Kobe Bryant's All-Star Debut Made Impression On Young LeBron James

Kobe Bryant made an impressive first All-Star Game impression. Fans voted him in as their starter and he delivered an impressive performance.

His All-Star debut was concluded with a dunk contest, where he showcased his skills with two dunks - one being an impressive double pump and sweeping one-handed reverse.

2004 All-Star Game

Kobe Bryant had the 2004 All-Star Game in Atlanta as his chance to prove he was one of basketball's greats. He finished top in voting and put on an amazing performance, scoring 22 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and making six assists while going head-to-head against Michael Jordan.

Bryant never took for granted the chance to entertain the crowd, even throwing up a little something special like Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella records' iconic rock sign for added effect.

He was also renowned for his charitable initiatives, such as working with Make-A-Wish and supporting Stand Up To Cancer. Additionally, he captained USA Basketball at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship where they achieved an incredible 10-0 record and earned themselves a place at Beijing 2008. In 2008, their team went on to win gold at the Olympic Games!

2005 All-Star Game

At 19 years old, Kobe Bryant made history as the youngest player ever to start in an NBA All-Star Game. His 22 point, seven rebound and six assist performance left a lasting impression on the Atlanta crowd.

In his first matchup against Michael Jordan, John Lebron got trash-talked in a battle of the ages. Ultimately, the East won 125-115 and Jordan earned MVP honors.

Bryant's debut was an important one for the Lakers, as they had four players on the West team. He unleashed a series of spectacular dunks that had fans on their feet and earned him his second All-Star Game MVP honors.

2006 All-Star Game

Kobe Bryant made an unforgettable All-Star Debut in 1998 at Madison Square Garden, joining Shaquille O'Neal and winning MVP in front of his hometown fans.

He earned himself the title of MVP of the West, leading his team with 31 points while dishing out 10 offensive rebounds.

James, now a star, was still young in 2006 when his performance against the East made him even more remarkable. A rookie averaging only 18 points per game, James led his home crowd of supporters to an amazing 135-114 victory against their opponents.

James was an admirable sport and exhibited great maturity. He spoke well of teammates, took time to sign autographs and appreciated the history of the game. James seemed able to handle all the pressure that comes with being a superstar athlete with ease.

2007 All-Star Game

The 2007 All-Star Game wasn't a huge success, but Kobe Bryant's performance stood out. At 19 years old, he became the youngest All-Star ever chosen and led his conference with 18 points.

On this historic occasion, Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal made their first All-Star Game appearance as teammates for the West team - their combined scoring effort leading to a 153-132 triumph against their East counterparts.

Kobe had earned 1 million votes during his rookie season, which earned him selection for the All-Star Game. On this special occasion, he got to showcase his skills and win the MVP award despite being jeered by fans in Philadelphia.

2008 All-Star Game

At a young age, LeBron James was profoundly moved by Kobe Bryant's performance at the first All-Star Game and his resilience in the face of hardship. This game marked an epiphany for him.

In 1998, Kobe was part of an unforgettable All-Star battle against Michael Jordan at Madison Square Garden. Both players started for their respective teams and each did a remarkable job on the court.

Early and often, Bryant took on MJ, challenging him both on the court and in the locker room. Their fierce competition proved instrumental to the Lakers' three-peat success.

2009 All-Star Game

At the 2009 All-Star Game, LeBron James was still a young man. At 19 years and 134 days, he had already won Rookie of the Year, recorded a triple-double and scored over 1,000 points during his rookie professional season.

In that game, he scored 25 points - far surpassing any prep-to-pro player's debut total of 11. His combined points total surpassed that of Jonathan Bender (11), Eddy Curry (19), Kwame Brown (5), Amar'e Stoudemire (10), Tracy McGrady (6) and Kevin Garnett (7) in their All-Star debuts.

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal joined forces to power the West, with O'Neal returning to his sidekick role, feeding Bryant 17 points in just 11 minutes of action as they cruised to a 146-119 victory that earned both players All-Star co-MVP honors.

2010 All-Star Game

LeBron James had never before played in the All-Star Game, but his performance at 2010 NBA All-Star Game left an impact on Kobe Bryant. Not only did James lead voting for All-Star selections, he also led his hometown Lakers to victory.

Kobe Bryant returned to the All-Star Game after a long absence and rejoined Shaquille O'Neal on the West squad. Despite O'Neal's injury, the two put on an incredible show together.

Bryant's first All-Star Game for the Los Angeles Lakers was an exciting one, as he scored 31 points and dished out five assists. His highlights included a daring cross-over on Jason Kidd and an elegant no-look pass to Tim Duncan.

2011 All-Star Game

Kobe Bryant had an outstanding first half of 2010-11, finishing the year with 31 points per game and leading the league in scoring. His performance earned him selection to the 2011 All-Star Game where he had an unforgettable debut.

He led the West to victory and earned himself the MVP award with 37 points and 14 rebounds, helping the West hold off a late charge from the East to win 148-143.

At 19 years old, Kobe was already a superstar on the rise. He was promoted as being the next big thing by TV, shoe companies and the NBA - cementing himself as one of basketball's brightest prospects.

2012 All-Star Game

Bryant was still a young superstar when he made his All-Star debut in 1998. His teammate Michael Jordan was already two-time champion and the league's all-time leading scorer at that time.

As the teams took to the court, they were welcomed by an upbeat tune from Dutch dance duo 2 Unlimited. It was an appropriate start to an All-Star Game that would leave a lasting impression on LeBron James as a youngster.

Kobe Bryant got the short end of an exchange with Miami's Dwyane Wade that left his nose broken, yet he didn't let that stop him from giving one of his finest performances during a midseason exhibition match. He helped the West win by a wide margin 146-119 and earned co-MVP honors alongside Shaquille O'Neal.

2013 All-Star Game

Kobe Bryant made his All-Star debut in Philadelphia and put on an incredible performance. His hometown fans were brought to their feet with a series of dunks, including a 360-slam off Shaquille O'Neal's lob and double-pump two-handed slam.

In 2007, the Black Mamba led his West team to an impressive 21-point victory, earning him his second All-Star Game MVP honors. Additionally, he scored 31 points against LeBron James/Shaquille O'Neal's Eastern Conference squad.

On this night of triumph and unity, they set aside any past tension to share the spotlight together on the court. In fact, they would go on to win three straight NBA titles together.

A 'Runaway' Black Hole the Size of 20 Million Suns Found Speeding Through Space

Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are typically locked away in their galaxy. However, in rare instances they have been known to escape.

Astronomers have recently observed evidence of a runaway super massive black hole (SMBH). This SMBH is believed to be located in an unusually shaped little galaxy located about 10 billion light years away, located within its own galaxy cluster.

1. It’s the size of 20 million suns

From pulsars and stars weighing less than a dozen Suns to monsters with millions or billions of times the mass of our own Milky Way galaxy, black holes exist in all sizes and shapes. When a star dies, its core sinks into a black hole where gravity grows so strong it can pull in enough surrounding matter to form one with millions or billions of solar masses in mass.

Normally, black holes reside at the centers of galaxies -- gobbling up gas and stars alike. But occasionally two galaxies merge and their black holes start to revolve around one another.

When this occurs, black holes usually experience an extreme burst of energy that sends them hurtling out of their host galaxies. That is the theory behind a recent discovery which suggests runaway black holes may be common occurrences.

Astronomers believe GRO J1655-40, a pair of twin stars in our own galaxy, is speeding across it at four times the average velocity of stars in its vicinity. This rapid expansion could have been caused by a supernova explosion.

Astronomers were able to pinpoint the location of this black hole pair by analyzing data from NASA's Swift and Chandra space telescopes as well as ground-based observations. This enabled them to determine the star's orbit and speed, then combine those figures to calculate its trajectory.

The team calculated that it took the equivalent of 100 million exploding supernovas to destroy GRO J1655-40, an event which occurred about 39 million years ago.

It could have left a trail in the gas surrounding a distant galaxy, known as a Doppler shift. As it passed through this gas, its kick pulled much of it in and altered how light was absorbed. According to researchers, these changes are consistent with an rogue SMBH travelling at different speeds to its galaxy and carrying an accretion disk along for the journey.

Astronomers hope these findings will shed some light on how "heavy" black holes form from multiple, successive mergers. It is thought that kicks at the end of these mergers account for their disproportionately large size.

2. It’s speeding through spa

Recent NASA/Keck Space Institute study reveals the existence of an elusive 'Runaway' black hole, the star of a 200,000 light year long star trail or streak speeding away from its home galaxy at 3.5 million mph or around 5.6 million km/h. As researchers explain, this is the first time a black hole has been shown with such a streak. Its size and acceleration are due to compressed gas in its tail compressing into stars - like a cousin to our Milky Way but visible in space! But how it gets there remains unknown; could it simply be gravity alone or could involve both?

3. It’s not easy to spot

Researchers from Canada, Australia, and the USA have recently described evidence of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) tearing through space and interacting with the circumgalactic medium (CGM), potentially sparking star formation along the way. A SMBH's complex motions near its event horizon spread atoms throughout our galaxy in unpredictable ways depending on other factors.

Computer simulations suggest that in a tiny fraction of the time, things can get strange. A star in a galaxy may be so massive that it kicks an SMBH out of its galaxy - this phenomenon is known as a "black hole kick."

Astronomers cannot detect black hole kicks with current gravitational wave detectors, such as LIGO. But in 2034, they may have a solution in the form of the eLISA detector which will launch. With such high precision measurements of mergers between galaxies, these instruments may be able to spot black hole kicks as they occur.

Scientists have observed several black holes that formed after galaxies collapsed, though most are too far away to be visible with the naked eye. The closest one lies approximately 35 million light years from Earth.

Astronomers have recently observed a streak of light in the sky that points right at an SMBH the size of 20 million suns, traveling through space at 3.5 million miles per hour - or 4,500 times faster than sound. This streak extends more than 200,000 light-years long and is composed of compressed gas ejected from within the black hole while it was actively forming stars.

The material ejected from the SMBH's accretion disk is strongly tugged towards the inner portion of the disk, while its outer portions lag behind. This creates an incredible collision that sends out an X-ray flare that can last thousands of years.

It's an intriguing discovery, but it also poses some intriguing questions about SMBHs in their environments. It appears likely that they can create jets which shock gas in the CGM, potentially leading to star formation.

4. It’s rare

Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) lie at the center of large galaxies, devouring stars, rocky planets and anything else that gets too close. Usually they grow larger over time but in rare cases they have been known to escape and leave their host galaxy behind.

Scientists have never before witnessed such an amazing phenomenon. A group of astronomers from Canada, Australia and the US has now demonstrated evidence that one of these enormous black holes has run away from its home galaxies and is traveling through intergalactic space at an incredible speed of more than 1,600 kilometers per second.

In their paper, the researchers describe a streak of light emanating from an unusual-shaped galaxy located about 10 billion light years away. They believe this trail was caused by shocks in the gas surrounding the galaxy and believes it to have been caused by a quiescent supermassive black hole (SMBH) that has been expelled from its host.

The team believes this could be the first time a runaway SMBH has been observed, and they're thrilled by this finding. They hope future observations from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory can provide them with more information about this galaxy's runaway SMBH and what it's causing in its surrounding space.

If this occurs, it could help explain how black holes are connected to galaxies' growth. As the team notes, a runaway supermassive black hole (SMBH) may leave behind a trail of gas in its vicinity that triggers star formation and builds up an accretion disk around it that holds it together.

Another way a runaway SMBH can leave its mark is by emitting X-rays that point astronomers towards its location of escape. That's why researchers believe Chandra will be able to detect an X-ray jet fired by the runaway SMBH.

Researchers believe this could be the first ever SMBH to be discovered in space, though they haven't ruled out other rogue SMBHs nearby in the universe. If they do discover other examples, it will provide astronomers with another clue as to how these objects are connected with massive star clusters and planetary nebulae that form nearby in outer space.

Is Richard Gere Related to Will Gerer?

Richard Gere is a renowned actor who has been appearing in Hollywood films since the 1970s. Born in 1949, Richard has won numerous awards for his work.

He is a staunch supporter of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, and has also advocated for environmental causes. He has visited Dharamshala - headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile - numerous times and regularly travels to China to promote his films and raise awareness about Tibet.

His ancestry

He is descended from several Mayflower passengers, such as Francis Eaton, John Billington, George Soule, Richard Warren, Degory Priest, William Brewster and Francis Cooke. Gere is an American actor, producer and humanitarian who can trace his roots back to the earliest colonisers in America. A member of the Screen Actors Guild, he has earned several awards for his acting career.

He is of mixed heritage, with English and small amounts of Scottish, Dutch, Irish, Welsh and French ancestry. A practising Buddhist and longtime human rights activist, he has recently traveled to Tibet where he met with indigenous tribes and toured their villages.

Gere has been an established actor for more than three decades and is considered one of Hollywood's premier figures. His career took off with his lead role in 1980 film American Gigolo, followed by roles in An Officer and a Gentleman, Pretty Woman, Primal Fear and Chicago which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.

He is an active supporter of Survival International and campaigns for AIDS awareness. Additionally, he has been a practicing Buddhist for more than 44 years.

Gere has taken an intense interest in religion and converted to Tibetan Buddhism. He is considered the second-most prominent proponent of this practice worldwide and an enthusiastic supporter of both Tibetan Buddhism and Survival International's work for indigenous tribes' rights.

His family history is especially intriguing, as he descended from the Mayflower passengers who settled in America in 1620. This makes him a direct descendant of Richard Warren's daughter Mary and several members of that ship including Degory Priest, William Brewster, and Francis Cooke - descendants through marriage of Richard's grandson to Elizabeth Cooke in 1661.

His career

Richard Gere has had a storied and successful film career, beginning with his breakthrough roles in American Gigalo (1980) and An Officer and a Gentleman (1982). Aside from acting, Richard also produces numerous films; some of his most renowned productions include Pretty Woman (1990) and Chicago (2002).

He has been in the industry for more than four decades and has earned several awards along the way. Additionally, he is renowned as an advocate for human rights issues, having participated in philanthropy projects to bring awareness about pressing matters such as refugee crises.

Early in his life, he developed an interest in Zen Buddhism which eventually turned into a lifelong devotion to Tibetan Buddhism. While traveling through Asia during the 1970s, he met and befriended the 14th Dalai Lama and has remained a passionate supporter of Tibetan causes ever since.

His interest in Buddhism led to the founding of Tibet House and the Gere Foundation, both nonprofit organizations that provide aid to Tibetans. Additionally, he has dedicated much of his time to environmental causes as well as AIDS awareness campaigns.

As an actor, he has earned recognition for his roles in several movies such as The Cotton Club (1984), An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) and Pretty Woman (1990). Currently, he's working on a new project which is set for release soon.

He boasts an adoring fan base, with many asking for his autograph or photo on social media platforms. Additionally, he supports Survival International which works to protect the rights and lives of tribal peoples around the world.

Gere has not starred in a major studio movie for over a decade now, despite his celebrity. This is believed to be due to his vocal opposition of China and support for Tibetan independence.

Big studios have shied away from Gere's outspoken views, fearing they could upset China - which has rapidly become the world's second biggest box office market. Nonetheless, Gere has been able to produce independent films like Nights in Rodanthe (2008) and has reignited his acting career.

His personal life

Richard Gere is an acclaimed American actor who has been in the entertainment industry for four decades. He's known for his roles in American Gigolo and Pretty Woman, among other films.

He is an advocate for Survival International, an organization which fights to protect tribal peoples' rights to their lands and lives. Additionally, he promotes HIV awareness and has spoken out against Iraq's invasion.

His career took off with his role in American Gigolo and appearances on Broadway, where he played the lead in "Bent," for which he won a Theatre World Award. Subsequently, he starred in several successful movies such as Internal Affairs and Pretty Woman (both released in 1990).

In the 1980s, Richard took time out of his busy acting schedule to travel to Nepal and meet Buddhist monks and lamas. Additionally, he visited refugee camps in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador as well as meeting tribal leaders.

After his travels, he became an enthusiastic supporter of Survival International. He has participated in multiple charity advertising campaigns and even opened a sale at Harrods to donate PS50,000 to the organization.

Around this time, he met Cindy, whom he married in 1994. Both men were highly-regarded celebrities in Hollywood at the time.

Unfortunately, their marriage did not last. There were numerous rumors and speculation, and the 17-year age gap between them had a major influence on their dynamic.

Ultimately, they divorced and haven't been seen together since. They share two children together: Kaia Jordan Gerber and Presley Walker Gerber.

Richard was able to return to the spotlight after his divorce from Cindy. In 2002, he wed Carey Lowell and they welcomed a son together named Homer into the world.

He recently married Alejandra Silva in 2018; their first child, Alexander, was born that same year. Additionally, the couple expects another baby soon.

He is a member of the Society for Human Rights and has been an enthusiastic supporter of Survival International organization for many years. Additionally, he has campaigned tirelessly for Tibetan independence, touring the country in support of this cause. With an intense interest in Buddhism, he founded both The Gere Foundation and Tibet House with his wife Sandra.

His awards

Richard Gere has achieved fame over the course of his long career, appearing in some of cinema's most beloved films. He earned awards for his roles in American Gigolo, Pretty Woman and Chicago; plus he was nominated for numerous other accolades.

Gere began as a botanist but ultimately chose to pursue acting instead. After studying at the University of Chicago and touring tent shows and riverboats before breaking into show business, he founded Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum--a botanical garden located in Topanga, California.

He is a practicing Tibetan Buddhist and lives an austere lifestyle. To combat poverty and violence, he travels to places of hardship to speak out about the issue. Additionally, he donates money to various charities and campaigns; earning him accolades from numerous organizations for his humanitarian work.

In 1993, Gere used his platform to address a political issue that deeply troubled him: China's treatment of Tibetan people. This controversial stance earned him exclusion from the Academy Awards for years.

Gere has been barred from the Oscars but remains active in the film industry. He has starred in films like Amelia (2009), Brooklyn's Finest (2009) and Arbitrage (2012); plus, he's directed several movies and television series.

Gere has earned numerous nominations throughout his career, including the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award. Furthermore, he is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

His greatest accomplishment is that he has had such a positive effect on the world. As an advocate for AIDS awareness and ecological concerns, he has traveled to places like India and Tibet to bring these issues to light. Furthermore, he founded his own non-profit organization called The Gere Foundation with this passion in mind.

The Gere Foundation is a charitable organization that supports advocacy and humanitarian causes. Its mission is to give voice to disadvantaged populations, particularly in developing nations.