On July 4th, 2003, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was arrested in Eagle, Colorado on sexual assault charges. He was alleged to have forced himself on a 30-year-old concierge at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera, just before he was scheduled for knee surgery in Vail.
Bryant would initially deny having sex with the accuser but later admitted to having a consensual sexual encounter with her. The accusations sent shockwaves throughout the NBA, just as Bryant was being established as one of the league’s brightest young stars.
The prosecution dropped the criminal charges against Bryant on September 1, 2004. He would later issue a public statement apologizing to the accuser and her family.
In the years that followed, Bryant steered clear of any crime or controversy. As he matured, both as a player and a person, he expanded his horizons to encompass everything from fashion to filmmaking. He rose up to become one of the most influential voices in the world of sports and entertainment, until his untimely end.
On January 26th, 2020, Bryant tragically died in a helicopter crash at the age of 41. The accident occurred in Calabasas, California, while en route to a basketball game at his Mamba Sports Academy in Newbury Park. Along with the Black Mamba’s passing was his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who was accompanying Bryant on the trip.
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