Legacies live on forever.
That’s certainly the case with the late Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers legendary shooting guard who passed away in a fatal helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020.
Even with his tragic passing, the legend of one of the most iconic players in NBA history has continued to grow since then, with Bryant being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year.
Arguably the greatest sign of Bryant’s legacy is the amount of respect and adoration that he continues to receive from his peers and generations of athletes who have come after him.
That was more than apparent on his birthday, Aug. 23, when Bryant was celebrated on what would have been his 43rd birthday.
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During his 20-year career with the Lakers, Bryant won five championships, two Finals MVP awards, a league MVP award in 2008, 18 All-Star Game appearances, 15 All-NBA selections and two Olympic gold medals.
There is also his 81-point game explosion against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, the second-most points scored in an NBA game by a single player, as well as the endless amount of clutch shots and buzzer-beaters that broke the hearts of franchises and fans across the country.
Bryant is the only player in Lakers’ history with two numbers retired by the franchise, with his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys both hanging from the rafters in Staples Center.
He won three championships wearing No. 8 from 1996-2006 and then won two more wearing No. 24, the number he also won his lone MVP award in.
A global icon and one of the greatest athletes in the history of sports, Bryant drew homage on his birthday by many across the sports and entertainment landscape:
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