An iconic player on one of the NBA's best-known franchises, Kobe Bryant amassed a career that stands out. He was league MVP, a two-time Finals MVP, is the Lakers' all-time leading scorer and, for many, is in the discussion of the greatest player of all time in NBA history thanks to his starring role in five different Lakers championship teams of the early 2000s. Bryant gave himself the nickname "Black Mamba," saying during an NBA interview that, "When I step on that court, I become that. I am that killer snake. I'm stone cold, man." Career The Lower Merion High School star was initially drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick in 1996. The Lakers then traded for his Draft rights in exchange for veteran center Vlade Divac. Bryant's popularity was immediate. Before he turned 20, he had already won the Slam Dunk Contest in 1997 and been voted as an All-Star starter by the fans in 1998 despite not even starting for his own team. It did not take long for Bryant's team success to match his individual honors. Alongside fellow future Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, he won three consecutive championships (2000-02) before turning 23. He averaged more than 25 points, five rebounds, and four assists over that three postseason stretch. Overall, Bryant boasts eight postseason runs of averaging at least 25-5-4, with only LeBron James (13) and Michael Jordan (11) logging more. Bryant ultimately became one of the most explosive scorers the league has ever seen. His combination of footwork, agility, strength and shot-making led him to three scoring titles (2003, '07, '08). He ranks fourth on the NBA's all-time scoring list, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, and LeBron James. His individual dominance was on full display when Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006. The performance marked the second-highest scoring game by a player in NBA history behind only Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game. He ended his career in similar fashion, scoring 60 points in his final NBA game (2016). After suffering through disappointing postseasons in the middle of his career, Bryant returned to the NBA Finals stage three more times (2008-10). He led the Lakers to back-to-back titles in 2009 and '10, earning Finals MVP honors along the way. His five championships ties him with Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Michael Cooper, Jim Pollard, George Mikan and former teammate Derek Fisher for most titles with the the Lakers franchise. After wearing No. 8 during the first half of his career, Bryant changed to No. 24 in 2006. He said in a 2017 he changed numbers as part of his career evolution. Overall, he was great in each uniform, scoring 16,777 points as No. 8 and 16,866 as No. 24. After he retired, the Lakers honored his career by raising both numbers to the rafters. Bryant was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Hall of Fame posthumously as part of the Class of 2020. His wife, Vanessa Bryant, delivered the induction speech with basketball legend and Bryant's former idol Michael Jordan presenting. The Lakers' record books and legacy are replete with Bryant's accomplishments over his 20 seasons with the team. The former 18-time All-Star appears in the franchise leaderboards for games played (1st), minutes (1st), points (1st), shots made and taken (1st), 3-pointers made and taken (1st), free throws made and taken (1st), rebounds (3rd), assists (2nd), steals (1st), blocks (5th), and triple-doubles (4th). At just 41 years old, Bryant died on Jan. 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash in Orange County, California. His 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, also perished in the accident. The NBA world mourned the legend's passing, with the Lakers postponing their Jan. 28 game against the LA Clippers. The league subsequently honored Bryant in the following month's All-Star Game by having one team wear Bryant's No. 24 and the other wear Gianna's No. 2. Bryant's competitive spirit was further honored after his death when the league announced the All-Star Game MVP award would be renamed the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player award.