CLEVELAND — Kobe Bryant spent the entirety of his 20-year NBA career playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.
That meant that most years, the 18-time All-Star's time in Cleveland was limited to a single trip.
Nevertheless, like most places Bryant spent time in -- and even some that he didn't -- the 5-time NBA champion managed to leave an indelible mark in Northeast Ohio over the course of his legendary career. That was evident in the outpouring of support that occurred on Sunday after Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were two of nine people tragically killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
In honor of Bryant's memory, let's take a look back at the brief, but unique legacy he left in Cleveland.
1997 Slam Dunk Champion
Bryant's debut inside of what was then called Gund Arena may have been his most memorable moment in Cleveland.
And it wasn't even as even in an actual game.
Taking part as an 18-year-old rookie, Bryant stole the show at the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend, becoming the youngest winner in the history of the event. In addition to participating in the dunk contest. Bryant played in the Rising Stars Game, scoring a game-high 31 points and grabbing 8 rebounds for the West.
''Man, I remember walking around the hotel, I remember walking around this arena, and just running into a great after great after great after great after great,'' Bryant recalled of All-Star Weekend in 2016, per The Associated Press. ''I grew up watching all of these players. So I watched all of the classic videos, the films, the books. So to see these players all walking around, it was pretty amazing.''
Nearly a month later, Bryant made his official Gund Arena debut, but failed to score a single point while coming off the bench to play in less than three minutes of a Lakers victory over the Cavs in Cleveland.
Kobe scores 47 to top Cavs
With Shaquille O'Neal out of the lineup due to a foot injury, Bryant carried the Lakers to a 102-96 victory over the Cavs in Cleveland on Jan. 31, 2001.
Scoring 47 points on 12-for-26 shooting, Bryant helped fend off a Cavs team that had cut a 21-point Lakers lead to four points in the fourth quarter. Bryant's 47 points proved to be a career-high vs. Cleveland and came en route to the second of Los Angeles' three consecutive NBA titles from 2000-2002.
The birth of a rivalry
When it came to LeBron James' rookie season with the Cavs, there weren't many matchups more highly anticipated than his first matchup with Bryant and the Lakers. On Jan. 12, 2004, the two prep-to-the-pros stars squared off for the first time, with the Lakers beating the Cavs in Los Angeles by a score of 89-79.
James totaled 16 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds, while Bryant scored 10 points in 17 minutes before leaving the game due to a shoulder injury. Over the course of 13 seasons, James and Bryant would square off 22 times, with James averaging 28.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.3 assists and Bryant averaging 24.6 points, 5.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds.
In those contests, James' Cavs and Heat teams combined for a 16-6 advantage over Bryant's Lakers.
Nike Puppets
As James established himself as one of the top players in the NBA, one of his most popular Nike campaigns came alongside Bryant. From 2009-2010, Nike ran a series of commercials depicting James and Bryant as puppets who often competed with one another.
For many, the payoff was expected to be a star-studded matchup between James and Bryant in the NBA Finals. James' Cavs, however, would fall short, while the Lakers
Final game in Cleveland
In November of 2015, Bryant announced he would retire at the end of the ongoing NBA season, doing so in an essay for The Players' Tribune titled "Dear Basketball." As a result, the Lakers' matchup against the Cavs on Feb. 10, 2016 would be Bryant's last game in Cleveland, which made for a celebratory atmosphere both before, during and after the contest.
Bryant scored 17 points, James totaled 29 and Kyrie Irving scored 35 in the Cavs' 120-111 win. After the game, Bryant gifted James with an autographed pair of his signature Nike shoes inside the Cavs' locker room.
Kyrie calls Kobe
Even after Bryant's NBA career came to a close -- with a 60-point performance against the Utah Jazz -- he still managed to add to his unique Cleveland legacy.
Shortly after hitting the game-winning shot in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals to clinch Cleveland's first professional sports championship in 52 years, Irving FaceTimed Bryant, who he considered a mentor.
"I actually FaceTimed Kobe after the game as soon as I got in the locker room," Irving told ThePostGame.com. "Other than seeing my dad and my sister right after we won, FaceTiming him was just a great thing, knowing how he has won five and I just won my first. Then realizing how hard it is just to win one, my respect for him is already high, but it went to another level knowing that he's got five of them. I'm trying to get a second one."
Last year, Bryant recalled the moment while speaking to Sirius XM.
“After Cleveland came back from that 3-1 deficit and beat Golden State, my phone rings and it’s a facetime call. It’s Kyrie," Bryant said. "Kyrie’s in the locker room and celebrating and on FaceTime he says, ‘Dude! It worked. Your advice worked.'"