Following his retirement from the NBA, Kobe Bryant moved on quickly to other projects he was passionate about to stay busy with his newly found free time.
Those projects led the 20-year Los Angeles Lakers veteran to win an Oscar and earn the respect of many as a #GirlDad.
Life after basketball was tragically cut short after Bryant and eight other passengers, including his daughter Gianna, lost their lives in a helicopter accident.
Bryant spoke with former USA TODAY reporter Mark Medina in one of his last on-camera interviews just days before the accident.
Kobe Bryant’s passion projects
Bryant created a series of books called “The Wizenard Series: Training Camp” as a way to express his passion for storytelling with characters having the traits of some of his biggest influences from throughout his career, including Phil Jackson and Bill Russell.
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He also had plans to turn his books into feature films. Bryant had success in the film industry, winning an Oscar for his short film “Dear Basketball.”
“They are near the top for me,” Bryant said during the USA TODAY interview about the entertainment awards. “It’s not something that was expected. As a kid, you have a goal of winning championships. Being in the industry that I’m in now it wasn’t something that was thought of.”
As an executive producer, he won best animated short film in 2018. The film was based on a poem published in 2015 for The Players’ Tribune to announce his retirement from the NBA.
Kobe Bryant as a #GirlDad
Bryant was spotted at several NBA and WNBA basketball events following his retirement with Gianna by his side.
#GirlDad became a popular phrase on social media following Bryant’s death after ESPN SportsCenter anchor Elle Duncan shared her story about her interaction with Kobe while she was eight months pregnant and the conversation the two had about daughters.
Bryant, who had four daughters, told Duncan, “I’d have five more girls if I could, I’m a girl dad.”
Kobe shared a bond with Gianna, the second of his daughters, through their love of basketball.
“She really enjoyed the speed of the game and the aggressiveness of the game,” Bryant told USA TODAY about Gianna’s takeaways after attending NBA games. “That’s one thing she really enjoyed watching. It’s one thing to be watching it on TV but it’s another to watch it right there.”
Bryant also had the opportunity to coach his daughter and her team.
“It’s been awesome,” he said. “You get to see them grow and develop and get better. It’s more important than the game itself that you understand that their confidence as young women grows tremendously through playing the sport and you have to be mindful of that.”
A statue in front of Crypto.com Arena of Kobe and Gianna together was unveiled in August of 2024.