Growing up in Italy, Kobe Bryant develops a passion for basketball under his father's influence; at 18, he moves to Los Angeles to join the Lakers, where he marries Vanessa Laine, straining family relationships.

In 2003, Kobe's world is rocked by an allegation of sexual assault against a 19-year old hotel employee, drawing intense media scrutiny; in the aftermath, he channels his emotions into the Black Mamba alter ego.

As the end of his basketball career looms, Kobe shifts focus to storytelling, mentoring and fatherhood; in 2020, the world is stunned by a tragic helicopter crash, which claims the lives of Kobe and his daughter, Gianna.