Bryant led the staff to tie the franchise report for many wins to begin the season going 17–2, and by the middle of December they compiled a 21–3 document. He was selected to his eleventh consecutive All-Star Game as a starter, and was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for December and January in addition to being named Western Conference Player of the week three times. In a sport towards the Knicks on February 2, 2009, Bryant scored sixty one factors, setting a report for essentially the most points scored at Madison Square Garden. During the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, Bryant tallied 27 points, 4 assists, four rebounds, and 4 steals and was awarded All-Star Game co-MVP with former teammate O'Neal.

This followed with O'Neal successful the MVP and Bryant being named to the All-NBA Team Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Team for the first time in his career . While taking half in second fiddle to O'Neal in the playoffs, Bryant had some clutch performances together with a 25-point, 11 rebound, 7 help, 4 block recreation in recreation 7 of the Western Conference finals towards the Portland Trail Blazers. He also threw an alley-oop cross to O'Neal to clinch the game and the series. In the 2000 NBA Finals in opposition to the Indiana Pacers, Bryant injured his ankle within the second quarter of Game 2 after landing on the Pacers' Jalen Rose's foot. Rose later admitted he positioned his foot beneath Bryant deliberately. Bryant didn't return to the sport, and he also missed Game 3 as a result of damage.

He was affected by soreness in his knees, ft, again, and Achilles tendons and Scott deliberate to scale back his workload going forward. Though he was right-handed, he returned to play within the sport and ran the offense whereas shooting, dribbling, and passing virtually completely together with his left hand. The Lakers completed the season with a report of 21–61, surpassing the franchise record for most losses in a season that that they had set the earlier 12 months. Bryant wished a sixth championship to match Jordan's total. The Lakers started the 2010–11 season by winning their first eight games. In his ninth game of the season, taking half in in opposition to the Denver Nuggets, Bryant grew to become the youngest player in NBA history to succeed in 26,000 profession factors.

The helicopter was on its method from Orange County to Thousands Oaks, California where Bryant was scheduled to teach a event recreation at Mamba Sports Academy. An all-star lineup of Laker icons also paid tribute to Bryant, together with O’Neal, Phil Jackson, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and Magic Johnson. "We are right here to have fun greatness for 20 years," Johnson mentioned. "Excellence for 20 years. Kobe Bryant has never cheated the sport, by no means cheated us because the fans. He has played via harm, he has performed harm. And we now have five championship banners to show for it." I actually started pondering seriously about investments towards the end of my basketball profession.

In 2006, he scored a career-high 81 points; the second most factors scored in a single recreation in league historical past, behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point recreation in 1962. Bryant led the group to 2 consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, and was named NBA Finals MVP on each occasions. He continued to be among the many top players within the league via 2013, when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon at age 34. He subsequently suffered season-ending injuries to his knee and shoulder, respectively, within the following two seasons. Citing physical decline, Bryant retired after the 2015–16 season. On January 10, 2012, Bryant scored forty eight points in opposition to the Suns.

On December sixteen, 2011, Vanessa Bryant filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, and the couple requested joint custody of their daughters. On January 11, 2013, Bryant and his wife each announced via social media that they'd known as off their divorce. In early December 2016, Vanessa gave birth to their third daughter, and in January 2019 the Bryants introduced they were expecting a fourth daughter. Bryant was within the building and working on his debut album. The two started dating and have become engaged six months later in May 2000, whereas Laine was still a senior at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California. In addition to his abilities on offense, Bryant also established himself as a standout defensive participant.

Although later seasons had been marred by injuries, he surpassed Michael Jordan for third place on the NBA all-time scoring listing in December 2014 and retired in 2016 after scoring 60 points in his last sport. In 2018, Bryant earned an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball. On January 26, 2020, he was in a helicopter crash that killed Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gigi and 7 others. As of June 2012, Bryant ranks third and fifth on the league's all-time post-season scoring and all-time regular season scoring lists, respectively. He can be the all-time main scorer in Lakers franchise history.

He put $6 million into sports drink firm Body Armor in change for a 10% fairness stake within the company, in accordance toESPN. He additionally grew to become a spokesperson for the brand and participated in recruiting other brand ambassadors. Bryant’s web worth at the time of his demise on Jan. 26, 2020 was about $600 million, in accordance with Forbes. Bryant is survived by his spouse Vanessa, who's the executor of the Bryant property according toFox and ESPN, and his daughters Natalia, Bianka and Capri. “There’s no such thing as having a balance,” Prescott stated about his takeaway from the reading.