Remembering Kobe Bryant, One Of The Greatest NBA Players Of All-Time

The NBA lost one of its all-time great players Sunday when Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash along with eight others in Calabasas, California. Among the deaths was Gianna Maria Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter.

Bryant, 41, was just three and a half years removed from his NBA career at the time of his death. He spent all 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996-2016.

The news of Bryant's death came within one day of Lakers star LeBron James passing Bryant for No. 3 on the NBA all-time scoring list. Bryant had gifted James with his signature sneakers for the milestone.

Bryant was the No. 13 overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, entering the league straight out of high school. He won five championships with the Lakers and made seven NBA Finals appearances. Bryant won three consecutive titles alongside Shaquille O’Neal from 2000-02. He was the NBA Finals MVP in 2009 and 2010.

It took Bryant just two seasons to make his first All-Star team. The phenom went on to make 18 All-Star teams. He was an 11-time All-NBA First Team selection. A shooting guard with a diverse arsenal for scoring, Bryant made the All-NBA Second Team and Third Team two times apiece. He also won the 2008 NBA MVP award.

Idolizing Michael Jordan in his youth, Bryant is considered by many to be the player who came closest to mirroring Jordan's career.

Bryant averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in his career. He scored 81 points in a game on Jan. 22, 2006. Bryant scored 60 points in the last game he ever played.

Some of the biggest stars the NBA has ever seen have played for the Lakers. James, O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain have donned the purple and gold. Bryant, however, played in more games for the Lakers than any of the aforementioned legends.

The son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, Kobe Bryant is survived by his wife Vanessa Bryant, and daughters Natalia Diamante Bryant, Bianka Bella Bryant and Capri Kobe Bryant.

Bobby Ilich contributed to this report