The achievements of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on the NBA hardwood are well known. For years, people of all backgrounds gravitated to a special place: being a witness to the next logic-defying achievement Bryant would make for the Lakers.
Managing to win five-championships, earn 15 All-NBA nominations, 18 All-Star appearances, and two scoring titles in 20 seasons speaks for itself. Through the “Mamba Mentality”, Bryant genuinely embodied the epitome of hard work, dedication, and attention to detail to the fullest extent imaginable. There will simply never be another player like him again.
While Bryant was one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game, he was far more than that. His off-court accomplishments were highly impressive and are important to remember, too. At the age of 41, he was just getting started in many ways that we will unfortunately never see what could have been.
First and foremost, Bryant's greatest success of all was the love that he had for his four daughters. The most public example of his impact as a father can be seen through his shared love for the game of basketball with Gianni. Between coaching her AAU team along with taking her to NBA, NCAA, and WNBA games, the two of them developed an inseparable bond.
Even when Bryant would venture into unfamiliar territory, his perfectionist mentality with the process would result in something special. He managed to win an Academy Award for the animated short film “Dear Basketball” that he played a key role in producing.
The business-savvy Bryant showed was fascinating to see after launching the investment firm Bryant Stibel in 2013 with Jeff Stibel, the founder of Web.com. The firm was building something truly special with investments in companies such as Alibaba, Dell, and Epic Games.
Perhaps the most impressive of all of Bryant's investments occurred when he acquired 10 percent of BodyArmor. After investing nearly $6M, the value of his shares rose to roughly $200M as a result of Coca Cola acquiring a minority stake. That came in addition to the near $680M he earned during his NBA career with the Lakers.
Let's not forget all the times Bryant served as a mentor for younger players, made a dream come true for a dying child or the fact that he even helped with directing traffic after a bad car accident recently. He had become a positive force and influence that reached many in plenty of ways that we know, but in more that we may never.
The outpouring of support the Bryant family has received after the tragedy is a true testament to how many lives he touched. The legacy left behind by Kobe Bryant will be remembered for many years to come and it won't be just for what he did as a basketball player.
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