1) Kobe Bryant was born on 23 August 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was named after a famous Japanese steak that his parents found really interesting. He is the son of a famous NBA player Joe “Jelly Bean” Bryant. Along with his two athletic sisters, Kobe Bryant had been a very energetic kid and was good at both soccer and basketball right from the beginning.
Kobe Bryant Facts – Biography
2) He spent most of his early age in Italy because the elder Bryant shifted his entire family to Italy after his retirement. For this reason, Kobe Bryant is very fluent in his Italian and uses the language a lot to interact with his teammates during the match. He began to learn Italian quickly majorly because he wanted to fit in with the other kids in his school in Italy.
3) Bryant’s middle name is different from what appears on his birthday certificate and other documents. The middle name chosen by his parents was “bean” from his father’s nickname Jelly Bean, but it was not officially written down in the documents.
4) He returned to his hometown in 1991 and took admission in Merion High School. It was here that he was properly able to show his talent as a basketball player when he won four championships in a row.
5) Although he spent little time studying Kobe Bryant was a brilliant student; he got good grades in class and a high score on his SATs. However, he decided to peruse his career in the NBA rather than going for higher studies.
6) Bryant was a celebrity right from high school; unlike other kids who ask out their friends etc for prom, Kobe Bryant came to his high school prom with Brandy Norwood, a famous R&D singer. His emphatic approach left all his class fellows and friends in awe and wonder.
7) He was the first ever guard who had been drafted out of high school and directly into the team. This was a big milestone not only for Bryant but also for the Merion High School. However, the Charlotte Hornets who drafted Bryant originally traded him for Vlade Divac, which was the only wrong thing that happened to Bryant on draft day.
8) Kobe Bryant married Vanessa Laine in 2001; the two originally met in 1999 when Vanessa was a high school student. She was acting as a background dancer for music videos at that time and Bryant had come to the studio to get a rap song recorded. The song never released but the visit got him to his future wife.
9) Two years after his marriage, Bryant was charged with sexual assault on a hotel staff in Colorado. Bryant defended himself by stating that he was guilty of adultery but he had never been involved in a rape. The charges were dropped in 2004 and the lawsuit was settled out of court between the two parties.
10) During his first season as a guard, he was not allowed to become a part of the mainstream action and was made to sit on the bench for most of the game. Over time, he was allowed more minutes to play in the game and his progress was instantly noticed by the coach and the selection committee of Lakers.
11) For most of his career in high school, Bryant wore the number 33 but when he entered NBA he switch to number 8. He did so because he wore the number in Italy and it also represented the shirt that he wore on Adidas ABCD camp. By switching the number when his popularity was going up, he was able to sell more jerseys according to some critics.
12) Kobe Bryant was declared the starter of the game in the 1998 games of All Star; this made him the youngest players in the history of NBA to become All star at the age of 19.
13) In 2003 and 2004, Bryant led his team to victory in two consecutive seasons in a row, as a result of which he was declared first team all star in NBA. He was the first person to ever get this title by NBA. The same year, he also signed a number of deals to endorse the products of Adidas, Spirit and other sponsors.
14) However, after 2004, the team was not able to show any significant wins and the fans were starting to get disappointed. Kobe once again rose to the occasion and led his team to the 2008 NBA finals although the match did not go in their favor.
15) Bryant was a close friend of Michael Jackson and was shocked to hear about his death. It was at this time that he declared to stay in Los Angles for the coming few years.
16) He represented the United States in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and won gold medals both times playing alongside big names like Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and other similar names.
17) It is said that Kobe improves his games and develops new moves for the season by playing against his own shadow. He is said to be a dedicated players who spends a lot of time on practicing and believes that there is something new to learn all your life.
18) As a child, his favorite show was the NBA show time, which aired all the greatest basketball games that has been played in history. He said that he was able to learn a lot from the show and it was because of it that his real interest in basketball began. Otherwise, he would have joined soccer while staying in Italy.
19) Kobe is known to keep his personal life to himself and is one of those few athletics who have not been involved in a lot of scandals (there was only one scandal during his entire career).
20) He is a father to a beautiful girl who was born in 2006; although Vanessa and Kobe have had some rough patches but they are said to be a happy couple.
Kobe Bryant More fun facts
Kobe Bryant is one of the best players in NBA history with his most impressive achievement coming when he led the Lakers to the 2008 NBA Championship with a game-winning shot over LeBron James. Kobe Bryant has had incredible success with his career on and off the court with 5 NBA championships, two Olympic gold medals, 17 All-NBA selections, 2 All-Defensive team selections, and 1 MVP award.
A complex athlete who excelled at basketball from an early age, Kobe Bryant found himself at a crossroads following a trade from Los Angeles to Memphis. In 2007, Kobe told The Player’s Tribune about “the day everything changed.” He said:
“There was no warning at all. I woke up that morning , went to practice, had a great practice, came back that night and the whole thing imploded. That was it. I was on my own. No team, no teammates.”
He then made the decision to do something he’d never done before: He flew straight from Los Angeles to Colorado by himself to train with his idol Michael Jordan. Kobe worked for two months in solitude alongside other NBA players such as Paul Pierce and Tracy McGrady—who were also training in Colorado at the time—in preparation for what would become one of the most pivotal seasons in his career. He said: “I was alone, man… But you know what? It turned out alright.”
On December 1, 2007 Kobe scored 81 points against Toronto Raptors , the second highest single-game scoring total in NBA history. Kobe Bryant is best known for his prowess as a scorer but has been praised by some of the top names in basketball as being one of the best players and passers ever to play the game. LeBron James told ESPN: “He’s probably played with six or seven head coaches… He made them all look good.” Dwyane Wade added: “I’ve been 19 years in this league , and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
In December 2013, Kobe Bryant became just the sixth player in NBA history to appear in at least 1,000 games for one franchise when he suited up for Los Angeles against San Antonio . The others – Kareem-Jabbar (1 ,157), Karl Malone (1,043), John Stockton (1,123), Reggie Miller (1,389) and Michael Jordan (1,072).
On December 14, 2013 Kobe Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points . He achieved this feat at 34 years and 122 days of age. The previous youngest to accomplish this was Wilt Chamberlain who was aged 35 years and 148 days when he scored his 30 , 0 0 0 th point. It’s estimated that since Kobe didn’t miss a game between November 2011 and December 2012 he ran more than 1 million miles , the equivalent of over 100 trips around Earth !
Kobe Bryant has played through numerous injuries throughout his professional basketball career including an avulsion fracture in his right index finger , a sprained wrist, a bone spur in his left ankle, a severely bruised shin, multiple lower leg injuries resulting from hyperextension and bracing of his knees. He has also suffered from back problems while being listed as probable for the past four seasons. In November 2012 Kobe underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon which kept him off the court until January 2013 . In December 2015 he missed games once again due to injury with an injured rotator cuff that could have required surgery but instead he chose to recover via rest and rehab following an intense 3-week therapy program given by team physical therapist Judy Seto , who is well known within the NBA for her work with players.
Kobe Bryant has not only scored the most points of any player in NBA history who played for just one franchise, he also holds the record for having won the most games of any player on that list.
Summary: Kobe Bryant is an American professional basketball player with 5 NBA championships, 2 Olympic gold medals, 17 All-NBA selections, 2 All-Defensive team selections, and 1 MVP award. He achieved this feat at 34 years and 122 days of age. He has also suffered from back problems while being listed as probable for the past four seasons. In November 2012 Kobe underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon which kept him off the court until January 2013 . In December 2015 he missed games once again due to injury with an injured rotator cuff that could have required surgery but instead he chose to recover via rest and rehab following an intense 3-week therapy program given by team physical therapist Judy Seto , who is well known within the NBA for her work with players. Kobe Bryant has not only scored the most points of any player in NBA history who played for just one franchise, he also holds the record for having won the most games of any player on that list.
Things you didn’t know about Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 23, 1978. Kobe Bryant’s father Joe “Jellybean” Bryant played professional basketball in the NBA after playing at the University of Houston. Kobe Bryant moved to Italy when he was six years old with his dad, who had signed a contract with a team in Italy.
The family returned to the United States three years later when Kobe was nine years old. The national media were aware of Kobe Bryant because of his father’s fame. His family faced poverty, but they managed it by living in low-income housing projects in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Joe Bryant played 16 seasons for ten different teams and averaged 6 points per game before he retired. He obtained his nickname “Jellybean” as the result of a successful alley-oop that was performed on his teammate Doug Collins.
Kobe Bryant began playing basketball at the age of three and won an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) league when he was nine years old. Kobe Bryant developed skills due to his father’s tutelage, and his first nickname “Black Cat” came from a comparison to former Philadelphia 76ers guard Andrew Toney, whose quick moves and agility reminded many people of a black cat; Kobe Bryant’s favorite NBA team is the Los Angeles Lakers because they were based in where he lived as a boy.
The most famous part of Kobe Bryant’s teenage years was winning five state championships with Lower Merion High School (Ardmore , Pennsylvania). Kobe Bryant’s high school basketball career had an outstanding record of 99-9.
Kobe Bryant averaged a phenomenal 27.5 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists per game in his final season for Lower Merion High School. Kobe Bryant was named PA Player of the Year twice and became the first sophomore to be named Naismith High School Player of the Year. In 1996, he was selected for the Olympic Development Team after being noticed by USA Basketball officials at a Nike Camp where top high school players participated.
In addition to having a great high school career, Kobe Bryant also earned some scholarship offers from some larger schools such as DePaul University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (where Michael Jordan attended) while being recruited by many others.
Kobe Bryant was picked 13th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft after dropping due to some concerns about his maturity and character, specifically Kobe Bryant’s “rap sheet” of theft and vandalism charges while Kobe Bryant was in high school.
Kobe Bryant signed with UAAP (now Nike) through their Elite Youth division; he then embellished his abilities through an article written by friend William Velasco, who sent it to Nike. This led to Nike flying Bryant out for a recruiting session, where they offered him a contract worth $10 million over five years—more than any rookie before him. The deal put down the foundation for his future endorsement career at Nike.
After suffering an injury mid-season in his first year, Kobe Bryant was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and also received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
The following seasons were marked by injuries and below-average performances from Kobe Bryant; he even began dismissing questions about his injury history. In fact, there were rumors that Kobe Bryant would be traded because of this attitude.
Kobe Bryant eventually developed into a high-quality player after recovering from knee surgery during the off season, which proved to change his career around for better after averaging 22 points per game throughout the regular season in 2000–01. He was selected to play in the 2001 NBA All-Star Game where he scored 9 points with 4 assists. He led the Lakers past the Sacramento Kings in five games in the first round, but they were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in six games.
Kobe Bryant’s best season with the Lakers came when he was selected for his second NBA All-Star Game appearance where he recorded 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. He averaged 27.6 points per game during the 2002–03 NBA Season while leading his team to 53 wins 33 losses which was good enough for the 6th seed in Western Conference Playoffs. The Lakers played well against their opponent Sacramento Kings in the First Round of Playoffs only to be eliminated 4-3.
Kobe Bryant averaged a league high 31.6 ppg heading into mid-season trades that brought Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins to LA Lakers’ roster . LA Lakers finished the 2006 NBA Season with 50 wins 32 losses which clinched them the first playoff seed in Western Conference. With this high seeding, many people thought they would make it to finals but were quickly eliminated by Phoenix Suns 4-1, for which Bryant averaged 36 ppg during that span.
After long contract negotiations between Kobe Bryant and LA Lakers, they managed to reach an agreement on 08 September 2007 for a new two year contract paying $30 million dollars. For the 07–08 NBA Season , Kobe Bryant led his team to their best start ever with 65 wins 14 losses where he recorded his second highest scoring output of 28.3 ppg leading him earn All-Star Game co-MVP honors along with former teammate Shaquille O’Neal. Kobe Bryant scored his 10,000th point becoming the youngest player to reach this milestone at 31 years and 159 days old. LA Lakers finished with 66 wins 16 losses which was good for best in West and second overall behind Boston Celtics . LA Lakers managed to beat Denver Nuggets 4-2 during first round of playoffs but lost their next series against Utah Jazz 4-1, where Kobe averaged 33 ppg.
Kobe Bryant ended up having one of his worst seasons in 2008–09 NBA Season due to multiple injuries on his knee, shin, finger, and back. He played only 13 games while also left out most of the games because of these injuries; however he still managed to average 25 points per game. This was the first time since the 1999–00 NBA Season where he did not play in all 82 regular season games. Despite his injuries, LA Lakers managed to clinch top seed and best record in West (57-25) and also win Pacific Division Crown. They eliminated Denver Nuggets 4-1 during first round of Playoffs but were swept by Phoenix Suns 4-0 who had only lost one home game up to that point.
Despite posting very respectable numbers as a Laker—he was top five in scoring all but one year as a Laker and averaged over 25 points per game while with them—, Kobe Bryant often found himself at odds with his teammates due to what they felt were selfish plays; there were two aborted trades that would have sent him to other teams that were foiled primarily because Bryant would have had to agree to a sign and trade. He found himself at odds with Shaquille O’Neal, who retired after the 2007–08 NBA Season , as well as Andrew Bynum. In fact, he stated in his biography “”, that if not for Phil Jackson’s intervention early in the 2007–08 season, he would have seriously considered leaving Los Angeles .
Much was made of an ESPN The Magazine article quoting him saying the Lakers could not win without him , which created friction between Bryant and several teammates. Despite these differences, however, after winning another championship on 12 June 2008 against the Boston Celtics 4-2 (Bryant averaged 26 points per game during this series ), he finally appeared to have matched his on-court performance with his impeccable image as the league’s most marketable star.
In a first-round series against Denver , Bryant was forced to leave due to an ankle injury, and the Lakers were subsequently eliminated 1–4. Afterward, Bryant said that he felt responsible for the Lakers’ loss because of his inability to play up to his standards . The media often referred to this as “the ghost of F Finals past” coming back to haunt him again. In spite of this, Bryant didn’t change his demanding nature even after suffering from injuries during the 2008–09 NBA Season , where he received criticism from Bynum among others for being too harsh on teammates during practices . He replied that “some people like it rough”, and noted that Jordan , among others, demanded perfection. He also stated that while some players may complain about his style of play, just as many endorse it.
MVP. Finals MVP . All-Star Game MVP . 17x NBA All-Star . 3× NBA scoring champion : 2006–2007, 2007–2008, 2008–2009
1x All-NBA First Team : 2002–2003 , 2004–2005 , 2006–2007 , 2008–2009
2x All-NBA Second Team : 2001–2002 , 2009–2010
3x NBA All-Defensive First Team : 2004–2005, 2007–2008, 2008–2009
9x NBA All-Defensive Second Team : 1999–2000 , 2001–2002, 2003–2004 , 2006–2008, 2009–2010
NBA All-Star Game MVP : 2002
“When I’m done it’ll be like: ‘Wow! How did he do that? Was he human?’ I want to be someone who you say: ‘He is different. He does things we’ve never seen before.'” — Kobe Bryant (May 2012)
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