's pure Mamba, 00:01:11.540 --> 00:01:13.900 though, isn't it? That relentless drive to master 00:01:13.900 --> 00:01:16.140 something totally different. And speaking of 00:01:16.140 --> 00:01:18.659 Mamba, we got to start with the nickname, the 00:01:18.659 --> 00:01:20.540 Black Mamba. Okay, yeah. Where did that come 00:01:20.540 --> 00:01:22.859 from? He actually adopted it himself, inspired 00:01:22.859 --> 00:01:24.760 by the snake, obviously. He talked about its 00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:28.920 ability to strike with 99 % accuracy at maximum 00:01:28.920 --> 00:01:31.650 speed in rapid succession. Wow. So it wasn't 00:01:31.650 --> 00:01:34.069 just a cool name. Not at all. It was like a deliberate 00:01:34.069 --> 00:01:36.849 persona, a way to separate Kobe, the person from 00:01:36.849 --> 00:01:39.310 Mamba, the competitor, almost like an alter ego 00:01:39.310 --> 00:01:42.430 built for, well, ruthless competition. OK, so 00:01:42.430 --> 00:01:44.849 let's dig into where that competitor came from, 00:01:44.890 --> 00:01:47.870 because his early life, it feels so foundational 00:01:47.870 --> 00:01:50.469 to understanding that whole mindset. Right. So 00:01:50.469 --> 00:01:54.310 Kobe was born in Philly, 1978, son of Joe Jelly 00:01:54.310 --> 00:01:56.549 Bean Bryant, who played in the NBA. And the names 00:01:56.549 --> 00:01:58.870 are kind of fun facts, right? Yeah. Bean from 00:01:58.870 --> 00:02:01.900 Jelly Bean. Kobe from the beef? Exactly. Saw 00:02:01.900 --> 00:02:04.480 it on a menu. Little bits of trivia. But the 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:07.000 really unique part of his upbringing, the thing 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:08.900 that set him apart, started when he was just 00:02:08.900 --> 00:02:11.659 six years old. That's when his dad, Joe, hung 00:02:11.659 --> 00:02:14.219 up his NBA sneakers and moved the family to Italy. 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:16.319 keep playing professionally over there. Yeah, 00:02:16.379 --> 00:02:18.180 they lived in a few different places. Rieti, 00:02:18.180 --> 00:02:21.580 Reggio Calabria, Pistoia, Reggio Emilia. And 00:02:21.580 --> 00:02:24.500 this period, it fundamentally shaped him. Oh, 00:02:24.539 --> 00:02:26.840 so? Well, a couple of big things stand out in 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:29.340 the sources. First, he became totally fluent 00:02:29.340 --> 00:02:31.860 in Italian, which, you know, just shows his capacity 00:02:31.860 --> 00:02:34.439 for deep focus and learning. Okay. But maybe 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:36.360 more importantly for basketball, the environment 00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:39.360 was just... He wasn't in that constant grind 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:43.439 of U .S. youth basketball, like AAU. Less structured 00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:45.819 competition. Less local, high -level competition, 00:02:46.060 --> 00:02:49.259 yeah. So what did he do? He focused. He studied. 00:02:49.620 --> 00:02:51.460 Ah, and this is where the famous story comes 00:02:51.460 --> 00:02:54.699 in, right? His grandfather mailing him videotapes 00:02:54.699 --> 00:02:57.259 of NBA games. Exactly. That's the mamba mentality 00:02:57.259 --> 00:03:00.020 blueprint right there, even as a kid. He wasn't 00:03:00.020 --> 00:03:01.819 just playing pickup. He was breaking down NBA 00:03:01.819 --> 00:03:05.479 games, studying footwork, strategy in isolation. 00:03:05.479 --> 00:03:08.229 That's intense for a kid. It really is. It built 00:03:08.229 --> 00:03:10.469 a different kind of player. You know, he loved 00:03:10.469 --> 00:03:13.810 soccer, too. Big AC Milan fan, apparently. Ah, 00:03:13.889 --> 00:03:15.750 didn't know that. But when he came back to Philly 00:03:15.750 --> 00:03:19.389 at 13, he already had this almost professional 00:03:19.389 --> 00:03:22.069 level of discipline. It came from studying the 00:03:22.069 --> 00:03:24.669 game, not just playing it. And you saw that discipline 00:03:24.669 --> 00:03:27.669 immediately when he hit Lower Marion High School. 00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:30.319 Started varsity as a freshman. Yeah, and think 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:32.360 about this. The team was rough his first year, 00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:36.000 like four wins and 20 losses. But he didn't let 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:38.580 that phase him. That determination, it paid off. 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:40.620 The next three years, they were dominant. 77 00:03:40.620 --> 00:03:43.379 wins, only 13 losses. And they won the state 00:03:43.379 --> 00:03:45.360 championship his senior year, right? First time 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:48.039 in like half a century for the school. In 53 00:03:48.039 --> 00:03:50.919 years, yeah. But the numbers he put up, I mean, 00:03:50.919 --> 00:03:53.139 it's crazy for a high school player. He broke 00:03:53.139 --> 00:03:55.139 the scoring record for southeastern Pennsylvania, 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:57.539 right? Yeah. More points than Wilt Chamberlain 00:03:57.539 --> 00:04:00.860 and Lionel Simmons. 2 ,883 points. Yeah, past 00:04:00.860 --> 00:04:03.379 those legends. He wasn't just good. He was, like, 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:05.620 rewriting the history books locally. And the 00:04:05.620 --> 00:04:08.219 national awards followed. Naismith Prep Player 00:04:08.219 --> 00:04:10.659 of the Year, Gatorade National Player of the 00:04:10.659 --> 00:04:13.389 Year in 96. Yep. He had the grades too, by the 00:04:13.389 --> 00:04:15.889 way. SAT score was 1080. Could have gone pretty 00:04:15.889 --> 00:04:18.089 much anywhere. Duke, North Carolina, you name 00:04:18.089 --> 00:04:20.430 it. But college wasn't in the plan. Nope. He 00:04:20.430 --> 00:04:23.810 had his sights set higher, faster. Which leads 00:04:23.810 --> 00:04:26.529 us to that huge decision, declaring for the NBA 00:04:26.529 --> 00:04:29.810 draft straight out of high school. At 17. Only 00:04:29.810 --> 00:04:32.449 the sixth player ever to do that at the time. 00:04:32.470 --> 00:04:34.750 Felt like a massive risk, right? Kevin Garnett 00:04:34.750 --> 00:04:37.089 had done it, but it wasn't common. It was a gamble 00:04:37.089 --> 00:04:40.110 for sure. But the Lakers, they saw something. 00:04:40.269 --> 00:04:43.709 Jerry West? the logo, their GM at the time, he 00:04:43.709 --> 00:04:46.889 saw Kobe work out against NBA pros before the 00:04:46.889 --> 00:04:49.269 draft. And what did West think? The sources say 00:04:49.269 --> 00:04:51.930 West felt Kobe just marched over the competition, 00:04:52.170 --> 00:04:54.810 like he dominated them. That workout sealed it. 00:04:54.850 --> 00:04:57.189 The Lakers knew they had to get him. Which brings 00:04:57.189 --> 00:04:59.870 us to the draft day magic, or maybe strategy. 00:05:00.490 --> 00:05:03.050 Drafted 13th by the Charlotte Hornets. But that 00:05:03.050 --> 00:05:05.500 was all prearranged. Right. immediately traded 00:05:05.500 --> 00:05:07.819 to the Lakers for Vlade Divac, their starting 00:05:07.819 --> 00:05:10.560 center. And that move, it wasn't just about getting 00:05:10.560 --> 00:05:13.439 Kobe. It was a brilliant piece of salary cap 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:17.180 maneuvering by West. How so? Trading Divac cleared 00:05:17.180 --> 00:05:19.300 the cap space they needed to sign the biggest 00:05:19.300 --> 00:05:22.819 free agent that summer, Shaquille O 'Neal. Ah, 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:25.920 so getting Kobe enabled them to get Shaq. Exactly. 00:05:26.120 --> 00:05:28.480 It wasn't just drafting a future star. Jerry 00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:31.740 West was building an empire. He basically engineered 00:05:31.740 --> 00:05:34.560 a dynasty right there with that one trade, pairing 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:37.540 this incredible young talent with the most dominant 00:05:37.540 --> 00:05:39.660 force in the league. Well, Kobe arrives in L 00:05:39.660 --> 00:05:42.300 .A. He's basically a kid, 18 years old, playing 00:05:42.300 --> 00:05:45.839 alongside Shaq. Super young, second youngest 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:49.220 ever. Yeah, 18 years, 72 days. And he mostly 00:05:49.220 --> 00:05:50.980 came off the bench at first, you know, behind 00:05:50.980 --> 00:05:53.339 established guards like Eddie Jones and Nick 00:05:53.339 --> 00:05:55.500 Van Exel. They were trying to ease him in. Seemed 00:05:55.500 --> 00:05:59.189 like it. But Kobe... Being Kobe, he was already 00:05:59.189 --> 00:06:01.329 pushing for the spotlight. He won the slam dunk 00:06:01.329 --> 00:06:04.389 contest in 97, youngest ever to do that at 18. 00:06:04.470 --> 00:06:06.430 So the flashy potential was obvious. Oh, yeah, 00:06:06.490 --> 00:06:08.949 the flash was there. But proving the substance, 00:06:09.290 --> 00:06:11.910 the reliability under pressure, that came later, 00:06:11.970 --> 00:06:13.970 and maybe in the toughest way possible. You're 00:06:13.970 --> 00:06:16.170 talking about the Air Bowl game. Yeah, the 1997 00:06:16.170 --> 00:06:19.850 playoffs against the Utah Jazz. Game five, key 00:06:19.850 --> 00:06:22.389 Lakers were out, injured, or fouled out, including 00:06:22.389 --> 00:06:25.589 Shaq. So who do they turn to in the clutch? The 00:06:25.589 --> 00:06:27.910 rookie. And he shoots, what, four air balls? 00:06:28.009 --> 00:06:30.910 Four air balls on huge shots. Game -tying attempt 00:06:30.910 --> 00:06:33.410 in the fourth, then three critical threes in 00:06:33.410 --> 00:06:35.269 overtime, including a couple to tie it again 00:06:35.269 --> 00:06:37.589 in the final minute. Man, most players would 00:06:37.589 --> 00:06:39.769 just crawl into a hole after the first one. Right, 00:06:39.870 --> 00:06:42.769 but Kobe just kept firing. That's the Mamba mentality 00:06:42.769 --> 00:06:45.209 right there, even as a teenager. That refusal 00:06:45.209 --> 00:06:48.110 to let failure define the next moment. Didn't 00:06:48.110 --> 00:06:49.790 Shaq say something about that afterwards? He 00:06:49.790 --> 00:06:52.529 did. Even though they lost and Shaq had fouled 00:06:52.529 --> 00:06:54.829 out, he famously praised Kobe, said he was the 00:06:54.829 --> 00:06:56.750 only guy who had the guts at the time to take 00:06:56.750 --> 00:06:59.230 shots like that. Kobe really internalized that. 00:07:00.050 --> 00:07:02.189 Fail, fail again, but you always take the next 00:07:02.189 --> 00:07:04.329 shot. So by his second year, he was really starting 00:07:04.329 --> 00:07:06.870 to break out. Oh, yeah. Points doubled. Minutes 00:07:06.870 --> 00:07:09.490 went way up. And he became the youngest All -Star 00:07:09.490 --> 00:07:12.470 starter ever in 98. The Lakers had four All -Stars 00:07:12.470 --> 00:07:14.290 that year. The talent was stacked. But still 00:07:14.290 --> 00:07:17.350 no championships yet. What changed? 1999. Phil 00:07:17.350 --> 00:07:20.410 Jackson arrives, the Zen master. He brings in 00:07:20.410 --> 00:07:22.730 the triangle offense. Which was supposed to help 00:07:22.730 --> 00:07:25.490 integrate Shaq and Kobe, right? Theoretically, 00:07:25.550 --> 00:07:27.850 yeah. And it did make them more efficient together. 00:07:27.949 --> 00:07:31.100 But it also may be... amplified the tension between 00:07:31.100 --> 00:07:34.060 them. The famous Shaq -Kobe feud. Exactly. The 00:07:34.060 --> 00:07:36.240 sources are pretty clear. This was a dynasty 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:39.740 built on, let's say, high -level friction. Two 00:07:39.740 --> 00:07:43.459 massive stars, both wanting to be the guy, needing 00:07:43.459 --> 00:07:45.660 each other, but maybe not always liking each 00:07:45.660 --> 00:07:48.100 other. But the results. You can't argue with 00:07:48.100 --> 00:07:49.839 the results. Three straight championships. 2000, 00:07:50.139 --> 00:07:54.000 2001, 2002. Just dominant. And the 2000 finals 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:57.920 against Indiana. That series... really cemented 00:07:57.920 --> 00:07:59.899 Kobe's clutch reputation, didn't it? Especially 00:07:59.899 --> 00:08:02.540 after the injury. Oh, definitely. Game two, he 00:08:02.540 --> 00:08:05.360 lands awkwardly on Jalen Rose's foot. Rose later 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:07.360 kind of admitted he did it on purpose. Seriously. 00:08:07.620 --> 00:08:09.639 Yeah, pretty controversial. Kobe sprains his 00:08:09.639 --> 00:08:11.620 ankle badly, misses game three. But he comes 00:08:11.620 --> 00:08:13.779 back for game four. Comes back, yeah. And it's 00:08:13.779 --> 00:08:15.819 legendary. Shaq fouls out late in the game. It 00:08:15.819 --> 00:08:18.860 goes to overtime, and the injured Kobe just takes 00:08:18.860 --> 00:08:21.180 over. He scores 22 points after halftime, and 00:08:21.180 --> 00:08:23.980 an OT hits the go -ahead shots. Playing through 00:08:23.980 --> 00:08:26.180 that pain. Yeah. That's Michael Jordan territory. 00:08:26.540 --> 00:08:29.339 Exactly. It established him as that kind of player 00:08:29.339 --> 00:08:32.580 willing to push through anything. By 2002, the 00:08:32.580 --> 00:08:35.480 individual awards started piling up too. First 00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:37.820 time All -NBA first team. And he won the All 00:08:37.820 --> 00:08:39.820 -Star Game MVP that year, right? In Philly. In 00:08:39.820 --> 00:08:43.539 Philly, yeah. And the best part, he got booed 00:08:43.539 --> 00:08:46.299 relentlessly by his hometown crowd the entire 00:08:46.299 --> 00:08:49.110 game. Why were they booing him? It went back 00:08:49.110 --> 00:08:51.429 to the finals the previous year against the Sixers. 00:08:51.470 --> 00:08:53.830 Apparently he'd told some heckler that the Lakers 00:08:53.830 --> 00:08:56.049 were going to cut your hearts out. Oh, wow. Yeah, 00:08:56.129 --> 00:08:58.549 peak villain Kobe. He didn't care, though. He 00:08:58.549 --> 00:09:00.610 kind of seemed to feed off it, embraced being 00:09:00.610 --> 00:09:03.610 the enemy. So they complete the three -peat in 00:09:03.610 --> 00:09:07.009 2002, sweeping the Nets. And Kobe's only 23. 00:09:07.389 --> 00:09:09.889 Youngest player ever to win three rings. His 00:09:09.889 --> 00:09:11.309 playoff numbers were just getting better and 00:09:11.309 --> 00:09:13.549 better. He was proving himself as a massive clutch 00:09:13.549 --> 00:09:15.629 performer, even if, you know, most people still 00:09:15.629 --> 00:09:18.759 called it Shaq's team. That perception was about 00:09:18.759 --> 00:09:21.279 to change, though. Yeah, the era after the three 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:23.620 -peat. That's when Kobe really takes the reins, 00:09:23.799 --> 00:09:26.360 unquestionably. And it starts with just this 00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:31.120 scoring explosion. His focus shifted almost entirely 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:34.399 to offensive dominance. Like that game in January 00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:38.519 2003 against Seattle. Exactly. Hits 12 three 00:09:38.519 --> 00:09:41.740 -pointers. An NBA record at the time. Just incredible 00:09:41.740 --> 00:09:43.860 shooting. And wasn't there a month where he just 00:09:43.860 --> 00:09:46.720 went completely nuts scoring? February 2003. 00:09:47.810 --> 00:09:50.809 Averaged over 40 points a game, 40 .6 I think. 00:09:51.110 --> 00:09:53.610 Had a streak of nine straight games scoring 40 00:09:53.610 --> 00:09:55.710 or more. It was like a preview of what was possible 00:09:55.710 --> 00:09:57.789 when he fully unleashed his scoring. But then 00:09:57.789 --> 00:10:00.690 came the 2004 season, the super team attempt. 00:10:00.970 --> 00:10:03.269 Right. They bring in Karl Malone and Gary Payton, 00:10:03.309 --> 00:10:04.990 both future Hall of Famers, veterans looking 00:10:04.990 --> 00:10:07.769 for that ring. It looked unstoppable on paper. 00:10:07.929 --> 00:10:09.970 And Kobe had some insane moments that year, too, 00:10:10.009 --> 00:10:11.690 like that Portland game at the end of the season. 00:10:11.870 --> 00:10:15.009 Oh, man, that game was legendary. Two buzzer 00:10:15.009 --> 00:10:17.870 beaters in one game. One descended to overtime, 00:10:18.049 --> 00:10:20.629 another ridiculous shot to win it in double overtime 00:10:20.629 --> 00:10:24.070 and clinch the division title. Classic Kobe heroics. 00:10:24.149 --> 00:10:26.690 But the season ended in disaster. Complete collapse 00:10:26.690 --> 00:10:29.750 in the finals against the Tripistons. That loss, 00:10:29.809 --> 00:10:31.960 combined with all... All the internal tension, 00:10:32.120 --> 00:10:35.299 especially between Shaq and Kobe, it just blew 00:10:35.299 --> 00:10:38.019 everything up. And that led to the Shaq trade. 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:40.679 Yep. Shaq gets traded to Miami in the offseason. 00:10:40.799 --> 00:10:43.799 And just like that, Kobe is the undisputed face, 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:45.940 the cornerstone of the Lakers. No more sharing 00:10:45.940 --> 00:10:47.559 the spotlight. That must have been immense pressure. 00:10:47.919 --> 00:10:50.639 Totally. And things got rocky immediately. Phil 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:52.679 Jackson left initially. He even wrote a book 00:10:52.679 --> 00:10:55.019 the last season where he called Kobe uncoachable 00:10:55.019 --> 00:10:58.289 at times. Ouch. Yeah. Jackson did come back in 00:10:58.289 --> 00:11:00.509 2005, which helped stabilize things, but Kobe 00:11:00.509 --> 00:11:02.830 was now leading a much less talented team. So 00:11:02.830 --> 00:11:05.149 how did he respond to all that? In the most Kobe 00:11:05.149 --> 00:11:07.929 way imaginable, by putting up historic scoring 00:11:07.929 --> 00:11:11.789 numbers, which leads us to January 22, 2006, 00:11:12.230 --> 00:11:16.289 the 81 -point game against Toronto. 81. It's 00:11:16.289 --> 00:11:17.870 still hard to wrap your head around that number. 00:11:18.009 --> 00:11:20.450 It really is. Second most points ever scored 00:11:20.450 --> 00:11:22.309 in an NBA game. But you've got to look at the 00:11:22.309 --> 00:11:24.450 context, especially compared to Wilt Chamberlain's 00:11:24.450 --> 00:11:26.720 100 -point game. Right. How is it different? 00:11:26.820 --> 00:11:29.299 Well, Wilt's 100 came in a much faster -paced 00:11:29.299 --> 00:11:32.019 era. His team was force -feeding him the ball 00:11:32.019 --> 00:11:34.360 on a blowout win. They were even fouling the 00:11:34.360 --> 00:11:35.879 other team just to get the ball back to Wilt 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:38.580 faster. Okay, so Kobe's 81. It was different. 00:11:38.700 --> 00:11:41.799 Modern era, slower pace. And the Lakers were 00:11:41.799 --> 00:11:44.639 actually losing at halftime, down by 14. Kobe 00:11:44.639 --> 00:11:46.840 basically had to will them back into the game. 00:11:47.019 --> 00:11:49.480 So he created his own shots. Overwhelmingly, 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:52.480 yeah. Mostly mid -range and outside shots, often 00:11:52.480 --> 00:11:56.340 in isolation. He scored 66%. of his team's points 00:11:56.340 --> 00:11:59.419 that night. And get this. Just a month earlier, 00:11:59.700 --> 00:12:03.019 he'd scored 62 points against a very good Dallas 00:12:03.019 --> 00:12:06.100 Mavericks team. 62. In only three quarters. He 00:12:06.100 --> 00:12:08.059 sat out the entire fourth quarter because the 00:12:08.059 --> 00:12:09.980 Lakers were blowing them out. And at the end 00:12:09.980 --> 00:12:13.100 of the third... Kobe alone had outscored the 00:12:13.100 --> 00:12:17.879 entire Mavs team, 62 -61. That's insane. It just 00:12:17.879 --> 00:12:20.039 showed his ability to completely dominate a game 00:12:20.039 --> 00:12:22.259 single -handedly. He didn't need plays run for 00:12:22.259 --> 00:12:24.799 him constantly like Wilt did for his 100. Kobe 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:27.379 could just take over. And this scoring prowess 00:12:27.379 --> 00:12:30.480 led to back -to -back scoring titles. Yep. Averaged 00:12:30.480 --> 00:12:33.980 35 .4 points per game in 2006, then 31 .6 in 00:12:33.980 --> 00:12:37.000 2007. Put him in elite company, like scoring 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:40.100 45 -plus in four straight games, joining Wilt 00:12:40.100 --> 00:12:42.679 and Elgin Baylor. But the team's success wasn't 00:12:42.679 --> 00:12:44.639 quite there yet, right? First round playoff exits. 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:47.179 Yeah, back -to -back losses to Steve Nash's Phoenix 00:12:47.179 --> 00:12:49.980 Suns in the first round. That frustration boiled 00:12:49.980 --> 00:12:52.440 over in the summer of 2007. That's when he demanded 00:12:52.440 --> 00:12:55.440 a trade. Famously, yes. Publicly demanded a trade. 00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:57.860 Said the organization wasn't committed to building 00:12:57.860 --> 00:13:00.080 a winner around him. It felt like a power play, 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:03.039 you know, a calculated mamba move. Forcing their 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:05.980 hand. Exactly. Commit to winning my way or I'm 00:13:05.980 --> 00:13:09.000 out. It created huge drama, huge tension. But 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:11.389 it worked. It led directly to the trade that 00:13:11.389 --> 00:13:13.289 changed everything again. The Pau Gasol trade 00:13:13.289 --> 00:13:16.250 in 2008. That was the missing piece. Gasol arrives 00:13:16.250 --> 00:13:18.470 and the Lakers instantly become title contenders 00:13:18.470 --> 00:13:22.309 again. And Kobe's 2008 season? It's incredible 00:13:22.309 --> 00:13:24.970 for another reason. Look at that. He played all 00:13:24.970 --> 00:13:27.389 82 games that year, despite having a completely 00:13:27.389 --> 00:13:30.710 torn ligament in the pinky finger of his shooting 00:13:30.710 --> 00:13:33.629 hand. Wait. A torn ligament. In his shooting 00:13:33.629 --> 00:13:37.470 hand. All season. Yep. Complete tear of the radial 00:13:37.470 --> 00:13:40.350 collateral ligament. Think about the pain, the 00:13:40.350 --> 00:13:42.769 adjustment needed for every single shot. It's 00:13:42.769 --> 00:13:45.549 just unbelievable dedication. And that commitment, 00:13:45.649 --> 00:13:47.830 that performance finally got him the big one. 00:13:47.970 --> 00:13:51.149 The 2008 NBA MVP award, his only regular season 00:13:51.149 --> 00:13:53.169 MVP. They made it back to the finals that year, 00:13:53.210 --> 00:13:55.129 but lost to the Boston Celtic. But redemption 00:13:55.129 --> 00:13:58.470 wasn't far off. Nope. 2009 against the Orlando 00:13:58.470 --> 00:14:01.769 Magic, 2010 against the Celtics again. Back -to 00:14:01.769 --> 00:14:04.070 -back championships, rings number four and five. 00:14:04.389 --> 00:14:06.570 And this time, there was no question who the 00:14:06.570 --> 00:14:08.759 leader was. None at all. He was the finals MVP 00:14:08.759 --> 00:14:12.000 both years. The 2010 finals win, especially getting 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:14.100 revenge against their rivals, the Celtics, in 00:14:14.100 --> 00:14:16.960 a tough game seven that was huge for his legacy. 00:14:17.220 --> 00:14:19.080 He put up some crazy stats in those finals, too. 00:14:19.240 --> 00:14:22.200 Yeah. In 2009, he averaged over 32 points and 00:14:22.200 --> 00:14:24.779 seven assists per game in the finals. First player 00:14:24.779 --> 00:14:27.480 to do that since Jerry West back in 69. By the 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:29.240 end of the 2000s decade, he'd actually scored 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:31.299 more points than anyone else in the entire league. 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:33.740 Just solidified himself as the dominant scorer 00:14:33.740 --> 00:14:36.399 of his generation. OK, so after ring number five. 00:14:36.889 --> 00:14:39.210 The goal was obvious, right? Catch Michael Jordan. 00:14:39.330 --> 00:14:41.649 Get that sixth ring. Absolutely. That became 00:14:41.649 --> 00:14:45.090 the singular focus. And this final part of his 00:14:45.090 --> 00:14:47.370 career, it's really a story about incredible 00:14:47.370 --> 00:14:50.289 willpower battling against, you know, the inevitable 00:14:50.289 --> 00:14:52.590 breakdown of the body after so many years, so 00:14:52.590 --> 00:14:54.769 many miles. He started that chase strong, though. 00:14:54.870 --> 00:14:57.809 Yeah. Still hitting milestones. Oh, yeah. Became 00:14:57.809 --> 00:15:00.870 the youngest player to hit 27 ,000 points. tied 00:15:00.870 --> 00:15:03.309 Bob Pettit for the most All -Star MVP awards 00:15:03.309 --> 00:15:06.690 with his fourth one in 2011. But that period 00:15:06.690 --> 00:15:09.929 also had some rough moments. The controversy 00:15:09.929 --> 00:15:13.190 in 2011. Right. He was fined $100 ,000 for yelling 00:15:13.190 --> 00:15:15.509 a homophobic slur at a referee during a game. 00:15:15.590 --> 00:15:17.590 It was a bad look, a moment where that intense 00:15:17.590 --> 00:15:20.529 competitive fire really crossed a line. He apologized 00:15:20.529 --> 00:15:23.230 publicly and did a PSA afterward. And the injury 00:15:23.230 --> 00:15:25.370 started piling up more noticeably, too. Definitely. 00:15:25.429 --> 00:15:27.309 He got a broken nose and a concussion in the 00:15:27.309 --> 00:15:29.870 2012 All -Star Game from a hard foul by Dwyane 00:15:29.870 --> 00:15:31.710 Wade. Just the wear and tear was becoming more 00:15:31.710 --> 00:15:33.210 evident. But he kept playing through it, kept 00:15:33.210 --> 00:15:35.929 setting records. Youngest to 30 ,000 points in 00:15:35.929 --> 00:15:38.870 2012. Past Magic Johnson for the Lakers' all 00:15:38.870 --> 00:15:42.740 -time steals lead. Yep. And the 2012 -2013 season, 00:15:42.779 --> 00:15:44.399 that was really interesting from a strategic 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:46.700 standpoint. Mike D 'Antoni came in as coach. 00:15:46.860 --> 00:15:48.639 The team had a bunch of injuries. They were struggling. 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:51.519 So Kobe changed his game. He did. He realized 00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:54.940 just scoring wasn't enough. So for a stretch, 00:15:55.220 --> 00:15:57.519 he basically became the team's primary point 00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:00.460 guard, facilitating, setting guys up. They called 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:03.159 him the Magic Mamba, right? Yeah. Had a string 00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:05.860 of games with double -digit assists. ended up 00:16:05.860 --> 00:16:08.279 with his second highest assist average for a 00:16:08.279 --> 00:16:10.740 season. It wasn't his natural instinct, maybe, 00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:13.179 but it showed that Mamba mentality adapting. 00:16:13.639 --> 00:16:16.080 Okay, scoring isn't working. I'll master passing 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:18.480 instead. But that adaptability, that effort to 00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:21.500 carry the team, it came at a huge cost. A terrible 00:16:21.500 --> 00:16:23.779 cost. They were fighting just to make the playoffs, 00:16:23.879 --> 00:16:26.279 and they were leaning on him so heavily. He played 00:16:26.279 --> 00:16:28.779 40 -plus minutes for seven games in a row, just 00:16:28.779 --> 00:16:31.279 pushing his body way beyond its limits at that 00:16:31.279 --> 00:16:35.899 age. And then the Achilles. April. 2013 against 00:16:35.899 --> 00:16:38.399 the Warriors. Yeah, the big one. A catastrophic 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:40.679 Achilles tear. And the image from that night. 00:16:41.259 --> 00:16:43.759 It's unforgettable. Refusing to leave the court 00:16:43.759 --> 00:16:46.899 until he shot his free throws. Exactly. He hobbled 00:16:46.899 --> 00:16:49.220 to the line, sunk both free throws on a torn 00:16:49.220 --> 00:16:52.480 Achilles, and then limped off. That moment just 00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:54.639 perfectly captured his entire career, didn't 00:16:54.639 --> 00:16:56.860 it? The relentless competitor finishing the job 00:16:56.860 --> 00:16:59.220 before succumbing to the injury. That injury 00:16:59.220 --> 00:17:01.299 basically marked the beginning of the end, didn't 00:17:01.299 --> 00:17:04.079 it? Pretty much. It defined the next few years. 00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:06.460 There was controversy around his contract extension 00:17:06.460 --> 00:17:10.500 in 2013, too. Right. The two -year, $48 .5 million 00:17:10.500 --> 00:17:13.299 deal. People debated that one. Yeah, because 00:17:13.299 --> 00:17:16.059 he was coming off that devastating injury, but 00:17:16.059 --> 00:17:18.160 the Lakers made him the highest paid player in 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:20.920 the league. It was seen as, you know, a reward 00:17:20.920 --> 00:17:23.339 for his legacy, a commitment from the franchise, 00:17:23.740 --> 00:17:26.259 even if his future production was a big question 00:17:26.259 --> 00:17:28.259 mark. And the next couple of seasons were tough. 00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:30.759 Lots of injuries. Injury interruptions, yeah. 00:17:31.019 --> 00:17:33.940 He did manage to pass Michael Jordan on the all 00:17:33.940 --> 00:17:36.859 -time scoring list in 2014, which was a huge 00:17:36.859 --> 00:17:39.579 personal milestone for him, given how much he 00:17:39.579 --> 00:17:42.019 modeled his game after MJ. Still had flashes 00:17:42.019 --> 00:17:43.839 like those triple -doubles late in his career. 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:47.009 Became the oldest player, 36, I think. to have 00:17:47.009 --> 00:17:49.710 multiple triple doubles in a season. But then 00:17:49.710 --> 00:17:53.349 another major injury in 2015 tore his rotator 00:17:53.349 --> 00:17:56.529 cuff. Another season cut short. The body was 00:17:56.529 --> 00:17:59.170 clearly breaking down. It was. The efficiency 00:17:59.170 --> 00:18:07.869 dropped off a cliff. Saying something like, even 00:18:07.869 --> 00:18:09.789 though I play like Ez, I've worked really, really 00:18:09.789 --> 00:18:12.779 hard not to play like crap. Wow. That's raw. 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:15.859 Yeah, it showed that internal battle. The mind 00:18:15.859 --> 00:18:18.039 still demanded perfection, but the body just 00:18:18.039 --> 00:18:20.839 couldn't cooperate anymore. So that set the stage 00:18:20.839 --> 00:18:24.339 for the 2015 -2016 season, the Farewell Tour. 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:27.339 Yep. He broke John Stockton's record for most 00:18:27.339 --> 00:18:29.240 seasons with one team, 20 years at the Lakers. 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:32.019 Then in November 2015, he announced his retirement 00:18:32.019 --> 00:18:34.859 with that poem, Dear Basketball. Which was incredibly 00:18:34.859 --> 00:18:37.880 emotional. Very raw, very personal. He basically 00:18:37.880 --> 00:18:39.759 said his mind and heart were still willing, but 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:41.579 his body was telling him it's time to say goodbye. 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:44.099 And the reaction during that final season was 00:18:44.099 --> 00:18:46.720 fascinating. It really was. Kobe had always kind 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:50.140 of embraced being the villain, you know, thrived 00:18:50.140 --> 00:18:53.759 on the boos. But on that farewell tour. Arenas 00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:56.220 where he'd always been hated, Boston, Philly, 00:18:56.440 --> 00:18:59.160 Utah, they were giving him standing ovations. 00:18:59.420 --> 00:19:01.180 It felt like a shift in perspective from the 00:19:01.180 --> 00:19:03.099 fans. I think so. It was like people finally 00:19:03.099 --> 00:19:05.460 recognized that the very thing they often criticize, 00:19:05.579 --> 00:19:08.160 that relentless, almost stubborn competitiveness, 00:19:08.220 --> 00:19:11.299 was actually the source of his greatness. They 00:19:11.299 --> 00:19:14.019 were saluting the dedication, the longevity. 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:16.960 And the final game. Yeah. Well, it couldn't have 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:19.480 ended any other way, could it? April 13th, 2016, 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:22.410 against the Utah Jazz, it was... Pure Hollywood. 00:19:22.690 --> 00:19:25.650 He goes out and scores 60 points. 60. Leading 00:19:25.650 --> 00:19:28.049 a comeback win. Leading a comeback win. Most 00:19:28.049 --> 00:19:30.349 points ever scored in a final regular season 00:19:30.349 --> 00:19:33.829 game. Oldest player ever at 37 to score 60 plus 00:19:33.829 --> 00:19:37.069 dazes. It was just signature Mamba. He didn't 00:19:37.069 --> 00:19:39.369 limp off into the sunset. He exploded one last 00:19:39.369 --> 00:19:41.589 time. And then dropped the mic with Mamba out. 00:19:41.710 --> 00:19:44.079 Mamba out. Perfect ending. So let's try and really 00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:46.059 pin down this Mamba mentality. It's more than 00:19:46.059 --> 00:19:47.759 just wanting to win, right? It seems like a whole 00:19:47.759 --> 00:19:50.400 philosophy. It really is. As a player, you know, 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:53.180 6 '6", shooting guard, incredible scorer, but 00:19:53.180 --> 00:19:55.140 he was also a depth student of the game. We talked 00:19:55.140 --> 00:19:57.220 about modeling the fadeaway after Jordan. Right. 00:19:57.319 --> 00:19:59.960 But he also famously went to Hakeem Olajuwon 00:19:59.960 --> 00:20:04.130 late in his career to learn post moves. Think 00:20:04.130 --> 00:20:06.829 about that. Already a legend, still seeking out 00:20:06.829 --> 00:20:09.230 knowledge, adding tools to his game. That's the 00:20:09.230 --> 00:20:12.109 relentless improvement part. Exactly. Obsessive 00:20:12.109 --> 00:20:14.509 practice, studying the best, breaking things 00:20:14.509 --> 00:20:17.029 down to the smallest detail, and then integrating 00:20:17.029 --> 00:20:19.589 it until it was second nature. That's why his 00:20:19.589 --> 00:20:22.690 peers respected him so much. NDA GMs voted him 00:20:22.690 --> 00:20:25.109 for 10 years straight as the guy they wanted 00:20:25.109 --> 00:20:27.630 taking the last shot. He just projected that 00:20:27.630 --> 00:20:29.930 confidence, that clutch ability. He really did. 00:20:30.329 --> 00:20:33.299 But... That same drive leads to the criticisms, 00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:35.839 doesn't it? The selfish label. The high volume 00:20:35.839 --> 00:20:38.140 shooting. He retired as the all -time leader 00:20:38.140 --> 00:20:40.740 in missed shots, at least for a while. So how 00:20:40.740 --> 00:20:43.539 do we square that? Was it selfish or just necessary 00:20:43.539 --> 00:20:46.400 for his style? It's a valid debate. Phil Jackson 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:48.259 definitely thought he forced the issue sometimes. 00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:52.259 But Kobe's mindset, there's that famous quote 00:20:52.259 --> 00:20:54.420 that sums it up perfectly. The 0 for 30 quote. 00:20:54.700 --> 00:20:57.500 Yeah. I would go 0 for 30 before I would go 0 00:20:57.500 --> 00:20:59.930 for 9. 0 for 9 means you... beat yourself. You 00:20:59.930 --> 00:21:02.109 psyched yourself out of the game. Wow. That's 00:21:02.109 --> 00:21:05.650 pure Mamba mentality. Confidence isn't just helpful. 00:21:05.849 --> 00:21:09.650 It's mandatory. Doubt is failure. Missing 30 00:21:09.650 --> 00:21:12.369 shots, but having the absolute conviction to 00:21:12.369 --> 00:21:16.250 take the 31st. That requires an extreme, maybe 00:21:16.250 --> 00:21:19.349 even unhealthy level of self -belief. And how 00:21:19.349 --> 00:21:21.750 did that intensity play out with teammates? You 00:21:21.750 --> 00:21:23.910 had a reputation for being tough on them. Especially 00:21:23.910 --> 00:21:26.819 early on. Yeah. Sources say he could be incredibly 00:21:26.819 --> 00:21:29.160 demanding, almost scornful. But there was an 00:21:29.160 --> 00:21:31.759 evolution, particularly after Shaq left. Phil 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:33.779 Jackson noted it. He became more of a leader. 00:21:33.900 --> 00:21:36.039 More of a partner, maybe. Started mentoring younger 00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:38.160 players, building relationships off the court. 00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:40.839 He seemed to realize that ultimate success required 00:21:40.839 --> 00:21:43.079 bringing teammates along, not just driving them 00:21:43.079 --> 00:21:45.480 relentlessly. Leading through partnership, not 00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:47.680 just intimidation. Okay, we need to address the 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:49.920 most difficult part of his story now. The 2003 00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:52.339 sexual assault allegation in Colorado. Yeah. 00:21:52.779 --> 00:21:55.180 It's a crucial and very somber part of his life 00:21:55.180 --> 00:21:57.799 and public image. The impact was massive and 00:21:57.799 --> 00:22:00.519 immediate. He was arrested after a hotel employee 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:03.619 filed a complaint. He admitted having a sexual 00:22:03.619 --> 00:22:05.960 encounter, but always maintained it was consensual. 00:22:06.059 --> 00:22:09.500 Right. The public backlash was severe. His image 00:22:09.500 --> 00:22:12.920 took a huge hit. Major sponsors like McDonald's 00:22:12.920 --> 00:22:15.359 and Nutella dropped him completely. What about 00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:18.160 Nike? They just signed him. Nike played it carefully. 00:22:18.380 --> 00:22:20.460 They didn't drop him, but they basically shelved 00:22:20.460 --> 00:22:22.710 him for a year. Didn't use him in marketing. 00:22:23.089 --> 00:22:26.769 Didn't promote his shoe. It cast this long shadow 00:22:26.769 --> 00:22:29.710 over his career for years, both financially and 00:22:29.710 --> 00:22:32.490 reputationally. And the legal case itself. The 00:22:32.490 --> 00:22:34.849 criminal charges were eventually dropped in 2004. 00:22:35.269 --> 00:22:37.890 The accuser decided not to testify in the criminal 00:22:37.890 --> 00:22:40.930 trial. Kobe issued a public apology afterwards. 00:22:42.009 --> 00:22:43.950 It's important to note the wording there. What 00:22:43.950 --> 00:22:46.150 did he say? He acknowledged that while he believed 00:22:46.150 --> 00:22:48.190 the encounter was consensual, he understood that 00:22:48.190 --> 00:22:50.390 she didn't see it the same way, and he apologized 00:22:50.390 --> 00:22:53.130 for his behavior and the consequences she experienced. 00:22:53.730 --> 00:22:55.950 There was also a separate civil lawsuit that 00:22:55.950 --> 00:22:59.069 was settled privately out of court. Okay. Shifting 00:22:59.069 --> 00:23:02.150 gears a bit. Off the court. Beyond the controversy. 00:23:02.529 --> 00:23:05.500 What else defined him? Well, his family life 00:23:05.500 --> 00:23:07.940 became central, especially later on. Married 00:23:07.940 --> 00:23:10.799 Vanessa Lane in 2001. They had four daughters. 00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:13.519 Sources mentioned his Catholic faith was important 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:15.779 to him. He'd attend mass regularly. And the languages 00:23:15.779 --> 00:23:17.819 too, right? Italian. Fluent Italian from his 00:23:17.819 --> 00:23:20.980 childhood, yeah. And he picked up Spanish too. 00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:23.220 Would often do interviews in Spanish in the locker 00:23:23.220 --> 00:23:25.920 room. Just showed that sponge -like ability to 00:23:25.920 --> 00:23:28.359 learn. And then came the post -basketball career. 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:31.920 Which was surprisingly successful very quickly. 00:23:32.380 --> 00:23:35.359 Amazingly so. He didn't just retire. He pivoted. 00:23:35.700 --> 00:23:38.740 Applied that Mamba mentality to business. Founded 00:23:38.740 --> 00:23:41.619 Kobe Inc. Then launched Bryant Stiebel in 2016, 00:23:41.880 --> 00:23:44.880 a venture capital firm with $100 million in funding. 00:23:45.019 --> 00:23:46.759 And he had some big wins there too, right? Like 00:23:46.759 --> 00:23:48.619 Body Armor. Oh, yeah. The Body Armor investment 00:23:48.619 --> 00:23:51.529 was classic Kobe. Calculated risk. aggressive 00:23:51.529 --> 00:23:55.329 play, invested $6 million early on back in 2014. 00:23:55.549 --> 00:23:57.910 And that turned into? When Coca -Cola invested 00:23:57.910 --> 00:24:00.589 heavily in body armor a few years later, Kobe's 00:24:00.589 --> 00:24:02.589 initial stake was estimated to be worth around 00:24:02.589 --> 00:24:06.349 $200 million. Wow. That's a huge return. Huge. 00:24:06.410 --> 00:24:08.990 It wasn't just a celebrity endorsement. He was 00:24:08.990 --> 00:24:12.019 actively involved. trying to disrupt the sports 00:24:12.019 --> 00:24:15.220 drink market dominated by Gatorade. Same competitive 00:24:15.220 --> 00:24:17.859 fire, different arena. And then there's the Hollywood 00:24:17.859 --> 00:24:20.319 chapter, Granitey Studios. Yeah, his production 00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:22.440 company. This is where you really see that same 00:24:22.440 --> 00:24:25.740 obsessive preparation translate into a totally 00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:28.480 different field. I mean, man. He approached storytelling 00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:30.700 and animation with the same level of detailed 00:24:30.700 --> 00:24:33.920 study he applied to basketball footwork. He learned 00:24:33.920 --> 00:24:37.130 the craft. Which led to Dear Basketball. Exactly. 00:24:37.289 --> 00:24:39.970 Based on his retirement poem. And it wins the 00:24:39.970 --> 00:24:42.410 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 00:24:42.410 --> 00:24:45.490 2018. Making him the first pro athlete to win 00:24:45.490 --> 00:24:47.650 an Oscar in a competitive category. First one 00:24:47.650 --> 00:24:50.390 ever. It just proved that the core principles, 00:24:50.670 --> 00:24:53.289 the intense focus, the dedication to mastering 00:24:53.289 --> 00:24:55.390 the details, the mamba mentality, they weren't 00:24:55.390 --> 00:24:57.190 just about sports. They were transferable to 00:24:57.190 --> 00:25:00.509 anything he set his mind to. And then the story 00:25:00.509 --> 00:25:04.730 takes that sudden tragic turn. January 26. 2020. 00:25:05.009 --> 00:25:09.049 Yeah. Just devastating news. The helicopter crash 00:25:09.049 --> 00:25:12.410 in Calabasas, California. Kobe, his daughter 00:25:12.410 --> 00:25:15.130 Gianna, who was 13, and seven other people on 00:25:15.130 --> 00:25:17.970 board all lost their lives. They were heading 00:25:17.970 --> 00:25:20.309 to a youth basketball game at the Mamba Sports 00:25:20.309 --> 00:25:22.930 Academy. Just awful. The investigation followed, 00:25:23.069 --> 00:25:25.210 right? What did they find? The official cause 00:25:25.210 --> 00:25:27.869 of death for everyone was blunt force trauma 00:25:27.869 --> 00:25:31.089 from the crash. The NTSB investigation pointed 00:25:31.089 --> 00:25:33.769 primarily to the pilot. The pilot, Arizo Bayan. 00:25:34.079 --> 00:25:36.819 Right. The conclusion was that he likely experienced 00:25:36.819 --> 00:25:39.559 spatial disorientation after flying into thick 00:25:39.559 --> 00:25:41.740 fog and clouds, which was against visual flight 00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:44.619 rules regulations. Basically, he lost his sense 00:25:44.619 --> 00:25:46.660 of direction in the weather. The helicopter, 00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:48.680 unfortunately, wasn't equipped with a black box, 00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:50.440 which made the investigation harder. But the 00:25:50.440 --> 00:25:53.059 focus was on pilot error combined with the challenging 00:25:53.059 --> 00:25:55.279 weather conditions. And the aftermath. Yeah. 00:25:55.380 --> 00:25:57.079 There was that terrible issue with the crash 00:25:57.079 --> 00:25:59.500 site photos. Yeah, a really disturbing situation. 00:25:59.900 --> 00:26:02.140 First responders apparently took and shared graphic 00:26:02.140 --> 00:26:04.720 photos from the crash scene. Vanessa Bryant sued 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:07.180 L .A. County over it, arguing it was a horrific 00:26:07.180 --> 00:26:10.000 invasion of privacy on top of unimaginable grief. 00:26:10.180 --> 00:26:12.359 And she won that lawsuit, right? She did. Was 00:26:12.359 --> 00:26:15.279 awarded a very large settlement, around $28 .85 00:26:15.279 --> 00:26:19.420 million. A painful legal battle, but one focused 00:26:19.420 --> 00:26:22.119 on dignity and privacy for the victims and their 00:26:22.119 --> 00:26:25.039 families. The outpouring of grief and tributes 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:28.609 after the crash was just immense, global. It 00:26:28.609 --> 00:26:31.569 really was. Reflected just how huge his impact 00:26:31.569 --> 00:26:34.890 was, far beyond basketball fans. NBA Commissioner 00:26:34.890 --> 00:26:37.789 Adam Silver called him one of the greatest players 00:26:37.789 --> 00:26:40.150 ever, which felt like an understatement at the 00:26:40.150 --> 00:26:42.150 time. And the league honored him permanently. 00:26:42.430 --> 00:26:45.109 Yeah. They renamed the All -Star Game MVP Award. 00:26:45.269 --> 00:26:47.849 It's now officially the NBA All -Star Game Kobe 00:26:47.849 --> 00:26:50.490 Bryant Most Valuable Player Award, a fitting 00:26:50.490 --> 00:26:52.630 tribute. And the Lakers, of course, gave him 00:26:52.630 --> 00:26:54.970 the ultimate honor with his jerseys. Retiring 00:26:54.970 --> 00:26:58.500 both numbers, 8 -24 back in 2017. Still the only 00:26:58.500 --> 00:27:00.640 player in NBA history to have two different numbers 00:27:00.640 --> 00:27:03.099 retired by the same team. It really symbolizes 00:27:03.099 --> 00:27:05.200 the two distinct eras of his career, doesn't 00:27:05.200 --> 00:27:07.680 it? The young, high -flying No. 8 and the more 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:11.099 calculated, championship -focused No. 24. Perfectly 00:27:11.099 --> 00:27:13.779 put. He was also posthumously inducted into the 00:27:13.779 --> 00:27:16.720 Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021 and named to 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:20.000 the NBA's 75th anniversary team. And the physical 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:22.720 tributes continue statues. There's one at the 00:27:22.720 --> 00:27:25.279 crash site. And the big one outside the Lakers 00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:27.480 arena now. Yeah, a smaller memorial statue was 00:27:27.480 --> 00:27:29.259 placed at the crash site. And then in August 00:27:29.259 --> 00:27:32.380 2024, the Lakers unveiled the official statue 00:27:32.380 --> 00:27:35.700 outside Crypto .com Arena featuring Kobe and 00:27:35.700 --> 00:27:38.599 Gianna, a permanent fixture honoring their bond 00:27:38.599 --> 00:27:41.200 and legacy. When you look back at his career. 00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:44.440 purely by the numbers where does he stand well 00:27:44.440 --> 00:27:46.339 he retired fourth on the all -time scoring list 00:27:46.339 --> 00:27:50.460 33 ,643 points that's incredible volume and longevity 00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:53.259 tied for the most all NBA selections ever with 00:27:53.259 --> 00:27:56.319 15 and that defensive number again nine all defensive 00:27:56.319 --> 00:27:58.559 first team selections tied with guys like Michael 00:27:58.559 --> 00:28:01.259 Jordan Kevin Garnett Gary Payton legendary defenders 00:28:01.259 --> 00:28:04.059 that's the stat that really underscores his completeness 00:28:04.059 --> 00:28:05.900 as a player he wasn't just an offensive machine 00:28:05.900 --> 00:28:08.529 not at all For nearly a decade in his prime, 00:28:08.690 --> 00:28:10.809 he was guarding the other team's best wing player 00:28:10.809 --> 00:28:13.150 night in and night out while carrying that huge 00:28:13.150 --> 00:28:16.890 offensive load, a true two -way force. That's 00:28:16.890 --> 00:28:19.490 why you hear so many players from his era, KD, 00:28:19.630 --> 00:28:23.089 D -Wade, call him their generation's Michael 00:28:23.089 --> 00:28:26.210 Jordan. He set the standard for competitive excellence 00:28:26.210 --> 00:28:29.410 for two decades. Hashtag tag, outro, outro. So 00:28:29.410 --> 00:28:33.339 Kobe Bryant, definitely complex. Brilliant competitor, 00:28:33.599 --> 00:28:36.180 no doubt. But also someone who clearly transcended 00:28:36.180 --> 00:28:38.259 the sport itself, that relentless drive, the 00:28:38.259 --> 00:28:40.559 mama mentality. It wasn't just talk. You see 00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:42.960 it in everything he did. Absolutely. That obsessive 00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:46.240 study, the absolute refusal to accept self -doubt, 00:28:46.299 --> 00:28:48.900 that aggressive push for mastery. It took him 00:28:48.900 --> 00:28:51.279 to the absolute peak in basketball. And then, 00:28:51.359 --> 00:28:53.980 incredibly, he applied it all over again in business 00:28:53.980 --> 00:28:56.140 and film. He really showed that the mindset, 00:28:56.380 --> 00:28:58.500 the approach to getting better, it can work anywhere, 00:28:58.599 --> 00:29:00.720 right? It's not just about athletic talent. Exactly. 00:29:00.720 --> 00:29:03.930 The commitment to mastery. So for you listening, 00:29:03.950 --> 00:29:06.730 as you think about Kobe's life and legacy, maybe 00:29:06.730 --> 00:29:09.430 consider this, this final thought. You've got 00:29:09.430 --> 00:29:12.609 his incredible defense, nine all defensive teams, 00:29:12.670 --> 00:29:15.309 and you've got his Oscar win. Two totally different 00:29:15.309 --> 00:29:18.529 kinds of excellence. Right. So what part of that 00:29:18.529 --> 00:29:21.529 Mamba mentality do you think is the most transferable 00:29:21.529 --> 00:29:24.609 skill that really defines his overall legacy? 00:29:25.200 --> 00:29:27.920 Is it that fierce refusal to fail that all goes 00:29:27.920 --> 00:29:30.559 zero for 30 mindset? Is it the intense, almost 00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:32.900 strategic adaptability, the willingness to become 00:29:32.900 --> 00:29:35.079 Magic Mambo when the team needed a facilitator 00:29:35.079 --> 00:29:37.400 or to dive deep into animation and storytelling 00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:40.500 when he pursued film? That ability to identify 00:29:40.500 --> 00:29:44.500 a new challenge and meticulously master it. Because 00:29:44.500 --> 00:29:46.519 in the end, whether he was locking down an opponent 00:29:46.519 --> 00:29:50.039 or analyzing a stock for his VC firm or storyboarding 00:29:50.039 --> 00:29:52.099 a film. He seemed to approach it all with that 00:29:52.099 --> 00:29:55.900 same calculated precision, that same unwavering 00:29:55.900 --> 00:29:58.599 commitment to being the best. It's quite a legacy 00:29:58.599 --> 00:30:00.759 to unpack. Definitely is. That's all the time 00:30:00.759 --> 00:30:02.259 we have for this deep dive. Thanks for joining 00:30:02.259 --> 00:30:03.140 us. See you next time.