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Pau Gasol, Magic Johnson Among Those Remembering Kobe Bryant One Year After Death

Pau Gasol, Magic Johnson and more are paying tribute to Kobe Bryant on the one-year anniversary of his death.

Elizabeth Swinton

Players and figures around the sports world are taking to Twitter to pay tribute to five-time champion Kobe Bryant, who died one year ago on Tuesday.

Bryant, 41, was one of nine people who died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. on Jan. 26, 2020. His 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, also died in the crash.

Kobe and Gianna have been honored in many ways since their passing. There are countless murals throughout the Los Angeles area. A ceremony was also held at Staples Center on Feb. 24, 2020. 

The NBA honored Bryant by renaming its All-Star MVP award as the "Kobe Bryant MVP Award," to remember the Black Mamba's dominance in his 18 All-Star game appearances and four All-Star MVP victories.

Bryant is going to be posthumously inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2020 class, which includes Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and WNBA star Tamika Catchings. The ceremony is scheduled to take place in May.

Bryant retired from the NBA in 2016 after spending 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. During his time as a player, Bryant won five NBA championships, two NBA finals MVP awards and was named league MVP for the 2007-08 season.

Byrant also won two Olympic gold medals as part of Team USA in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Games. He spent the years after his retirement helping coach Gianna. He won a Sports Emmy Award and Oscar for his animated short film, "Dear Basketball."

People around the NBA and sports world are remembering Kobe Bryant on the one-year anniversary of his death.

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Elizabeth Swinton
ELIZABETH SWINTON

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