Kobe Bryant inspired a generation of basketball players worldwide with both his sublime skills and his unquenchable competitive fire. Less than four years into his retirement from the NBA, Bryant was seeking new challenges and working to inspire his daughters' generation through sports and storytelling when his next act ended shockingly early. Bryant, the 18-time All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday.