How Kobe Bryant’s fierce drive took him from hoop-loving toddler to NBA star & doting dad of four

He was as devoted to his family life as he was to his beloved game. 

Basketball legend and married dad-of-four Kobe Bryant has left millions across the world devastated after he and his daughter Gianna, 13, were killed in a helicopter crash yesterday.

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A "supernatural" talent, Bryant, 41, showed remarkable self-confidence as he jumped straight from school to the US professional basketball scene, where he held his own against veteran stars.

He once said "there's no substitution for work" - an attitude that saw him become a five-time NBA (National Basketball Association) champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist.

But even away from the court, his self-belief didn't waver.

Aged just 22, the LA Lakers star married his sweetheart, former backing dancer Vanessa, against the wishes of his parents, who believed he was too young to get hitched.

And despite a series of scandals including a sex attack claim by a hotel employee in 2003 and a divorce filing, the couple remained together and went on to have four daughters.

The youngest, Capri, is just seven months old.

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Icon 'on and off the court'

Bryant - also a successful businessman and filmmaker - loved his family deeply, pals say.

And he showed this even in his final act: he was taking rising star Gianna to a basketball practice session when the helicopter they were in crashed into a California hillside, killing nine.

“Kobe was not only an icon in the sports arena, he was a man of the world and touched so many lives and communities in the most positive ways," says Basketball Hall of Famer Larry Bird.

"His star was continuing to rise every day and he knew no limits."

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Making of a legend

Bryant's making began aged three, when he first started playing basketball.

The hoop-loving toddler's passion for the sport was perhaps unsurprising given that his dad Joe Bryant, now 65, and uncle John 'Chubby' Cox, 64, were both professional players.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1978, Bryant's favourite team was the Lakers.

But at the time, he had no idea he'd one day achieve his dream of playing for the record-breaking side.

"From the moment I started rolling my dad’s tube socks and shooting imaginary game-winning shots... I fell in love with you," Bryant wrote of basketball .

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When the youngster was six, his dad, then retired from the NBA, was offered the chance to play in Italy and the family moved there, living in Rieti and, later, Reggio Emilia.

This charming, small town would capture the young Bryant's heart.

"Kobe Bryant grew up here and was, for all of us, a ‘Reggiano,’” the mayor of Reggio Emilia, Luca Vecchi, wrote on Facebook, following yesterday's tragedy in Calabasas.

“Today he left us - a basketball legend that the whole town will remember forever with affection and respect.”

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From schoolboy to superstar

Despite also taking up football, Bryant - who learned to speak Italian fluently during his time overseas - remained in love with basketball and would return to America during the summers to compete.

And when his family later moved back to Philadelphia, he stunned on the court at Lower Merion High School, becoming a national star before jumping straight to the NBA Draft aged just 17.

This was a brave move: instead of developing his game at NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) level, Bryant believed in himself and his ability enough to skip college.

And it would prove to be a rewarding choice.

Aged 18, Bryant - who had no qualms about challenging his veteran teammates despite his age - became the youngest NBA starter ever .

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Loyal to the end

The player would go on to win a string of NBA championships, an MVP and 18 All-Star selections - while showing admirable loyalty to the team he adored so much as a child.

In a sport where players are regularly traded - or opt to enter free agency to earn a few extra million dollars - he stuck around at the Lakers for his entire 20-year career.

Bryant, nicknamed 'Black Mamba', also displayed an amazing work ethic, even refusing to leave the court after tearing his Achilles heel during a 2013 game so he could take two free throws.

"I remember one thing he said: 'If you want to be great at it, or want to be one of the greats, you've got to put the work in'," fellow Lakers legend LeBron James told reporters.

Alongside Shaquille O'Neal, Bryant helped the Lakers win three NBA championships in a row between 2000 and 2002 - a feat that has not been matched since. He became a global icon - including in China, where basketball rivals football as the most popular sport.

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But alongside Bryant's success came scandal: in 2011, he was fined $100,000 (£61,000) after he was caught on camera using a homophobic slur against the referee during an NBA game.

Footage showed him apparently mouthing the word "fa****". He later apologised for his remark, saying he made it out of "frustration in the heat of the game", the BBC reported.

The NBA deemed Bryant's comment "offensive and inexcusable" - yet just two years later, the star was widely praised for hitting out at a fan for using the term "gay" as an insult.

"Just letting you know... that using "your gay" as a way to put someone down ain't ok! #notcool delete that out ur vocab," Bryant tweeted to the fan at the time.

R&B prom date

Before leaving school to join the NBA, Bryant took R&B singer Brandy to senior prom. He reportedly treated her "like a queen" and even flew her mum out with her.

But it was at age 21 that he met the love of his life Vanessa, then a 17-year-old backing dancer in a Tha Eastsidaz music video, while working on his own album that was never released.

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After Bryant asked Vanessa for her number, they enjoyed a whirlwind romance - getting engaged in May 2000, just six months after they met and while Vanessa was still in secondary school.

The following year, in April 2001, they tied the knot at a Catholic church in California. However, much of Bryant's family refused to attend because they disapproved of the match.

Despite his relatives' fears, the couple stayed together until Bryant's death - with the NBA star praising Vanessa as his "love and best friend" in an Instagram post on their anniversary.

But he also admitted they had faced "ups and downs" during their romance.

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Marriage rocked by sex scandal and tragedy

In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault by a 19-year-old hotel worker in Colorado.

He admitted cheating on his wife, but denied the attack, claiming the sex was consensual.

Prosecutors later dropped the charges against Bryant after the accuser refused to testify - and he reportedly gifted Vanessa a $4million (£3.1m) eight-carat purple diamond ring as an apology.

Speaking through tears at a press conference, he told his then-wife of two years: "You're my backbone. You're a blessing. You're a piece of my heart. You're the air I breathe."

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Bryant - who also wrote a series of kids' books and won an Oscar for his short film Dear Basketball - had passed down his lasting love of the game to daughter Gianna.

"Kobe [was] an amazing dad who loved his family deeply - and took great pride in his daughter's love for the game of basketball," said legend Michael Jordan.

Retiree Bryant had hoped that Gianna would carry on his legacy.

Sadly, she now won't be able to do so, but the pair's legacies will undoubtedly live on through their achievements and the tight-knit family they leave behind.

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Heartbreaking footage of Gianna playing basketball just like her dad Kobe Bryant