From the night he stepped onto the NBA Draft stage to shake the hand of the late David Stern to the day he closed out a historic career with an unprecedented 60-point performance, Kobe Bean Bryant has gifted the world with far too many memorable moments to be numbered. From his superhuman scoring efforts to his five championships to the success of his daughter Gianna to even an Oscar win, the Black Mamba spent the majority of his 41 year lifetime dedicating himself to be the best at whatever he did. He was known, loved, and feared across the league for his unreal work ethic, never taking a moment off to practice and working in a way that no one ever had before.

Until one day.

On Sunday morning, Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, along with eight other victims including Gianna Bryant. A man who many saw as a superstar, hero, immortal even, was gone.

When the news initially came out, many didn’t want to believe it. Many expected him to emerge from the wreckage unscathed out of the sheer will that had brought him everything he had his entire life.

The tributes have come in numbers, as people have lined the streets of L.A. to pay their respects, and NBA players and teams have done so through retirements of Bryant’s numbers of 8 and 24.

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the best of the best of a legend’s career. A man who worked harder than anyone for 20 years to get to where he did, to live the life he lived, and to be the person he was. Here are the top 10 moments of Kobe Bryant’s life and career.

10. First Post Shaq Title

After the trade of superstar big man Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat, the Lakers failed to win a playoff series until 2008, and there they lost in the Finals to their arch rival Boston Celtics following a blowout 131-92 loss in Game 6 to close the series. Facing scrutiny over his capability to lead a team to a championship as the No.1 option, Bryant promptly led the Lakers back to the Finals against the Orlando Magic. In that series, Bryant averaged 32.4 points to go with 7.4 assists and 5.6 rebounds as LA won in 5. After such a performance, the Mamba left little doubt as to who the league’s best player at the time was.

9. Alley to Shaq

Behind Kobe’s second career All-Star appearance and MVP Shaq’s 29.7 points per game, the 1999-00 Lakers rolled through the regular season with a 67-15 record and took on the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals. Despite winning three of the first four games, LA lost Games 5 and 6, the latter despite a game-high 33 points from Bryant. In the deciding Game 7, the Lakers clung to a four-point lead with just under a minute left, knowing a score would all but seal a Finals berth. After beating his defender with a quick crossover, Kobe penetrated the lane and threw a high lob to Shaq, who slammed it home to give the Lakers a six point lead with 41 seconds left. O’Neal ran towards the bench with his arms raised in what is now one of the most iconic pictures in league history, and two weeks later LA finished off the first of three straight championships and Kobe’s first of five.

8. Outscoring the Mavs Through Three Quarters

Barely a month after this game, Bryant went on to set a modern-day scoring record with a staggering 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. While that game remains the more iconic moment, it was this December 2005 contest against the eventual Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks that may have been more impressive. In just 32 minutes played by the end of the third quarter, Bean put up 62 points on 31 shots. By comparison, the entire Dallas Mavericks team had scored 61 points at that time. Bryant sat out the fourth of what could’ve been a historic performance. But, Kobe being Kobe, he’d get a chance to one-up himself later.

7. First MVP

After two straight seasons in which he averaged 35/5/5 and 32/6/5 and won scoring titles both years, Kobe lost out on league MVP both times, mostly due to the Lakers’ middling records during that span. In 2007-08, however, the Bryant put up 28/6/5 while leading the Lakers to 57 wins and the NBA Finals. His efforts were enough to earn him the first and only MVP of his 20-year career, shaking of notions of bad luck and inability to win an individual award.

6. Passing MJ

In the midst of what was at the time the worst season in Laker history with just 21 wins by the Purple and Gold, Bryant provided a rare bright spot in a December game in Minnesota. With the second of two free throws midway through the second quarter, Bryant scored his 32,293rd career point to pass his childhood idol Jordan, and was received by a standing ovation from the away crowd. Even in a lost season, the Bean still provided relief and joy to Laker fans, as he continued to set milestones 19 years into his career.

5. Drafted and then Traded to L.A.

Above anything else, the Mamba was always known for his relentless mindset. His Mamba Mentality drove him his entire life, never taking a day off until his last and using every slight as fuel, starting with a few days after draft night ’96. After being drafted at No.13 by the Charlotte Hornets, he was later informed that they had no intention of keeping him and he was immediately shipped to LA. As he was wont to do, Kobe immediately took the trade personally, saying, “I quickly transitioned from smiley kid to killer instinct.” It’s safe to say that the trade worked out in the Lakers’ favor, as they went on to win five championships under Bryant, while Charlotte has made it out of the first round just three times since then.

4. Dear Basketball

While Kobe will always be best known for his on-court accomplishments, Vino never put forth less than 100% effort in anything he did. In 2018, Bryant created a short film regarding his life called, “Dear Basketball“. In typical Kobe fashion, he promptly became the first African-American to win Best Animated Short Film at the Oscars, as well as the first former professional athlete to win an Academy Award, an accomplishment he regards as greater than any of his five championships.

3. A Ring for the Thumb

After five games in the 2010 NBA Finals, the defending champion Lakers trailed 3-2 against the rival Celtics, a lead that Boston had never blown in franchise history. That is, until Kobe Bryant came along. Kobe had 26 points, 11 rebounds, and four steals in an 89-67 Game 6 win to set up a winner-take-all Finals Game 7, the only one of his career. Trailing by as much as 13 in the third quarter, Kobe led the Lakers back despite shooting just 6 of 24, and hit two clinching free throws to put the Lakers up five with 26 seconds left, sealing his fifth championship and second Finals MVP.

2. 81 Points

A January 2006 game against the Toronto Raptors didn’t start off with a historic indication, as the Lakers trailed by 14 at halftime despite Kobe’s 26 points. Then came one of the greatest halves in NBA history. Trailing by 18 two minutes into the second half, Kobe caught fire like never before. Bryant dropped a whopping 27 points in the third quarter to take a six-point lead entering the fourth. After a fourth in which he scored 28 points, Kobe had a mind-boggling 55 points in the second half to finish with a modern-era record 81 for the game. For perspective, former MVPs Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry’s career highs for an entire game are 54 points. He was efficient too, taking just 46 shots in 41 minutes to reach his 81 points, in a performance only rivaled in significance by the number one moment one this list.

1. Mamba Out

Ahead of the final game of his iconic 20-year career, former teammate Shaquille O’Neal challenged Bryant to score 50 points to end his career. The aging Bryant scoffed at the request, as the 37-year old was averaging just 16.9 entering the game and appeared in no physical condition to reach 40, much less 50.

But this is Kobe Bryant.

He will find a way.

Bryant led the Lakers back from a late 96-84 deficit with 15 unanswered points to take a 99-96 lead with seconds left. His last two free throws marked his 59th and 60th points of the night, 22 more than he had scored in any game that season. He even gave the Laker faithful one last game winner for the road, hitting a midrange jumper to put LA up one with 30 seconds left.

Kobe Bryant gave the world everything we could’ve asked for from an NBA superstar over the years. He transcended all sports, as his unrelenting passion for his craft inspired people across the globe, and his famous Mamba Mentality is one that will never be forgotten and attempted to be replicated for generations to come.

So Kobe, thank you, and goodbye. For the last time, Mamba out.