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Kobe Bryant’s life by the numbers, from Lower Merion to the Lakers to the Oscars

Some of the key numbers put up by NBA legend Kobe Bryant and the clip of his Oscar-winning short film.

Julius Erving (left) and Gregg Downer (Kobe's high school coach at Lower Merion) present Kobe Bryant with a framed jersey on  Dec. 1, 2015 in Bryant's final game in Philadelphia.
Julius Erving (left) and Gregg Downer (Kobe's high school coach at Lower Merion) present Kobe Bryant with a framed jersey on Dec. 1, 2015 in Bryant's final game in Philadelphia.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff File

Kobe Bean Bryant

Born: Aug. 23, 1978.

Died: Jan. 26, 2020 (age 41).

Philly connection: Bryant was born in Philadelphia, and went to Lower Merion High School. His father, Joe Bryant, played at Bartram High, La Salle University and for the 76ers from 1975-79.

Kobe’s career: Kobe Bryant went directly from Lower Merion into the NBA and played for 20 seasons, all with the Los Angeles Lakers.

5 – Times he helped the Lakers win the championship, including 2001 when he beat the Sixers in five games. After Game 3 of that series, Bryant infamously responded to a Sixers fan heckler, "We’re going to cut your hearts out Wednesday.” Bryant then went out and nearly had a triple-double that night (19 points, 10 boards, 9 assists). The Lakers won the series two days later.

18 – Times named All-Star, playing in 15 games, winning MVP four times.

12 – Times named to the NBA’s all-defensive team, 8 times first team.

15 – Times all-NBA, 11 times first team.

1 – League MVP (2007-08).

2 – NBA Finals MVP (2009, 2010).

8 & 24 – Switched from No. 8 to No. 24 in 2006 because he wanted a new number for the second half of his career. Bryant opted for No. 24, his first high school number. (Kobe also wore No. 33 at Lower Merion, but the Lakers retired that number in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s honor.) The Lakers retired both 8 and 24.

81 – Number of points he scored on Jan. 22, 2006 against the Toronto Raptors. Bryant shot 28-46 (61 percent) from the field, including 7-13 on three-pointers, and 18-20 at the line. It’s the second-highest ever in an NBA game, bested only by Wilt Chamberlain’s 100.

60 – Number of points he scored in his final game, April 13, 2016.

2 - Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012)

$17.50 – Price on Amazon of his autobiography, The Mamba Mentality: How I Play.

23.5 – Career scoring average in 32 regular-season games against the Sixers. The Lakers went 18-14, which is pretty respectable on the Sixers’ part.

44 – Career high points in a game at the Wells Fargo Center, which he posted on Dec. 20, 2002. Allen Iverson, who missed three critical free throws toward the end of regulation, had 32 that night as the Sixers won in overtime.

$328 million – Career earnings in NBA salary, according to Basketball-Reference.com. He earned countless millions more in endorsements and other business ventures.

33,643 – Career points, which was third all-time when he retired. LeBron James passed him on Saturday while playing for the Lakers in a game, of all places, in Philadelphia.

1 – Academy Award for his animated film announcing that he would retire following 2015-16. “This season is all I have left to give,” he said in the film. “My heart can take the pounding, my mind can handle the grind. But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye. And that’s OK. I’m ready to let you go.”