The U.S. girls's basketball team gained its gold medal the previous night time of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and Leslie did not need to put on it out to the men's ultimate. In 2003, Kobe was accused of sexual assault but the case was dismissed in 2004 and a civil lawsuit was settled out of courtroom. Stop by for the scores, stay for the tales shared in our Sports newsletter. Cress additionally wonders if Zobayan might have felt strain to complete the flight on time that day – pressure which may have saved him flying via the fog, into hilly terrain, when maybe he should have circled.

So I’m shooting around and there’s nonetheless about forty five minutes till tip. Kobe’s on the other end, nonetheless shooting, and I’m glancing over at him. Suddenly, there was a ladder being set up underneath the basket. Kobe’s pointing up on the rim and the maintenance guys are positioning the ladder. I’m standing at half court watching the scene play out, and Kobe starts strolling over to me. “Something incorrect with the rim.” “Oh yeah?

Bryant was in the building working on his debut musical album. The two started relationship and have become engaged simply six months later in May 2000, while Laine was nonetheless a senior at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California. To keep away from media scrutiny, she completed highschool via unbiased study. According to Vanessa's cousin Laila Laine, there was no prenuptial agreement.

To be honest, I assume what occurred is that, as you grow old, your physique starts breaking down, and you must really love the method so as to get through that. But for him, with his huge toe and his knee, it became very exhausting for him to rise up in the morning and push via those issues. He may not have been as prepared to do these things on the time, and I wasn’t thrilled about that. Because I chose to extend my take care of the Lakers to play with Shaquille O’ Neal and win championships. I might have gone to a different staff and averaged 35 points a sport.

He has become The Last Hard Man, the realest of the true, the lone remnant from a Precambrian NBA era when gamers still hated one another and the one people who cared about AAU basketball had been precise eighth graders. Yet individuals neglect that this was not all the time the case. As crazy because it now seems, there was a long stretch within the ’90s when the principle knock on Bryant was his alleged insincerity. He smiled continually, spoke Italian, and took Brandy to the prom. He adopted a “plain vanilla” persona modeled after Julius Erving, regardless of a transparent aspiration to embody essentially the most typical definition of city cool; it typically got here across like Grant Hill attempting to impersonate Allen Iverson. To say I didn’t study issues from him that I still use to this present day can be a disservice.

On December 23, 2007, Bryant became the youngest player to succeed in 20,000 factors, in a sport against the New York Knicks, in Madison Square Garden. In the next 2003–04 season, the Lakers had been able to acquire NBA All-Stars Karl Malone, and Gary Payton to make another push at the NBA Championship. Before the season started, Bryant was arrested for sexual assault. This brought on Bryant to overlook some games as a end result of court docket appearances or attend court docket earlier in the day and travel to play games later in similar day. Bryant made two buzzer beaters to win the sport and the Pacific Division title. At the tip of the fourth quarter, Bryant made a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to send it into overtime.

The accuser acknowledged that Bryant raped her in his lodge room the night earlier than Bryant was to have the procedure. Bryant admitted to an adulterous sexual encounter along with his accuser, but denied her sexual assault allegation. In his interview with police, Bryant additionally acknowledged a "frequent" adulterous sexual relationship with another girl named "Michelle" at the time. Bryant scored a profession high of 81-points in opposition to the Toronto Raptors in Staples Center, second-highest single scoring performance in NBA historical past, surpassed only by Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point sport in 1962. He spoke fluent Spanish, Italian and Chinese in addition to English with confidence and finesse. The participant, who entered the league straight from highschool, would often reply international reporters’ questions of their native languages.

By the top of the 2005–06 season, Bryant set Lakers single-season franchise data for many 40-point video games and most points scored . He won the league's scoring title for the primary time by averaging 35.four factors per game, becoming just the fifth participant in league historical past to common a minimum of 35 in a season. Bryant finished in fourth place in the voting for the 2006 NBA Most Valuable Player Award however obtained 22 first place votes—second solely to winner Steve Nash. Bryant performed for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 until 2016, winning five NBA Championships and the 2008 Most Valuable Player award while making the All-Star group in 18 of his 20 seasons. By his mid-career, Bryant had established himself as one of many best gamers in NBA historical past, known for his clutch shooting, capable defending, work ethic, and longevity. He was accused of sexual assault in 2003, a charge which he settled out of court—the episode value him some of his most profitable sponsorship offers, however he retained his standing as one of the wealthiest and most beloved American athletes.