By: Harmony Takhar

The basketball game has had some players that have definitely changed the game. These players have made an impact on fans deciding which teams to favorite and in fact in pop culture as well. The legacy of our generation is none other than Kobe Bryant. We’ve known Bryant to be at the top of the game as we grew up, but he has recently announced his retirement. His time is up.

Kobe Bryant has been injured quite frequently over the past two years and this has caused him to underperform. His injuries are attributed to aging. He’s played in the NBA for the last 20 years. He’s going to be remembered as one of the best players to have played ball in the NBA.

His father was Joe Bryant, a retired player for the LA Lakers, so naturally basketball has been in all of Bryant’s life. In high school, he received quite a bit of attention. Bryant was an excellent student and even received an exceptionally high SAT score. However, he decided to play for the NBA straight out of high school and was drafted to the Charlotte Hornets in 1996.

Bryant was quickly traded to the LA Lakers where he would make history. He won the NBA playoffs for the Lakers for three consecutive years from 1999-2002. The Lakers won the playoffs twice again with Bryant in 2009-2010. Bryant could have possibly won more rings, but he blames his team’s lack of ability to play well together. Others have claimed it was because Bryant was a spotlight-stealer and a ball-hog.

Bryant played for Olympic Team USA and for All-star teams. He is an ambassador for the After School All-Stars, and has a charity called the Kobe Bryant China Fund. He even has his own company called Kobe Inc. After retirement, he plans on continuing to work for these causes.

Sources:

Holmes, Baxter, Marc Stein, and Ramona Shelburne. “Kobe Bryant to Retire after This Season.” ESPN News. ESPN, 30 Nov. 2015. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.

Kobe Bryant: ESPN Sports Century Documentary. Perf. Kobe Bryant. 2014.