He’s not known as The Black Mamba or the Lord of the Rings for nothing. Kobe Bryant is among the most significant players to ever play American basketball, taking his team Los Angeles Lakers to great heights and charting a career of unprecedented wins and new records. Here’s a quick look at the life of the legend in the hard court.
Image source: SlamOnline.com
Born in 1978 in Philadelphia, Bryant spent his childhood in Italy and joined the NBA right after high school. He was chosen by the Charlotte Hornets as the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, and was eventually traded to the LA Lakers.
He was always known for being a dominant score, winning five NBA championships and the 2008 MVP Award with the LA Lakers. His later seasons were marked by a number of injuries, but they didn’t stop him from breaking records and demonstrating excellent play. In 1998, he was voted a started for the All-Star Game, becoming the youngest All-Star in the league’s history at age 19. His team-up with Shaquille O’Neal won the Lakers three consecutive championships.
On December 2007, Bryant created a record of being the youngest NBA player to reach 20,000 points. In the 2009-10 NBA season, he broke Jerry West’s record and became the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Lakers. In December 2014, he surpassed Michael Jordan as third place on the NBA all-time scoring list. His retirement in 2016 was highlighted by a 60-point score in his final game.
Image source: LakersNation.com
Bryant received multi-year endorsement deals with the likes of Adidas and Sprite during his basketball career. In 2018, he earned an Academy Award when Dear Basketball won Best Animated Short Film. He married Vanessa Laine in 2009 and together they have two daughters, Natalia and Gianna.
Dayanna Volitich a college freshman at Fresno State University taking up English with focus on Creative Writing. Her goal is actually to become a sports writer in the future. Learn more on this page.
