Kobe Bryant death: Beaver County's Yazid Powell scores exactly 81 points in Mamba's honour

Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others were killed in a tragic helicopter crash on Sunday. The group of 9 were headed to one of Gianna's basketball games when the helicopter crashed. NBA world poured in their condolences for Bryant's family. Teams and players also honoured the victims in different ways. 

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Kobe Bryant death: Beaver County's Yazid Powell scored 81 points in Mamba's honour

Beaver County's freshman guard Yazid Powell scored 81 points during his school's 147-61 win against Butler County Community. College as a tribute to his favourite player Kobe Bryant on Tuesday. Yazid Powell also switched his jersey number from No. 1 to No. 24 and shared the news on Twitter. In his tweet, Yazid Powell thanked his teammates and coaches as they helped him achieve the goal. 

According to ESPN, Yazid Powell also missed his final free throw to remain at 81. Bryant scored 81 points during the Lakers vs Raptors game in 2006. They are the second-most points scored in NBA after Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points in 1962. 

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Kobe Bryant death: The Laker legend's NBA career

Kobe Bryant played with the Lakers for two decades, starting as an 18-year-old rookie in 1996. Bryant retired in 2016, third on the all-time NBA scoring list. He had five NBA championships to his name, winning the NBA MVP award in 2008. Bryant had a career average of 25 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. Kobe Bryant even paired up with LeBron James for the Olympics, winning the country two gold medals in 2008 and 2012 respectively. 

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Kobe Bryant death: Mamba Sports Academy is based on the Mamba mentality

The Mamba Sports Academy is a facility formed by Kobe Bryant to help people activate and unlock their fullest potential. The academy was formed in 2018 and uses Kobe Bryant's mentality as one of its objectives. Mamba Sports Academy operates three distinct business units – Sport-specific physical training academies, a sports-focused venture lab and a charitable foundation called the Mamba Sports Foundation.

Kobe Bryant death: The world pays tribute to the Black Mamba

Kobe Bryant fans gathered around Staples Center, where the Grammys were being held. Players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Magic Johnson spoke about the Black Mamba, remembering everything that they learnt from them. The San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors stopped their game to honour Kobe Bryant, committing a violation on 24 seconds. 24 was Bryant's jersey number for the second half of his career. 

Also read | Kobe Bryant death: How Kobe Bryant gave himself different edge on the court with Mamba Mentality