Kobe Bryant Articles - Page 41

The greats always finish on a high note. Or at least that’s the ultimate goal for every single NBA player. Especially NBA legends. After all, who would want to end his career with a loss? Below we’ve rounded out some of the most memorable final game performances of some former NBA players with legendary status. […]

The NBA has had its share of phenomenal individual matchups. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain went at it as the two colossal pioneers of the league in the 1960s. Meanwhile, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird formed one of the most dynamic rivalries (and friendships) in sports as preeminent stars for the Los Angeles Lakers and […]

NBA fans will always wonder why the universe never aligned Kobe Bryant and LeBron James to face off in a blockbuster NBA Finals. It was 2009. LeBron James had established himself as a legitimate superstar in the NBA. He had just won his first MVP and led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the best record in […]

Former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was so bad at his job that he didn’t even meet with LeBron James during the summer of 2010 when The King was a free agent. Rumor has it that the only player Sterling ever met with in free agency was Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. Via […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most successful franchises in NBA history. Los Angeles ranks second in all-time win percentage behind the San Antonio Spurs. Their 16 NBA championships are also second-most in NBA history. However, the Lakers have been to the NBA finals 31 times in total. With that many trips to […]

NBA analyst Kenny Smith has uttered yet another controversial statement that will definitely raise the eyebrows of die-hard basketball fans. Smith placed Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James in the 10th spot on his All-Time Top 10 while the late Kobe Bryant is not even in it. Smith spoke with Complex Sports in their Load […]

Longtime Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith has officially joined the Los Angeles Lakers. He’ll be providing them with a veteran presence on the wing spots to flank LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, the Laker he’s most excited to play for is the late, great Kobe Bryant. Smith isn’t hiding his excitement to wear […]

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol were not just incredible teammates during their stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. Off the court, they shared a great bond as well. Now, Gasol has demonstrated his unbreakable bond with the Lakers great through his heartwarming gesture for Kobe’s kids. Vanessa Bryant posted several photos of Gasol hanging out […]

Shaquille O’Neal has told plenty of previously untold stories about his time with former Los Angeles Lakers co-star Kobe Bryant. This anecdote was told roughly three weeks before his death, as the big man appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and talked about how a young Bryant met him and Penny Hardaway before […]

One of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history is the lethal duo of Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul. It is perhaps one of the biggest blockbuster trades to be vetoed. And according to Paul, he actually covered “a lot” of matters with Bryant since they all believed that the trade was going to push thru. […]

Before he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2009, Metta World Peace had a fierce rivalry with Kobe Bryant. The two would always have intense battles whenever Kobe’s Lakers would take on World Peace’s Houston Rockets. So when the Lakers signed World Peace as an unrestricted free agent, some pundits around the […]

It’s a tough question to ask now that Kobe Bryant has tragically passed away. Still, when he and Shaquille O’Neal were with the Los Angeles Lakers, many believed the dynasty fell short of living up to its full potential. In turn, it results in the obvious question: How many titles should they have won as […]

While the late Kobe Bryant’s most famed love-hate relationship was with Shaquille O’Neal, he also figured in another testy correspondence with another high-profile Los Angeles Lakers center. Although they only played one year together in the 2012-13 season, Bryant and Dwight Howard’s tenure as teammates didn’t develop to the dream pairing that Lakers fans thought […]

Shaquille O’Neal has reacted to the announcement that his longtime Los Angeles Lakers running mate Kobe Bryant is now immortalized as the third cover athlete of NBA 2K21. The tweet below shows the cover of the current-generation “Mamba Forever Edition” — one accompanied by the next-gen cover that boasts Bryant with the No. 24 jersey: […]

The video trailer for “The Final Ring,” an eight-part web series detailing Kobe Bryant’s last championship effort with the Los Angeles Lakers, is finally up for a glance. The multi-episode series will be released every Wednesday and Sunday, starting on Sunday, July 5 and concluding with the Episode 8 finale on July 29. The series […]

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has been named one of the cover athletes for the popular video game NBA 2K21. The longtime star will be on the cover of the two “Mamba Forever” editions. 2K Sports plans to release a current generation (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One) and next-generation covers for the upcoming PlayStation […]

The NBA 2k brand has dominated the virtual arena and has captured basketball fans from across the globe. The unveiling of their annual cover athlete has been a major event and has given gamers something to look forward to come Fall. Let’s take a look at the most iconic NBA 2k covers since it’s 1999 […]

It’s been 10 years since Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers won their last NBA Championship. Now, we here at ClutchPoints are commemorating Bryant and the Lakers’ final title with an eight-part web series called “The Final Ring: Kobe & The Lakers’ 2010 Title”. The series will feature interviews from Kobe’s teammates like Pau […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have a storied history with countless superstars donning the purple and gold. There’s a legitimate argument over who is the greatest player in franchise history, but the late Kobe Bryant is certainly in the discussion for guys who belong in the mix. On Dec. 18, 2017, the Lakers retired two jersey […]

The unprecedented success of “The Last Dance” is undeniable. Nevertheless, it just isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal, who himself has no problem with the documentary itself, recently explained why he would not subject himself to a similar process. O’Neal has a very compelling reason, and unsurprisingly, it all boils […]

Trades in the NBA have always been significant happenings, going back to the Boston Celtics landing Kevin Garnett, the Los Angeles Lakers shipping Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat, or the L.A. landing Pau Gasol. But, some of the biggest trades in history never happened. Let’s take a look at the 6 craziest NBA trades […]

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant tragically ruptured his left Achilles tendon on April 12, 2013, against the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center. With three minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Bryant made a seemingly innocent move to the basket, pushing off his left foot as he attempted to drive around Warriors small […]

One of the main highlights of the recently concluded BET Awards was an electrifying performance by Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Lil Wayne to honor Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. Lil Wayne performed an updated version of his 2009 track entitled “Kobe Bryant,” and it was truly a memorable nod for the late Lakers superstar: https://twitter.com/BETAwards/status/1277420480518148096 Lil […]

Throughout the team’s history, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been involved in a number of trade deals that were of the landscape-altering variety. Perhaps the most relevant in recent memory is the blockbuster trade deal of 2017 that sent away point guard Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics. In line with this, the Cavs have likewise […]

Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal still isn’t over the tragic death of Kobe Bryant. However, The Diesel is appreciative of all the great memories he and Kobe created together. Shaq and Kobe won three straight titles together on the Lakers. During an interview with Jenna Lemoncelli of Hollywood Life, O’Neal reflected on his friendship […]

Boston Celtics All-Star swingman Jayson Tatum revered Kobe Bryant going up. It seems only fitting Tatum has found a way to honor the “Black Mamba” in his own household. Tatum named his French bulldog puppy “Bean.” The name is an ode to the late Los Angeles Lakers legend, who–along with his daughter, Gianna, and seven […]

During his 20-year career in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers tried to pair Kobe Bryant with the right talent in order to put the team in title contention. Kobe may have won three straight titles alongside Shaquille O’Neal and then went on to win back-to-back championships with Pau Gasol, but there are plenty of […]

The family of Ara Zobayan, the pilot who manned the helicopter that crashed and killed Kobe Bryant and several passengers, has requested the trial to be moved out of Los Angeles primarily due to the NBA legend’s immense popularity. In court documents acquired by TMZ Sports, Zobayan’s family expressed their fears of possibly not receiving […]

There is no doubt that Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest athletes of all time. For some, especially those that grew up watching him, he is their GOAT. In his journey to the top, Bryant forged his name onto several NBA records. Some of them have been broken, as talent in the NBA gets […]

Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant was seemingly destined for greatness in his days of playing high school basketball. Attending Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia, Bryant eventually made his way to Los Angeles after becoming a first round NBA Draft pick in 1996. With Kobe Bryant being tragically killed in a helicopter accident […]

Even though Caron Butler and Kobe Bryant played together for one season on the Los Angeles Lakers, they quickly struck up a friendship. In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, Butler shared his final memory of Bryant. “I will never forget our last real conversation probably 2 weeks prior to his incident,” Butler said. “We talked about […]

Former NBA swingman Caron Butler played alongside and against some of the best basketball players that have ever lived as he playing career spanned about 15 years atop the highest level. As a result, Butler definitely knows a thing or two about the game and was recently asked about the greatest NBA player of all […]

There are few more iconic names in the world of professional wrestling than The Undertaker. Recently, “The Deadman” paid homage to the late Kobe Bryant as he chucked what appeared to be a glove into a nearby garbage bin. By nonchalantly saying “Kobe” after taking the shot, the wrestling star just produced an epic moment […]

People around the world mourned the death of Kobe Bryant back in January, and they mourned because Bryant was more than just a basketball player. Bryant would come to be eulogized as a fierce advocate for women and women’s sports. He was also lauded as a tremendous father, or a “Girl Dad” as ESPN’s Elle […]

This Father’s Day has been a little different for NBA free agent guard Isaiah Thomas. The former Washington Wizards point guard tweeted on Sunday that he used to text Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant every Father’s Day, with the late NBA icon being quick to respond. I would always text Kobe on Father’s Day […]

Turkish club Galatasaray is honoring former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant with his own cutout for Sunday’s match against Gaziantep. Most sports stateside remain suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. But things are picking back up in Europe, with soccer taking center stage as leagues around the continent finish out their respective seasons. Of […]

A Kobe Bryant championship ring that the late Los Angeles Lakers legend gifted to his father is expected to sell for $250,000, per TMZ. That’s right, a quarter of a million dollars. Bryant gave his parents, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant and Pamela Bryant, replicas of his first championship ring when the Lakers took home the NBA […]

Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss shared a disgusting and NSFW letter from a fan who told her to join Kobe Bryant in hell. Warning, the letter is very graphic: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBn6IU1Jpaw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link The Lakers, as well as a bunch of teams in the NBA, gave the organization Friday off in order to observe Juneteenth, the holiday […]

The Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns were indeed one of the most exciting teams of the mid-to-late 2000s. With the two-time MVP orchestrating their high octane-offense,  guys like Amar’e Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, and Joe Johnson all benefited from his playmaking brilliance. While their fast-paced style won a lot of regular-season games, that squad failed to emerge […]