Kobe Bryant

 

Kobe Bean Bryant was named after a special Japanese beef type considered a worldwide delicacy. He was born on August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia. His father was an NBA player who taught him basketball at an early age. It’s a little known fact, but Bryant’s family moved to Italy when he was six where he enjoyed playing football with his two older sisters. However, basketball ruled, especially when the family got back Stateside in 1991 and Kobe was active in the Lowe Merion High School basketball team. One of his earliest role models was Magic Johnson and his favorite team growing up was the Lakers. That’s probably why Bryant got drafted to the NBA straight from high school and has been a loyal and valuable shooting guard for the LA Lakers since 1996. He holds the second highest points scored in one game (81 points in 2006) after Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points for the NY Knicks in 1962.

 

It was probably a serendipitous combination of the early exposure to the game and a dominant basketball gene that make “Kobe” a household name, known for being a high flyer, slam dunker and the youngest player in the NBA to ever reach 30,000 career points. Bryant’s impressive showing as both offensive and defensive player earned him scoring records (two), a handful of championships, MVP awards (four), and two Olympic gold medals for team USA (2008, 2012). Bryant remains a fan favorite, and Nike Kobe 8 is still selling like hotcakes.