The world was forever changed by the tragic death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant. In an accident that not only robbed him of life but his young daughter and their companions as well. It felt as if the whole world was grieving just seven days ago.
Nah Kobe dying is crazy, was the first notification on my phone's screen from one of my friends. I didn't believe it, so I googled his name. There it was:
"Kobe Bryant dead at 41."
Surreal. I was stunned.
Kobe Bryant exemplified determination. Through sheer tenacity and intelligence, he willed success into existence. One of the few players to not only meet expectations but exceed them thus transforming him from basketball star to cultural icon. A man who was admired on and off the court. Even after his retirement, the world was waiting to see what more he had to offer.
We barely got a glimpse.
I dedicated this Black History in Video Games with Kobe Bryant as a tribute highlighting the relationship he had with video games and related media. After all, by virtue of playing for the NBA he was featured in 80+ games and headlined a handful of titles.
Here's a list of basketball video game covers featuring Kobe Bryant:
Not too long after the release of Courtside 2, on the real-life hardfloor, Bryant carried the Lakers to the playoffs and eventually took home the NBA Championship for the Los Angeles Lakers - not once, not twice but as a three-peat; 2000, 2001 and 2002 respectively. The Lakers' dynasty was once again reignited.
Bryant returned to cover athlete status once more with Sony's NBA '07 released fall of 2006 which was befitting as he was heavy on the public conscious for dropping 81 points on the Toronto Raptors earlier in the year. It was one of the most prolific scoring runs in NBA history, a couple of shots short of Wilt Chamberlain's infamous 100-point game.
Later on, he finally became the cover athlete for NBA 2K10, an annual edition of Visual Concepts' highly coveted NBA 2K series which rose in prominence becoming one of the most popular sports video game franchise in recent gaming generations.
- Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside
- NBA Action 98
- NBA 3-on-3 featuring Kobe Bryant
- NBA Courtside 2 featuring Kobe Bryant
- NBA Courtside 2002
- NBA 07
- NBA 07 featuring the Life vol. 2
- NBA 09: The Inside
- NBA 2K10
- NBA 2K17 Legend Edition
The first game to feature Bryant as a cover athlete was Sega's NBA Action 98 released late 1997, before he was a full-fledged starter, making him the only then-current bench player with this distinction! In fact, he was so new the game didn't even contain a voice clip for his name, he was just called "Number 8".
So not only was he the youngest player to grace a basketball video game box art but with the NBA Courtside series, he was the youngest to headline his own NBA video game franchise.
Kobe Bryant's first foray into the digital gaming landscape was in NBA Live 97 released on the Sony Playstation, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis and Sega Genesis in 1996. Due to the graphical limitations at the time, he was pretty much unrecognizable aside from the Los Angeles Lakers' colors and his jersey number. Most likely the only occurance with Kobe as a sprite (no relation to his then endorsement!).
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| Sega Genesis version of NBA Live 97 |
Stepping into the polygonal realm, Kobe's physically identifying traits fared somewhat better, especially later on. Again, the PlayStation version of Live 97 was the first to realize him in his three-dimensional glory.
Below is a video game evolution of Kobe Bryant each year since he started the NBA throughout various game titles up until his retirement.
One of the first video games to motion capture his athletic movements of was NBA Courtside 2. The game's developer, Left Field Productions, strived to deliver the most authentic experience with the rising on-court star. As Left Field was a 2nd party developer for Nintendo, Kobe adorned the covers for the now-defunct print magazine, Nintendo Power. While the NBA Courtside series sold incredibly well, it's assumed as a casualty of Left Field Productions severing their exclusivity with Nintendo, the franchise fell by the wayside indefinitely.
Bryant returned to cover athlete status once more with Sony's NBA '07 released fall of 2006 which was befitting as he was heavy on the public conscious for dropping 81 points on the Toronto Raptors earlier in the year. It was one of the most prolific scoring runs in NBA history, a couple of shots short of Wilt Chamberlain's infamous 100-point game.
Later on, he finally became the cover athlete for NBA 2K10, an annual edition of Visual Concepts' highly coveted NBA 2K series which rose in prominence becoming one of the most popular sports video game franchise in recent gaming generations.
Interestingly, he once again won the NBA Championship back to back in 2009 and 2010 becoming the second basketball player, after Shaquille O'Neal, to secure a Championship title in the same year as he starred on the title of a NBA 2K game.
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Being the Superstar he was, it's only natural for Kobe Bryant to star in promotional vehicles we call commercials. Here's a few basketball video game commercials with the Black Mamba.
NBA Courtside series:
After Kobe Bryant's untimely passing on January 26, 2020, 2K Games sought to pay their respects by having a window appear at the start up screen somberly announcing the grim reality no one would ever imagine.
In 2016, Kobe felt it was time to hang up the jersey. A bittersweet moment for many fans and colleagues. Visual Concepts once again made Kobe the cover athlete of another installment of the series, NBA 2K17 Legend Edition, in honor of his decision.
Being the Superstar he was, it's only natural for Kobe Bryant to star in promotional vehicles we call commercials. Here's a few basketball video game commercials with the Black Mamba.
NBA Courtside series:
Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside
NBA Courtside 2 featuring Kobe Bryant
NBA '07
NBA 2K
Call of Duty: Black Ops
After Kobe Bryant's untimely passing on January 26, 2020, 2K Games sought to pay their respects by having a window appear at the start up screen somberly announcing the grim reality no one would ever imagine.
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| What NBA 2K players saw the day of. |
Avid 2K players took it among themselves to celebrate his life via the virtual world by having impromptu parades, digitally donning his jersey, creating custom jerseys for their avatars and taking 24-second shot clock violations during online game sessions as a way to express their condolences and grieve with fellow gamers and basketball fans.
Kobe will be missed dearly. But unlike many exceptional figures, he knew he was loved and revered by fans across the globe. He received his flowers while he walked among us but wasn't content in just receiving; he had an urge to plant seeds and grow something much bigger than his incredible once-in-a-lifetime basketball career, if you can imagine that, but if there is someone who could do it, it would be Kobe Bryant.
"...If basketball is the best thing I’ve done in my life, then I’ve failed.."
-Kobe Bryant, 2017
The embodiment of pure discipline and white-hot ambition, he showed all of us the results of uncompromising hard work. Whether you look at him as a legendary NBA superstar, the ultimate rival, academy award-winner, investor, businessman or most poignantly, a devoted father; we can all learn something from the great Kobe Bryant.
Kobe Bryant may not have lived long enough to leverage his true potential but his awe-inspiring legacy will live on forever to awaken the spark of a new generation of legends.
Rest in Power, Black Mamba.
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