Along with LeBron James, he was one of the first two players to publicly named to the 2006–2008 U.S. preliminary roster in 2006 by Jerry Colangelo. However, he was as soon as again sidelined after knee surgery and didn't participate within the 2006 FIBA World Championship. The 1998–99 season marked Bryant's emergence as a premier guard within the league. With beginning guards Van Exel and Jones traded, Bryant began each sport for the lockout-shortened 50-game season. During the season, Bryant signed a 6-year contract extension price $70 million. This saved him with the Lakers till the tip of the 2003–04 season.

He won't have been as keen to do these issues at the time, and I wasn’t thrilled about that. Because I selected to extend my deal with the Lakers to play with Shaquille O’ Neal and win championships. I may have gone to another team and averaged 35 factors a recreation. So it was infuriating to hear to people say I was egocentric. Last evening, Bryant hit a floater with 12 seconds on the clock to beat the struggling Indiana Pacers; tonight his team is in Portland, but he’s not touring to have the ability to relaxation his aging bones.

In October 2021, Bryant was honored as one of many league's greatest gamers of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. The Lakers swept the Utah Jazz within the second round and superior to the Western Conference Finals, where they confronted the Phoenix Suns. In Game 2, Bryant finished the sport with 13 assists, setting a new playoff career-high; it was the most assists by a Laker within the playoffs since Magic Johnson had 13 in 1996. Bryant thought of the shot "one of the luckiest he has made". A week later, Bryant suffered an avulsion fracture in his proper index finger in a game in opposition to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

When you break anyone's nostril in an All-Star Game, it is aggressive. But then attending to play on the identical staff in '08 within the Olympics was like the ultimate for me and I think for him as properly. When he finally saw the way I worked and we just received a chance to expertise being around one another, our chemistry and continuity on the court was just second to none, like we've played together our whole life.

I actually have good relationships with gamers across the league. But in phrases of having one of those nice, bonding friendships—that’s one thing I will most likely by no means have. This self-perpetuating image of Bryant as an unyielding workaholic has turn out to be so integral to his ethos that it reflexively informs every other element about his life. He has turn into The Last Hard Man, the realest of the true, the lone remnant from a Precambrian NBA period when players nonetheless hated each other and the only individuals who cared about AAU basketball had been precise eighth graders.

Kobe Bryant, together with his wife, Vanessa, at his side, holds a news convention at Staples Center in 2003 to debate accusations by a 19-year-old Colorado lady that he sexually assaulted her. He conceded he was guilty of adultery, however he declared he was harmless of costs of felonious sexual assault. Kobe Bryant is swarmed by teammates Derek Fisher, Rick Fox and Shaquille O’Neal as he heads to the foul line in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Bryant scored 45 factors because the Lakers beat the Spurs, , on their method to a sweep of the series.

The group was signed by Sony Entertainment, but the company's ultimate objective was to get rid of the group and have Bryant report on his personal. The label wanted to capitalize on Bryant's youth and NBA fame. In the summer of 2003, the sheriff's office of Eagle, Colorado, arrested Bryant in connection with an investigation of a sexual assault grievance filed by a 19-year-old lodge worker.

On November 24, 2015, the Lakers fell to 2–12 after losing 111–77 to the Warriors. Bryant scored simply 4 factors in 25 minutes on 1-for-14 capturing, matching the worst-shooting game of his profession by which he tried a minimal of 5 photographs. On December 1, 2015, Bryant played his final recreation in opposition to his hometown group, the Philadelphia 76ers, the place the Lakers lost 103–91. In the 2001–02 season, Bryant performed eighty games for the primary time in his career. On January 14, 2002, Bryant recorded a then career-high fifty six points to go together with five rebounds and 4 assists in a 120–81 win over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies. He continued his all-round play by averaging 25.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per sport.