Kobe Bryant

Vanessa and Natalia Bryant recently got tattoos honoring Kobe and Gigi Bryant. 

Vanessa posted an image on her Instagram page of a tattoo across her right forearm that reads "Mambacita."

In a separate video post on Instagram, Vanessa showed her daughter, Natalia, getting the word "Muse" tattooed on the inside of a finger on her right hand. 

Mambacita was Gigi's nickname, given to her by Kobe and an homage to his Black Mamba nickname when he played with the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Kobe Bryant's Muse was the title of a documentary that aired on Showtime in 2015. It provided an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the many people who helped inspire and shape the Lakers legend's iconic NBA career. 

Kobe and Gigi were among nine people killed in a Jan. 2020 helicopter crash while they were traveling to basketball game Gigi was playing in at Mamba Sports Academy. 

Vanessa Bryant revealed the names of the four deputies who allegedly shared photos of the helicopter crash scene where her husband, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, and her second-eldest daughter, Gianna Maria Bryant, died along with seven others on the morning of January 26, 2020, in Calabasas, California.

On Instagram, Bryant posted her entire lawsuit against the County of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the four deputies (Joey Cruz, Rafael Mejia, Michael Russell and Raul Versales). A red box outlined the four deputies' names.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the United States District Court, Central District of California, seeks damages for negligence and invasion of privacy.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin provided more information regarding the breached integrity at the scene, which included at least one deputy focusing on taking pictures of the victims' remains. Bryant's suit also says the breach included photos being shared with people who had nothing to do with the crash investigation.

"Despite assurances provided by [Sheriff Alex Villanueva] at the time, a subsequent investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department showed that one deputy took between 25 and 100 photos on his personal cell phone—including some focused solely on the victims' remains."

"Many of those photos, the suit alleges, were quickly shared through text message and the AirDrop feature on iPhones to other deputies within the L.A. County Sheriff's Department who had no connection to the investigation."

The suit says Cruz showed the photos to a bartender in Norwalk, California. A patron who overheard a conversation between the bartender and other patrons emailed a complaint to the Sheriff's Department.

Per the Associated Press, Bryant won a ruling against Los Angeles County to obtain the deputies' names. The county wished to keep the deputies' identities private, but U.S. District Court Judge John F. Walter rejected their case.

Duke men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski has recruited more than his fair share of talented high school players and future NBA stars during his 41 seasons leading the Blue Devils. 

But the legendary coach told The Dream Team Tapes: Kobe, LeBron & The Redeem Team podcast (18:17 mark) that Kobe Bryant was the best high school player he ever saw:

"You know, I never thought he would go to college. We recruited him but ... no one recruited him to any deep level because you knew. I never saw LeBron [James] play in high school, but when I saw Kobe play—he's the best high school player I've ever seen.

"And when he walked into a gym, he walked in like [Michael] Jordan, at a high school level. Like, the place stopped. He not only could play the role during a game, he played the role before and after the game. He looked that good, he believed he was that good, and he was that good. But, I knew he was never going to come [to Duke]."

Bryant, of course, went immediately to the NBA and had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, winning five titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was one of many players from his generation to skip out on college altogether and go straight to the NBA, alongside stars like James and Kevin Garnett. 

The family of Kobe and Gianna Bryant filed a trademark for the phrase "Mamba and Mambacita" with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, according to TMZ Sports.

The family's representatives indicated the trademark would be used on clothing and apparel.

Kobe, who became synonymous with the "Black Mamba" moniker, filed a trademark for "Mambacita" a month before the helicopter crash that killed him, his daughter and seven others on Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas, California.

In 2014, the New Yorker's Ben McGrath explained the origins of the nickname, which was adopted from the Kill Bill films:

"The adoption of an alter ego was a way of coping, Bryant now admits, with the fallout from his arrest for sexual assault, in a Colorado hotel room, in the summer of 2003. The charges were later dismissed, and a civil settlement was reached with the alleged victim, but Bryant struggled with the perception that he was damaged goods. 'After the Colorado incident, I had every major sponsor drop me, except for Nike,' he told me. 'So I'm sitting there thinking, What am I going to do now? My vision was to build a brand and do all these things. ... The name just evokes such a negative emotion. I said, "If I create this alter ego, so now when I play this is what's coming out of your mouth, it separates the personal stuff, right?" You're not watching David Banner—you're watching the Hulk.'"

The new nickname immediately stuck and became a big part of his identity.

And as Bryant began influencing younger generations, the "Mamba" branding only grew. Seattle Storm star Jewell Loyd, who worked out with the Los Angeles Lakers legend, is the "Gold Mamba," while players have sought to display the "Mamba Mentality" on the court.

Naturally, Gianna Bryant became known as the "Mambacita" as she embarked on a basketball career of her own.

Bryant announced plans in December 2018 to open the Mamba Sports Academy, in part to help guide the development of young athletes across multiple sports. In May 2020, the organization dropped "Mamba" from its name in the wake of Bryant's death "out of respect."

A federal judge ruled that Vanessa Bryant can obtain the names of four Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies who allegedly shared photographs of the aftermath of the January 2020 helicopter crash that killed nine people, including her husband, Kobe, and daughter, Gianna.

Richard Winton of the Los Angeles Times reported the news, noting U.S. District Judge John F. Walter made the ruling Monday.

Los Angeles County lawyers wanted to keep the names under seal in the lawsuit and suggested making them public could make the deputies targets for hackers. They now have four days to appeal Monday's ruling.

"Sheriff Villanueva's promise to publicly release the [internal affairs bureau] report after the conclusion of the investigation undermines Defendants' purported concern in the disclosure of the limited excerpts at issue here," the judge wrote while also ruling that knowledge of police officer misconduct should be accessible to the public.

This comes after Bryant called for the names to be released on an Instagram post last month:

"Faced with a scene of unimaginable loss, no fewer than eight sheriff's deputies at the crash site pulled out their personal cell phones and snapped photos of the dead children, parents and coaches," Bryant's lawsuit stated, per Jonathan Lloyd of NBC Los Angeles. "The deputies took these photos for their own personal gratification."

The lawsuit, which is seeking damages for negligence and invasion of privacy, also says deputies and firefighters shared the pictures in an unauthorized manner.

The county said all photographs that were shared have since been deleted.

A signed ticket from Kobe Bryant's final game in the NBA sold for $40,590 at auction, according to TMZ Sports.

There were 42 total bids at Goldin Auctions before the ticket sold. 

The April 13, 2016 game was an unforgettable one as Bryant scored 60 points in a win over the Utah Jazz. He took over in the fourth quarter before addressing the crowd with an iconic speech ending with "Mamba Out."

It closed a 20-year career that included 18 All-Star selections, five NBA titles and 33,643 points that ranked third in history when he retired.

Even an upper-deck ticket for Bryant's final game likely came with a hefty price tag at the time, but a signature from the eventual Hall of Famer certainly helped the seller get their money back and then some.

A Kobe Bryant 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractors rookie card sold for $1.79 million at an online auction late Saturday, per Darren Rovell of Action Network.

Goldin Auctions was the home for this auction. The bidding started at $250,000 and ended with the item selling as the 10th-most expensive sports trading card in history, per Rovell.

It also stands as the fourth-most expensive basketball trading card. A Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps card sold for $5.2 million stands as the all-time record.

Goldin provided a description of the Kobe rookie card:

"Graded PRISTINE/Black Label 10 by BGS. Hall of Famer, in a universally and fervently pursued Rookie Card appearance. The card's BGS condition report: Centering 10, Corners 10, Edges 10, Surface 10; its run of perfect scores qualifies the item for prestigious "Black Label" recognition. A bright and thoroughly lovely Kobe Bryant collectible—and a wondrous spectacle—in Black Label Pristine condition."

The card jumped a Michael Jordan 1997 autographed jersey card ($1.4 million) for No. 10, per Rovell.

Bryant's 20-year NBA career, which he spent entirely with the Los Angeles Lakers, included five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVP honors, 18 All-Star Game nods and the 2007-08 NBA MVP award.

The two-time scoring champion was also named to the All-NBA first team 11 times.

Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving recently suggested on social media and in subsequent talks with reporters that the NBA should change its logo to late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's likeness.

Amid that discussion, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was asked Saturday if the league had any logo plans, to which he replied, "there are no ongoing discussions at the league office" but that "things change over time," per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

Irving started the conversation Feb. 24:

The point guard was asked more about his stance the next day after a win against the Orlando Magic.

"As a Native Black man, as a Native Black king, I think it's part of my responsibility to continue to push our generation, our culture forward. ... My thing is paying homage to the example that has been set by that man," Irving told reporters.

Former Lakers legend Jerry West is the model for the current NBA logo. He has gone on record, most notably in a conversation on ESPN's The Jump in 2017, that he wishes the league would change it.

The logo has been in place since 1969.

Gary Payton is widely regarded as one of the best NBA players from the 1990s. He's best known for his 13-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics from 1990-2003.

During his career, Payton was named to the All-Star and All-NBA teams nine times. He won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award during the 1995-96 season after leading the league with 2.9 steals per game. 

After one-year stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, Payton won his first NBA championship as a member of the 2005-06 Miami Heat. The Glove played two years in Miami before retiring after the 2006-07 season. 

Payton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. His No. 20 was retired by his alma mater at Oregon State during the 1996-97 college basketball season.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Payton sat down with Bleacher Report for an AMA session to answer questions about everything from Michael Jordan's comments on The Last Dance to playing with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles and much more. 

The following is the full transcript from the AMA session.

@krob89: How did you feel about MJ laughing at you on the Last Dance doc?

It's like this to me. He wouldn't be Michael Jordan if he would have bowed down there. Everybody knows about his competitiveness. He was a guy who came every night to play. I respect him for that because I came every night to play. I was never gonna back down to him and he knew that. If it was my documentary and they asked me the same thing I would have laughed too and been like "no he couldn't go at me neither."  Every night I played Michael Jordan he brought the best out of me. Wish I could have started off on him in the championship and it would have been better, but their team was better than mine at the time and they won it all. He did a documentary, he felt the way he felt. What I can do is I can say the same thing hahaha.

@unclekevin22: What was it like to play with Kobe?

I caught Kobe when he was going through a lot with what happened in Denver. I got a chance to be his big brother. I got to know him as Kobe and not as what people were talking about with what him and Shaq were doing. Shaq is my brother and I love him to death. That's the reason I went to the Lakers. To get to know Kobe the way I did was a pleasure. I hate that he's gone and I hate that he's not here. I miss him so much and talking to him and my kids talking to him. I love him because he's a warrior too. He wanted things on his own and he wanted to do things on his own. When he decided to go and say he wanted the team on his own I said congratulations, beautiful. That's what you're supposed to do if you want to be a great and he was a great. He didn't act like he was bigger than anyone. He asked me questions all the time and I gave him answers. It was my duty to tell him the right way to do things and it was a pleasure for me to be in his life and know him the way I did for the forty years he was on this Earth.

@Sasha_Kaun: If you were still playing today, who's the player you'd most like to guard?

I would want to guard all of them. No more hand checking so you can touch them. But the one I would want the most is Morant. I think he has that dog that I have in myself, especially the way they are running. I would want my rules to come back and let us play and let the defensive player have an advantage to play.

@vera: Who's the best trash-talkers you ever faced?

Basically Larry Bird was really marvelous. Reggie Miller could do it a lot, Michael would do a lot of things too but you really had to get him going. But the greatest one is me. Rasheed Wallace was good but he was doing it at the refs.

@fitchkarma66: What was the funniest moment of your career?

Playing against Manute Bol. He's a skinny guy but he is shooting threes. He's putting his elbow on the top of my head and relaxing. He was a funny guy. Rest in peace to him.

@SharkAttack23: What is your all-time starting 5?

I don't like to pick starting 5's because it's all about suggestions. I got a couple. The only person I'd put at the 1 is Stockton. Magic at the 2. Michael at the 3. Wilt at the 5. I like Bird and Kareem but then I'm leaving guys out like LeBron. That's why I don't like about picking a starting 5.

@keegandyap: Who gave you the nickname "The Glove"?

In 1993 my cousin, Glen King. We were playing against the Suns in the WCF when it went to Game 7. My cousin called me after the game and called me ‘glove, glove, glove.' ‘Why do you call me that?' ‘Because you just held Kevin Johnson in your hand like a baseball glove.' Then the NBA picked it up and we started putting out apparel for it. Next thing you know everything took off.

@jonwilliams: What player in the NBA do you think plays most similarly to your style?

That's kind of hard. I'd say nobody, but guys like Marcus Smart does a great job on defense, he's starting to pick up his offense. My game was usually in the block. Beverley as well, he plays the defensive side. The only guy that can play 1-on-1 like me is Marcus Smart on being a defender.

@noneil09: What was it like being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame?

The whole experience of being around the old school Hall of Famers who are already there and then for me to have John Stockton and George Gervin induct me into the Hall of Fame was a big moment. My truly big moment was to have my two parents there who are now deceased. Let them see what they created, they got me to a point where I got to the Hall of Fame. Nobody ever thought a kid coming out of Oakland, California the way I did would be a Hall of Famer. My father would drive me from playground to playground. He was the father to all the other guys who didn't have fathers. For them to be there to watch me go into the Hall of Fame was really great.

What are you doing with the Mountain Dew three-point contest this weekend?

We're giving out scholarships to two wonderful students who have achieved a lot and it's going to be big for them. Going back to the black colleges and what they are going to give out is really great. I want people to help these students where they need to get. Help them get out of their cities that are struggling and need to get to the next level.