Senate Resolution No. 2720

BY: Senator TEDISCO

COMMEMORATING the life and esteemed career of
National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Kobe
Bryant, an 18-time All-Star, and five-time NBA
Champion with the Los Angeles Lakers during his
20-year professional career

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor and pay
just tribute to those individuals whose creative talents and commitment
to athletics contributed to the enrichment of their community and the
world and to pay homage to a man whose life of athletic achievement
inspired others and greatly contributed to the global expansion of the
NBA brand and the game of basketball at large; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is moved this day to memorialize the
life and career of Kobe Bryant, a professional basketball player who
became one of the game's all-time greats as a Shooting Guard for the Los
Angeles Lakers; he died tragically, at the age of 41, along with his
13-year old daughter, Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash on
Sunday, January 26, 2020, in Calabasas, California; and

WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, to Pamela and "Jellybean" Joe Bryant, a professional
basketball player with the Philadelphia 76ers; he had two older sisters,
Sharia and Shaya; and

WHEREAS, After graduating from Lower Merion High School in
Pennsylvania, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball
player in the country, Kobe Bryant decided to enter the 1996 NBA Draft,
and was selected 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets, who traded his
draft rights to the Los Angeles Lakers; and

WHEREAS, New York State is where Kobe Bryant scored his first of
33,643 career points on November 5, 1996, in a game against the New York
Knicks at Madison Square Garden; and

WHEREAS, In just his second season with the Lakers, Kobe Bryant was
voted a starter for the 1998 All-Star Game, becoming the youngest
All-Star in NBA history at the age of 19; and

WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant's individual on-court accolades include being
an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time
member of the All-Defensive Team, leading the NBA in scoring during both
the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons and the 2008 NBA Most Valuable
Player Award; and

WHEREAS, In 2006, Kobe Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against
the Toronto Raptors, which was the second most points scored in a single
game in league history behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962;
and

WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant played with two genuinely great Lakers teams
and won multiple titles with both, co-starring with Shaquille O'Neal to
form one of the most dominant duos in league history en route to three

straight NBA titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002, before he led a newer
generation of Lakers to titles in 2009 and 2010, winning the Finals MVP
in both years; and

WHEREAS, Among his many philanthropic endeavors, Kobe Bryant was the
official ambassador for After-School All-Stars (ASAS); The Kobe Bryant
China Fund, which partnered with the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, a
charity backed by the Chinese government; and on November 4, 2010, he
appeared alongside Zach Braff at the Call of Duty: Black Ops launch
event at the Santa Monica Airport, where they presented a $1 million
check to the Call of Duty Endowment, an activision-founded nonprofit
organization which helps veterans transition to civilian careers after
their military service has ended; and

WHEREAS, In 2018, Kobe Bryant became the first African American to
win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and the first former
professional athlete to be nominated and win an Academy Award in any
category for his film, "Dear Basketball"; and

WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant is survived by his wife, the former Vanessa
Laine; three daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri; two sisters, Sharia
and Shaya; and his mother and father, Pamela and "Jellybean" Joe Bryant;
and

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to remember the
life and accomplishments of great citizens such as Kobe Bryant, a
well-rounded individual whose work ethic and commitment to excellence
has enabled his influence to extend beyond the realm of athletics; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the life and esteemed career of National Basketball
Association (NBA) legend Kobe Bryant, remembering his purposeful life
and countless achievements, and expressing its sincerest condolences to
his family and the nation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of Kobe Bryant.