NBA legend Kobe Bryant remembered on Kobe Day

By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp and Emre Asikci

ANKARA (AA) - Kobe Bryant, the NBA legend who tragically passed away in a helicopter accident in January 2020, was remembered on Tuesday, Aug. 24, Kobe Day.

The date 8-24 represents the jersey numbers Bryant wore during his distinguished basketball career.

Marking the day, the NBA on Twitter published a video of several NBA stars commemorating their favorite interactions with the legend, along with a collage of images of Bryant.

Also on Twitter, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Black Mamba’s team for his entire career, published young and older shots of Bryant wearing his team uniform.

Many other NBA clubs and players also shared images and thoughts about Kobe Bryant, commemorating Kobe Day on social media pages, as millions of fans all around the world did the same.

- Black Mamba

Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Aug. 23, 1978, but was partially raised in Italy.

Considered one of the top shooting guards in NBA history, Kobe, who gave himself the nickname Black Mamba, won the Most Valuable Player award in 2008 along with two Finals MVP awards in 2009 and 2010.

The 18-time NBA All-Star helped the LA Lakers to claim five NBA trophies – in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2010.

Over the course of his 20-year career, Black Mamba averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 1,346 regular-season games.

He was loyal to the Lakers, spending his entire career with the team.

Separately, Bryant helped the US national team win two Olympic gold medals in Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

The NBA honored him in February 2020, permanently renaming the NBA All-Star game MVP (Most Valuable Player) award the Kia NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award.

Bryant was flying to a youth basketball game with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant when the helicopter crashed. A total of nine people died in the crash.