Kobe Bryant: 10 most inspiring quotes from the ex-LA Lakers star on the anniversary of his death

Bryant and daughter Gigi were tragically killed along with seven others in a helicopter crash one year ago today
Kobe Bryant, pictured playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, tragically died a year ago. (Pic: Getty Images)Kobe Bryant, pictured playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, tragically died a year ago. (Pic: Getty Images)
Kobe Bryant, pictured playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, tragically died a year ago. (Pic: Getty Images)

It has been a year since the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna.

On the anniversary of their untimely passing, many people around the world have taken to social media to pay tribute to the Bryants.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Kobe was a household name in basketball after 20 years with the LA Lakers, while his daughter was a rising star in the women's game.

Here are some of his most memorable quotes.

What are the most memorable Kobe Bryant quotes?

“The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.”

“We all have self-doubt. You don’t deny it, but you also don’t capitulate to it. You embrace it.”

“Once you know what failure feels like, determination chases success.”

“Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.”

“I create my own path. It was straight and narrow. I looked at it this way: you were either in my way, or out of it.”

“Haters are a good problem to have. Nobody hates the good ones. They hate the great ones.”

“I realized that intimidation didn’t really exist if you’re in the right frame of mind.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“A lot of leaders fail because they don’t have the bravery to touch that nerve or strike that chord.”

“I’m reflective only in the sense that I learn to move forward. I reflect with a purpose.”

“It’s the one thing you can control. You are responsible for how people remember you—or don’t. So don’t take it lightly.”

When did Kobe Bryant die?

Kobe Bryant died on 26 January 2020, aged 41.

He was widely considered to be one of the sport's greatest ever players following a trophy-laden two decades with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

During that time he won the NBA championship five times - in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010 - and was nominated most valuable player in the last two finals he and the Lakers won.

A shooting guard, he famously wore the numbers 8 and 24 for the Lakers, and also became a two-time Olympic gold medallist at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 games.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 23 August 1978, Bryant was the son of former NBA player Joe Bryant. He began playing the game aged three and was a Lakers fan growing up.

He gave himself the nickname of Black Mamba in the mid-2000s.

What happened in the helicopter crash?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The final report on the incident is yet to be released though it is understood the helicopter came down in the Calabasas mountains, in California, where foggy conditions made visibility poor.

Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gigi were on their way to the Mamba Academy for basketball practice along with seven other people when the Sikorsky-76 chopper went down.

Pilot Ara Zobayan, John and Keri Altobelli and their daughter Alyssa, Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton, Christina Mauser, were all on board when the helicopter crashed.

Kobe is survived by his wife Vanessa Bryant and his three other daughters Natalia, Bianka and Capri, mother and sisters to Gigi.

What tributes have been made?

At a memorial service after Bryant’s death, former Chicago Bulls player Michael Jordan said in a tearful address: "Kobe was my dear friend, he was like a little brother."

The Lakers have continued to pay tribute to Bryant, displaying Black Mamba jerseys designed by Kobe and hanging his two numbered jerseys from the rafters of the Staples Center.

Lebron James, who now leads the Lakers, has said "legends never die" in reference to Bryant on the eve of the one year anniversary, after the team's win over Chicago on 23 January.