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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of NBA
4superstar Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, on January 26,
52020; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia,
7Pennsylvania to Joe and Pamela Cox Bryant on August 23, 1978;
8when he was six, his family moved to Italy, and he spent many
9of his formative years there learning Italian and playing
10soccer; he returned to the U.S. during the summers to play in
11basketball summer leagues; he earned national recognition
12while playing basketball at Lower Merion High School in
13Ardmore, Pennsylvania, where he played on the varsity
14basketball team as a freshman; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant joined the NBA directly from high
16school and played his entire 20-season professional career with
17the Los Angeles Lakers, his favorite team while growing up; and
 
18    WHEREAS, During his career, Kobe Bryant won five NBA
19championships (2000–2002, 2009, 2010); he was an 18-time
20All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time
21member of the All-Defensive Team; he was named the 2008 NBA
22Most Valuable Player and was a two-time NBA Finals MVP; he led

 

 

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1the NBA in scoring during two seasons, ranks fourth on the
2league's all-time regular season scoring, and ranks fourth on
3the all-time postseason scoring list; he is also a two-time
4Gold Medal Winner with the U.S. Men's Basketball Team (2008
5Beijing, 2012 London); he is widely regarded as one of the
6greatest basketball players of all time; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant scored a season-high 60 points against
8Utah in his last NBA game on April 13, 2016, outscoring the
9entire Jazz team 23–21 in the fourth quarter in a Lakers'
10victory; he became the oldest player to score 60 or more points
11in a game at 37 years and 234 days old; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant said that he wanted more out of life
13than just a successful basketball career; he married Vanessa
14Laine at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana
15Point, California on April 18, 2001, and they had four
16daughters, Natalia, Gianna, Vanessa, and Capri; his daughter,
17Gianna, had a passion for basketball, and he enjoyed sharing
18his love of basketball with her; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Gianna Maria Onore Bryant, also referred to as
20Gigi, was born on May 1, 2006; she considered her Kobe a role
21model and cited him as a reason she wanted to play in the WNBA;
22she played youth basketball for the Mamba Sports Academy, where
23she was coached by her father; she wanted to play college

 

 

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1basketball at the University of Connecticut and regularly
2attended UConn, WNBA, and Lakers games with Kobe; she had a
3very close relationship with her father and was usually by his
4side; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant was the official ambassador for
6After-School All-Stars, an American non-profit organization
7that provides comprehensive after-school programs to children;
8he also started the Kobe Bryant China Fund, which raises money
9within China for education and health programs; on November 4,
102010, he was part of a group that presented a $1 million check
11to the Call of Duty Endowment, a nonprofit organization that
12helps veterans transition to civilian careers after their
13military service has ended; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Together with his wife, Kobe Bryant founded the
15Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation, a charity dedicated
16to improving the lives of youth and families in need; the
17foundation supports programs that strengthen communities and
18promote mutual understanding among people around the world; and
 
19    WHEREAS, In 2018, Kobe Bryant became the first African
20American to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
21and the first former professional athlete to be nominated and
22to win an Academy Award in any category for his film Dear
23Basketball; on October 23, 2018, his book, The Mamba Mentality:

 

 

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1How I Play, was published, and most recently, he was working on
2a children's book aimed at inspiring underprivileged children;
3therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
5HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
6we mourn the passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna,
7and extend our sincere condolences to their family, friends,
8and all who knew and loved them; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That we declare January 25, 2020 as "Kobe Bryant
10Day" in the State of Illinois; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12presented to the family of Kobe and Gianna Bryant as a symbol
13of our deepest sympathy.