Why did Kobe Bryant change his shirt number, and how many NBA titles did he win with the LA Lakers?
KOBE BRYANT might have been born in Philadelphia, but he was LA Lakers through and through.
The NBA superstar arrived in a 1996 trade from the Charlotte Hornets, who had selected him at No13 in that year's draft.
Bryant went on to play 20 season with the California-based team, carving out a career as one of the best guards to ever play the game.
The world of sport has been shook by his untimely death at the age of 41 in a tragic helicopter crash.
Why did Kobe Bryant change his shirt number?
UPON his arrival to LA in 1996, Bryant took the No8 jersey for his new team.
He would wear the shirt number for the next decade as he teamed up with Shaquille O'Neal to dominate the NBA.
But it was later revealed by Bryant that he originally wanted the No24 shirt.
That was the original number that Kobe wore in high school, before he switched to No33.
Both of those were unavailable in 1996 though, with No33 officially retired by the Lakers in honour of the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Bryant settled on No8 by adding together the numbers of his '143' jersey that he wore in the Adidas ABCD camp prior to the NFL draft.
At the start of the 2006-07 season, Bryant was finally able to change his shirt number from No8 to his preferred No24.
He would wear that until his retirement in 2016.
Throughout that 2007 season, his jersey became the top selling NBA strip in both the USA and China.
In honour of one of their greatest ever players, the Lakers officially retired both the No8 and No24 shirts when Kobe hung up his boots.
How many NBA titles did he win with the LA Lakers?
BRYANT never moved away from the Lakers, enjoying his most successful era when partnered with commanding centre O'Neal.
The pair helped LA win three straight NBA championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
In total, Kobe won FIVE of these titles - the other two came in 2009 and 2010.
He won the NBA's MVP once, as well as two Olympic golds at the 2008 and 2012 Games.