Basketball: Kobe's relentless spirit inspired NBA fans, players

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, twice an Olympic gold medalist and a five-time NBA champion, died Sunday in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California. WASHINGTON: Kobe Bryant used a ferocious competitiveness and uncanny shooting touch to become an NBA icon, leaving behind a legacy that has influenced the newest generation of league talent and fans worldwide.

That left Bryant without the inside force needed to capture the crown until Spain's Pau Gasol arrived and the Lakers won titles in 2009 and 2010 with Bryant in command and later patching things up with O'Neal. Bryant scored 65 points in a 2007 win over Portland, then followed with 50 points against Minnesota, 60 at Memphis and 50 more against New Orleans - the third-longest run of 50-point games in NBA history behind two from Chamberlain.

In all, Bryant finished with 33,643 points, 7,047 rebounds and 6,306 assists over 1,346 career NBA games. He was an 18-time NBA All-Star, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player, the NBA Finals 2009 and 2010 NBA MVP and matched a record as a four-time NBA All-Star Game MVP.But it wasn't a smooth path to stardom. In addition to nagging injuries that slowed his later seasons, Bryant faced a major rape controversy that delivered a body blow to his endorsements image.

Knee and ankle injuries mounted as years began to take a toll on Bryant. He missed most of the 2013 to 2014 season with a left knee injury and much of his penultimate campaign with a torn right rotator cuff, then announced his retirement by saying,"My body knows it's time to say goodbye."

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