Along with LeBron James, he was one of many first two players to publicly named to the 2006–2008 U.S. preliminary roster in 2006 by Jerry Colangelo. However, he was as soon as once more sidelined after knee surgery and did not take part within the 2006 FIBA World Championship. The 1998–99 season marked Bryant's emergence as a premier guard within the league. With starting guards Van Exel and Jones traded, Bryant started each game for the lockout-shortened 50-game season. During the season, Bryant signed a 6-year contract extension price $70 million. This kept him with the Lakers till the end of the 2003–04 season.

He learned how to speak Italian and performed a lot of soccer. Kobe performed for the Los Angeles Lakers his complete professional profession. He holds the record for essentially the most career factors scored by a Los Angeles Laker. Kobe scored eighty one points in an NBA recreation, which is the second most factors scored in a single recreation.

He was simply the third player in NBA history to common 40 points in a calendar month, which he achieved 4 occasions. Bryant was voted the league MVP in 2008 and led his staff to the 2008 NBA Finals as the primary seed in the Western Conference. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, he gained a gold medal as a member of the us men's basketball team, sometimes known as "The Redeem Team". He gained another gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Bryant started playing basketball when he was three, and the Lakers had been his favourite staff when he was rising up. When Bryant was six, his father retired from the NBA and moved his household to Rieti in Italy to continue enjoying professional basketball. After two years, they moved first to Reggio Calabria, then to Pistoia and Reggio Emilia.

With career averages of 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, four.7 assists, and 1.four steals per game, Bryant was thought-about one of the most full gamers in NBA history. He is the fourth-leading scorer in league history with 33,643 factors. He was the primary player in NBA history to have at least 30,000 career factors and 6,000 profession assists, and was one of solely 4 players with 25,000 factors, 6,000 rebounds, and 6,000 assists. Bryant led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. His 81-point efficiency towards Toronto in 2006 was the second-highest in NBA historical past, behind only Chamberlain's 100. He scored a minimal of 50 factors 24 instances in his career, which is third in league history behind Jordan and Chamberlain ; six instances Bryant scored a minimum of 60.

During the season, Bryant signed a six-year contract extension worth $70 million. The all-time main scorer in Lakers history, Bryant was the primary guard in NBA history to play 20 seasons. His 18 All-Star designations are the second most all time, and he has the second most consecutive appearances as a starter.

Chris Chester, a co-plaintiff who misplaced his 45-year-old wife and 13-year-old daughter in the crash, settled for $19.95 million. Beginning in 2018, Bryant wrote, produced and hosted the television collection Detail, which aired for a quantity of seasons on ESPN and ESPN+. It featured his insights into the sport of basketball and in-depth analyses of video games and particular person gamers.

On November 24, 2015, the Lakers fell to 2–12 after shedding 111–77 to the Warriors. Bryant scored just four points in 25 minutes on 1-for-14 capturing, matching the worst-shooting sport of his career by which he attempted at least 5 photographs. On December 1, 2015, Bryant performed his last sport against his hometown staff, the Philadelphia 76ers, the place the Lakers lost 103–91. In the 2001–02 season, Bryant performed eighty video games for the first time in his profession. On January 14, 2002, Bryant recorded a then career-high 56 points to go collectively with five rebounds and 4 assists in a 120–81 win over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies. He continued his all-round play by averaging 25.2 factors, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game.