Kobe Bryant wasn’t just an NBA star. He was an ambassador for all sports, right up to his death

NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who died last year at age 41, will likely be best known for his gifts with the roundball. He was one of the best to take the court and one of basketball’s greatest ambassadors, heralding the men’s and women’s game at its youth, college, pro and international levels.

Yet the Los Angeles Lakers luminary was multifaceted – serving as a writer, producer, spokesman, philanthropist, mentor and #girldad. The Black Mamba appreciated greatness in all its forms – and saw sport as transformative.

He believed, like Nelson Mandela whom he quoted in an Instagram post in 2014, that “sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.”

Kobe Bryant, pictured in 2007, spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bryant's youth basketball team poses for a picture in the early 1990s in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Bryant dunks the ball in his high school gym in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, during a practice in 1996.

Bryant jokes with the media as he holds his Los Angeles Lakers jersey at a news conference in Inglewood, California, in 1996.

Bryant eyes the basket during the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk contest in Cleveland. Bryant was the youngest player to win the contest.

Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls eyes the basket as he is guarded by Bryant during a 1998 game in Los Angeles.

Bryant sits on the sidelines during the Euro ABC camp in Berlin in 1999.

Shaquille O'Neal and Byrant sit on the bench before a game in 1999 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Bryant hugs his fiancee, Vanessa Laine, in the locker room in Los Angeles after the Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the 2000 NBA Finals to win the series 4-2. Bryant later married Laine, and they had four children.

Bryant goes in for a slam dunk against the New Jersey Nets in January 2001.

Bryant appears on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at NBC Studios in 2001.

Bryant stands for the National Anthem at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

President Bush holds up a Lakers jersey that Bryant gave him at a ceremony for the 2001 NBA World Champions in the East Room of the White House in January 2002.

Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, attend a news conference at the Staples Center in 2003. The NBA star proclaimed his innocence after facing sexual assault charges for the alleged rape of a 19-year-old Colorado woman. The charges were later dropped. "Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did," Bryant later said in a statement.

Bryant goes up for a shot between the Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce, left, and Al Jefferson during a 2006 game in Los Angeles.

Bryant kisses his daughter Natalia during a 2008 photo session at his home in Newport Beach, California.

Bryant jumps for a rebound against the Denver Nuggets during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs.

Bryant celebrates after Game 5 of the 2009 NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic. The Lakers won 99-86 for their 15th title and first since 2002. Bryant had 30 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists as the Lakers completed a four-games-to-one victory in the best-of-seven NBA Finals.

Bryant holds his daughter, Gianna, after the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals.

Bryant rides the Matterhorn Bobsleds with Jonathan Guerrero, 4, and his father, David Guerrero of Pomona, California, at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, in 2009. The Guerreros were among thousands of Lakers fans who turned out for a special Disneyland parade honoring the Lakers' 15th World Championship.

US President Barack Obama chats with Bryant at a Boys and Girls Club in Washington in 2010. Obama welcomed the Lakers to honor their 2009-2010 season and their second consecutive NBA championship.

Bryant celebrates after defeating the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals in Los Angeles.

Bryant joins a teaching session for fans during a 2011 promotional tour of South Korea at Korea University in Seoul.

Bryant is injured in the second half while playing the Golden State Warriors in 2013. The injury took him out of the rest of the season.

From left, Kevin Durant, Lebron James and Bryant pose with their gold medals at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

LeBron James guards Bryant during a 2016 game between the Cavaliers and Lakers in Los Angeles.

Magic Johnson hugs Bryant before the final game of his career in 2016.

Bryant runs up the court during his final game in 2016. The Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 101-96. Bryant scored 60 points in the game.

From left, Peyton Mannin, Abby Wambach and Bryant accept the Icon Award during the 2016 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, right, gestures while posing with Bryant alongside members of his family and city officials in 2016. The city council announced August 24 as Kobe Bryant Day. The date commemorates the numbers Bryant wore as a Laker: 8 and 24.

Bryant walks to center court at his jersey retirement ceremony at halftime of a basketball game in 2017.

Bryant and filmmaker Glen Keane accept the 2018 Oscar for best animated short film. "Dear Basketball" was based on a letter Bryant wrote in 2015 announcing his retirement from basketball.

Bryant posted this photo to Instagram on Mother's Day in 2019. He and his wife, Vanessa, had four daughters: Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri, who was born in June. "Happy Mother's Day @vanessabryant," Bryant wrote. "We love you and thank you for all that you do for our family. You are the foundation of all that we hold dear. I love you #mybaby #lioness #mamabear #queenmamba"

Bryant and his daughter Gianna attend a Los Angeles Lakers game against the Atlanta Hawks in 2019.

Bryant listens to the National Anthem prior to a 2019 Lakers game against the Atlanta Hawks in Los Angeles.

Kobe Bryant's life in pictures

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This belief permeated the mission at Mamba Sports Academy, to which Bryant, daughter Gianna and seven others were en route when their helicopter crashed a year ago in the Santa Monica Mountains in Calabasas, California.

Here’s a look at the times he directed his considerable light on the world’s other sporting pastimes.

Volleyball

Sharia Washington, one of Bryant’s two sisters, played volleyball for Temple, with a sportswriter declaring in 1997 that she was “every bit the athlete Kobe is” (and she was able to dunk before her little brother!). Bryant’s oldest child, Natalia, followed in her aunt’s footsteps so, of course, he loved the game.

Soccer

An enormous fan of the international game, Bryant spent time as a child in Italy, where he learned to play soccer and love AC Milan, one of the country’s most storied teams.

Game recognize game, as they say, so it should surprise no one that his social media is littered with references to the sport’s best players and teams, including the US Women’s National Team, the men’s Brazilian, German and Italian teams and stars Lionel Messi, Megan Rapinoe, Mia Hamm and Ronaldinho. He even once gave a shout-out to Clint Dempsey after the American slotted one off the post to open scoring against Ghana in the 2014 World Cup.

Paralympics and Olympics

Bryant joined Los Angeles’ bid for the 2024 Olympics (the city was selected for the 2028 Games instead) and appeared with fellow gold medalist Michael Phelps at the Golden Goggles to give yet a third gold medalist, Katie Ledecky, the 2017 female swimmer of the year award. He’s also been a stalwart for parasports.

“The lesson I cherish the most is how important it is to love what you do,” Bryant, freshly retired from the NBA, told Special Olympians in a 2016 video message. “If you love what you do and it’s making you happy, all the hard work and perseverance will pay off. When you know you’re truly giving it your all, there’s no greater feeling in the world.”

Football

Bryant returned to the United States when he was 13. After middle school, he played ball at Lower Merion High School, outside of Philadelphia, before heading straight to the pros. The City of Brotherly Love was anything but when Bryant returned in the Lakers’ purple and gold. Philadelphians regularly booed their hometown prodigy, but Bryant always remained true to his Eagles.

He also spoke with reverence for stars like Tom Brady, Richard Sherman and Ray Lewis, who, like Bryant, fought to restore his image following criminal allegations away from the field of play. During a 2012 national championship matchup, Bryant showed his love for the college game, applauding Alabama’s AJ McCarron and Barrett Jones after a midgame scuffle.

Tennis

Bryant showed more GOAT-on-GOAT love with snaps alongside Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, who he described as “top of the line for me” when it came to tennis players.

Bryant often had the next generation on his mind, and Williams served as a muse for one of his literary creations, “Legacy and the Queen,” about a 12-year-old tennis player who must win a tournament to keep an orphanage open.

“I want kids to learn by reading our novels, and in our latest book, our main character has to learn to use her passion for tennis to rise above those around her and shine,” the father of four said of the book.

Auto racing

OK, OK, Bryant didn’t talk about auto racing so much. This header is more an excuse to include his “Mamba on the track!” post, featuring the Lakers shooting guard, during a trip to the town of Maranello, Italy, flying by in a canary-yellow Ferrari.

Martial arts

Bryant enjoyed combat sports, and he regularly lauded mixed martial arts stars, including Ronda Rousey and Junior dos Santos, as well as boxing’s Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather.

One fighter, however, stood above the rest: the inimitable Bruce Lee. Not only did Mamba tell a Chinese newspaper in 2017 that the famed martial artist’s Jeet Kune Do philosophy helped him learn the importance of being able to adapt and react, but Nike has released multiple Bruce Lee editions of Bryant’s line of sneakers.

“Bruce Lee was always one of my muses growing up,” Bryant told the newspaper. “I’ve read everything he’s ever written; I’ve watched every film he’s ever been in, and I’ve watched pretty much every interview he’s ever done.”

Baseball

He grew up a Yankees fan, but Bryant said he always had love for the Dodgers. He once joined then-Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, President Bill Clinton and Olympic gold medalist sprinter Allyson Felix for a roundtable about the importance of children playing sports.

Hockey

A regular at Los Angeles Kings games, Bryant applauded the team after it twice in three seasons hung championship banners from the Staples Center rafters, where Bryant’s teams hung five.

Many National Hockey League players lamented his death, including superstar Alex Ovechkin. New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban, one of a few dozen Black players in the NHL, revealed after Bryant’s death that the baller had served as a mentor.

Snowboarding

Hardly a shocker that when Bryant brought up snowboarding, he focused on the sport’s greatest, Shaun White.

Horseracing

Bryant and Lakers teammate Pau Gasol once owned an interest in a horse, Siempre Mio – Spanish for “Always Mine.” While that is a little-known factoid, better known is that Bryant took inspiration from the best, including the best of the best: Secretariat.

“I was like a wild horse that had the potential to become Secretariat, but who was just too f**king wild. So part of that was (Lakers coach Phil Jackson) trying to tame me,” he once said.

Dancing

During “Dancing With the Stars,” Bryant backed actor and singer Zendaya, using the hashtags #differentanimalsamebeast and #beastmode, which he typically reserved for athletes he admired.

More importantly, this provides an opportunity to tidily end the story with a clip of a 12-year-old Kobe Bean popping and locking to a Vanilla Ice classic circa 1990.