He was not just an ordinary celeb, neither he was just an American celeb. He was one of the best-known athletes of all time. Everywhere you go they know who Kobe is or was. For anyone who followed basketball at any point of their youth, Kobe is a very important figure. I am old enough to remember Michael Jordan who is still considered the best basketball player of all time but honestly, between Kobe, Jordan, and Lebron I find Kobe to be the biggest superstar of basketball known to me. All of them did incredible things with the ball. But somehow I remember Kobe having the most flair and finesse to his game. Kobe and Shaq to me are the two most important basketball players.