IT'S KOBE DAY

Today we remember the Black Mamba aka Kobe Bryant. 

Kobe Day falls on the 24/8 every single year, based on the 2 numbers he wore when dominating the league from 1996 - 2016. After 20 years of being the clutches player in  NBA history, Black Mamba amassed some serious accolades.

 Are you ready? Here we go...

• 5× NBA champion (2000–2002, 2009, 2010)
• 2× NBA Finals MVP (2009, 2010)
• NBA Most Valuable Player (2008)
• 18× NBA All-Star (1998, 2000–2016)
• 4× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011)
• 11× All-NBA First Team (2002–2004, 2006–2013)
• 2× All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2001)
• 2× All-NBA Third Team (1999, 2005)
• 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006–2011)
• 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2001, 2002, 2012)
• 2× NBA scoring champion (2006, 2007)
• NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (1997)
• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1997)
• NBA 75th Anniversary Team

His philanthropy efforts including, After-School All-Stars, Soong Ching Ling Foundation, Call of Duty Endowment and Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation, has raised billions of dollars into creating better lifes for others, showcasing Kobe's selflessness and character.

While Bryant's name is synonymous with basketball championships and not necessarily Hollywood award shows, he earned his Oscar in 2018. Bryant took home the trophy for best animated short film at the ceremony, along with Glen Keane, who animated and directed the short called "Dear Basketball." It featured music by John Williams, an award-winning composer who worked on "Star Wars" movies, "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" and several other classics.

Narrated by Bryant, "Dear Basketball" is a nearly five-and-a-half-minute short illustrating the poem that the Los Angeles Laker wrote for "The Players' Tribune" to announce his retirement in November 2015. With lines like "I fell in love with you / A love so deep I gave you my all / From my mind and body / To my spirit and soul" and "This season is all I have left to give. / My heart can take the pounding / My mind can handle the grind / But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye," it's all about letting go and moving on from the sport that Bryant loved deeply.

Kobe Bryant will forever be a legend, and represent everything that it means to be a GOAT. From his hard work ethic to his off the court ventures, everyone should all strive to be like the Black Mamba. 

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