Obituary: Bryant, a transcendent star who never took a night off

Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant celebrates after dunking against the New York Knicks during their NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, California, January 9, 2011. [Reuters]

Kobe Bryant became one of the greatest players in basketball, a transcendent star who went straight from high school to the game’s biggest stage and brought “Showtime” back to the Los Angeles Lakers for two glittering decades.

But Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Southern California on Sunday at the age of 41, was not initially rated by National Basketball Association (NBA) scouts as a can’t-miss prospect.