Kobe Bean Bryant, nicknamed the "Black Mamba", was an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He entered the NBA directly from high school and played for the Lakers his entire career, winning five NBA championships and being named Finals MVP in two of them. Bryant was a 16-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and a 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. As of April 2023, he ranks fourth on both the league's all-time regular-season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists.
He appeared as Himself in the episode "Family Portrait".
Sadly Kobe died in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles that happened on January 26, 2020. He and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna were aboard that helicopter along with seven other passengers. He is among some of the actors who appeared on Modern Family that have passed away which also includes Elizabeth Peña who played as Gloria's mother Pilar Ramirez who died in 2014 with cirrhosis, Jon Polito, who played Earl Chambers and Jackson Odell who appeared in "My Funky Valentine" as a boy oddly named "Durkas" who fell in love with a girl named Fionia which Manny also liked and was trying to get rid of Durkas to date Fionia which went poorly. Jackson died from a drug overdose in 2018.