The way Bryant mastered the sport, it seems as if he was invincible. He was a five-time NBA champion, 18-time All-Star, two-time NBA finals MVP — and two-time Olympic gold medalist to boot. And unlike players who zig-zagged around through teams, for all 20 seasons he played, he remained a Los Angeles Laker. In 2006, he scored 81 points in a single game — the second-highest in NBA history. Even though he retired from the sport in 2016, scoring an impressive 60 points in his final game, he found his way in other realms, most notably winning an Oscar in 2018 for his animated short Dear Basketball.
