Nickelodeon Makes It Official: Kobe is a Legend

Los Angeles Lakers superstar and soon-to-be NBA hall-of-famer Kobe Bryant racked up a lot of accomplishments in his 20 year career: five NBA championships, two Finals MVPs, two Olympic gold medals, league MVP, 18-time All-Star, four NBA All-Star Game MVPs, slam dunk champ, two-time NBA scoring champ, and the all-time leading scorer in Lakers history. And while Kobe might have retired at the end of the 2016 season, he’s still pulling in awards.

This morning, Nickelodeon announced today that Kobe will receive the Legend Award at Kid’s Choice Sports 2016 when the show airs Sunday, July 17, at 8 p.m. He joins David Beckham and former Yankees shortstop — and another first-ballot hall-of-famer — Derek Jeter as a recipient of the golden blimp.

“It’s an honor to receive Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports Legend Award,” Bryant says. “This is a great opportunity to inspire kids to never lose their imaginations and to dream bigger than what they think is possible. If you stay true to that, the hard work, dedication, and success will always follow.” 

Be sure to tune into the awards show to see Kobe get the award — and be covered in golden slime — next month. But before the show, relive his legendary career through some iconic photographs:

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Photo: Nickelodeon