Kobe Bryant: The 20-year story of basketball royalty

Kobe Bryant is a 20-year story of basketball royalty that the NBA still very much misses to this day

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. A lustrous piece of jewelry. Men give them to their spouses whether it’s for a wedding engagement or just a gift. There are different types of diamonds. Diamonds epitomize royalty. But let’s talk the royalty of ” The Black Mamba.”

Kobe Bryant‘s 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers was incredible. It enhanced my love for the game of basketball. Check this out. I’m eight years old sitting on my couch, drinking Kool-aid, and watching Kobe in the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. I said to myself, “If I ever reached the height of 6-foot-6, I want to be like Kobe.” Years after that dunk contest, I never reached 6-foot-6. Bummer! Despite never reaching Kobe’s height, I still loved the game.

But even loving the game like a girl loves diamonds; I always idolized Kobe Bryant. He was one of my favorite players to watch growing up. Many people confabulate about Wilt Chamberlain, James Worthy, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. Some of the best NBA players of all-time. Would you put Kobe Bryant in that conversation? Most basketball fans probably would.

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Kobe’s basketball career is similar to a love story. A love story that started in a suburb outside of Philadelphia at Lower Marion High School. Bryant was ranked as the top high school recruit in the country. That was in 1996. Bryant was a high school phenom. He averaged 30 points a game at Lower Marion.

He even broke the southeastern Pennsylvania scoring record with 2,883 points that was originally set by NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain. The 17-year-old could’ve went to any college in the country. During this era, there wasn’t an age rule for high school basketball players to turn professional. Kobe declared for the 1996 NBA Draft and was selected 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets.

Then, the Hornets traded him to the Lakers. That’s when the love story became royalty. He became the second youngest NBA player during the 1996-97 season.

Bryant was destined for stardom, but he had to share the star power with former Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal. Their relationship wasn’t the best at first. It didn’t become a mutual effort between the two until Phil Jackson became the Lakers head coach in 1999.

That’s when the shooting guard and center’s chemistry became more prevalent. At 23 years old, Kobe became the youngest player in NBA history to win three consecutive NBA championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Those championships wouldn’t have been achieved without Phil Jackson’s triangle offense. Most basketball fans remember this offense. Jackson used the triangle offense with the Chicago Bulls winning six NBA championships. This was also during the era of, “Air Jordan.”

Let’s take the Black Mamba’s royalty back to 2006. He scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. A classic performance. His 81 point total is the second-highest scored in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain still holds the No.1 spot with 100 points in 1962.

Five NBA Championships. Eighteen-time NBA All-star. Two-time NBA Finals MVP. Kobe’s resume says it all. When he turned 34 years of age, he became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points. That’s 20 years worth of scoring. He even passed NBA legend Jerry West for the most points scored in Lakers franchise history in 2010.

Twenty years. Twenty seasons. A love story that ended with royalty. Kobe loved the game. One of the greatest basketball players of all-time. Unconditional love on and off the court. Basketball royalty at it’s finest.

A legend with compassion for the game. His passion for the hardwood will live on for generations. We miss you Black Mamba.