In 2007, the Bryants established the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation (KVBFF) to aid the less fortunate and inspire young people to maintain an active lifestyle via sports.
The charity has given money to organizations like Kids in Sports Los Angeles ($20,000) and COACH for Kids and Their Families ($75,000) to help bring health care and educational opportunities to kids in Los Angeles’ poorer communities. My Friend’s Place threw a holiday party there for homeless and at-rιsk families, where they distributed gifts, provided a meal, and had the kids take pictures with Santa.
Following his retirement from the NBA, Bryant launched Granity Studios, a production firm that strives to generate content for young adults through storytelling and athletics, according to Forbes.
“For us, for the studio, it is trying to connect important messages that we want our youth to get to understand, grow with, and evolve with,” Bryant told the outlet in September 2019. “Then we move on to sports, and we see how the story is intertwined with the sport.”
Bryant has published several sports-themed novels through Granity Studios, including The Wizenard Series: Season One (co-written with Wesley King) and Legacy and the Queen (co-written with Annie Matthew), as well as the Oscar-winning animated feature Dear Basketball.
The tennis ace looked to Serena Williams for inspiration while writing Legacy and the Queen.
Thanks, @serenawilliams Okay, let’s do it now. Tennis’s reigning champ serves as inspiration for the band’s nаme. A constant source of motivation for future generations. Okay, so let’s go! In 2019, Bryant posted a captioned photo of himself and Williams to Instagram.
Legacy, a 12-year-old girl with a passion for tennis but no resources to pursue official instruction, competes in an annual competition with the goal of winning the grand prize and using the money to preserve her family’s orphanage.
Bryant tweeted of his novel, “I hope #legacyandthequeen inspires you to find that magical light within to guide you thru the dark #liveyourdream.”
Visiting The View in September 2019 to discuss his podcast The Punies, the late star stated, “I’m always game for talking about building confidence in young people and putting imagination back into sports.”
The stories in the audiobook revolve around a little boy named Puny Pete, who enjoys playing sports with his pals in the neighborhood. RigҺteous Rivals,” “Trust Your Crew,” and “Know Your Teammates” are just a few of the episodes in the show’s two seasons thus far.
Kobe’s work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation has resulted in the fulfillment of over 200 wishes.
Jordan Patterson, who first met Bryant when he was 13, said, “Meeting Kobe was probably the highlight of my life,” in an interview with TV station WITI.
Patterson, a Wisconsinite with renal problems, and his family were transported to Los Angeles to meet Bryant.
Patterson told the station in 2012, “It boosted my spirits so high.” I appreciate that a lot… All my images are signed, and he took as many as I asked for and answered all my questions.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture was partially funded by Bryant’s family foundation. As a major contributor (giving $1 million or more), he tweeted, “Go. See. This. Museum.” on its opening day. The histories contained herein are the finest advertisement for the United States. Thanks for having me @NMAAHC!
After-School All-Stars is a free program that helps children succeed in five key areas—health and fitness, academic preparedness, STEM, career exploration, and the visual and performing arts—and the star was named a national ambassador for the program in 2009.
Bryant raised over $81 million for cаncer research in 2012 thanks to Stand Up to Cаncer. In addition, he shared a photo of himself with two program participants and the caption, “We have to Stand Up To Cаncer! No child should have to go through pаin. The camp I worked at today had the most incredible children.
In addition to his artistic pursuits, Bryant has Һit the road to interact with underprivileged youth and communities.
Here, he’s posing for a selfie with some of the kids he read to as part of the CDF Freedom Schools initiative, which encourages literacy as a means of fostering positive change in young people.
On December 19, 2018, in Mission Viejo, California, the late celebrity paid a surprise holiday visit to local students.
Bryant went visited a football center in the township of Soweto, South Africa, on June 27, 2010, during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, to interact with local children and their families.
At Prince’s Gym in Houston on September 11, 2005, the star was part of Kenny Smith’s Hurricane Katrina charity effort and the NBA Players Charity Game. At the moment, evacuees were taking refuge in the gym.
The Black Mamba bowled in Harlem with a bunch of kids during a charity event in New York City in 2007.
On July 27, 2010, in Changchun, Jilin Province, China, the global celebrity delivered pointers and played basketball with students at Changchun University of Technology.
On October 20, 2004, in El Segundo, California, Bryant and former Laker Brian Cook paid a surprise visit to Center Street Elementary School as part of the NBA’s Read to Achieve Week.