Apart from being one of the greatest NBA players in history, Kobe Bryant also made plenty of difference in people's lives off the court.
From helping youngsters achieve their dreams as basketball players or donating money to certain charities, Kobe did his part as a citizen.
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In 2007, Kobe became the ambassador for After-School All-Stars, a non-profit organization that partnered up with schools to offer after-school programming for students that come from low-income families. Through this, Kobe gave motivational speeches to kids throughout the US. He also raised money for this organizations Los Angeles Chapter, that catered to 14,000 students from 38 schools.
Through Make-A-Wish-America, a non-profit organization that creates life-changing wishes for youth with critical sickness, Bryant visited over 200 kids battling life-threatening illnesses. He would also invite some of them to his games to provide a form of escape and inspire them.
With his wife Vanessa, Kobe Bryant started this foundation in 2011. That year itself, it partnered up with a homeless youth drop-in center 'My Friends Place' to increase awareness about the homeless issue and help homeless people build sufficient lives. They also operate the Mamba FC, a youth soccer club in Orange County that uses sports to provide training to young athletes.
Bryant worked with different organizations to raise awareness about Cancer. In 2012, he was part of the Stand Up to Cancer telecast, which raised over $81 million for Cancer research. He also sent motivational messages to those fighting this terrible disease.
Kobe believed in helping others success as well. So, after he retired from the NBA, he became a venture capitalist and helped many companies get off the ground. Through his VC firm, Bryant Stibel, he invested in over a dozen tech, data, and media startups.
Bryant was an advocate for academic achievement as well. He made several donations to literacy programs. The most recent one being in 2019, where he donated copies of his book 'The Wizenard Series' to LeBron James' I Promise School. He often asked even fans to donate books to help promote reading among low-income families.
Kobe also really supported women in sports. Vanessa and Kobe donated $5,000 to help support Roseville Basketball team. He later established the Mamba Academy to provide both boys and girls access to sports. He used the facility to offer athletic and lifestyle training to young athletes. This academy was also the training ground for his daughter Gianna's basketball team.