Although Sunday marked a difficult anniversary, the basketball world has been contemplating Kobe Bryant's legacy throughout the past five years. Multiple NBA stars spoke with Yahoo Sports last year about the Black Mamba's impact, ahead of the fourth anniversary of the Lakers star's passing.

Bryant stepped off the court in a Lakers jersey for the final time the following year. He scored 60 points in his finale and finished his career with 33,643 points. He ranks fourth all-time in scoring, behind LeBron James (41,396), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928).

A wave of tributes poured in online to commemorate the life of the late Kobe Bryant, whose 2020 death shook the sports world.