Kobe Bean Bryant was born on August 23,1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was the son of former NBA player Joe Bryant. In 1984, after ending his NBA career, his father Joe took the family to Italy where he played in the Italian basketball League.
When the family returned to the US, Kobe joined the Lower Merion High School basketball team, leading the team to the state championships four years in a row. With an eye on the NBA, he started working out with the 76ers. Then, straight out of high school, Kobe was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick of the 1996 NBA draft. Later that night he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In 2001 Kobe Bryant married Vanessa Laine Bryant. They had four daughters together – Natalia Diamante Bryant, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, Bianka Bella Bryant, and Capri Kobe Bryant.
Kobe had played the shooting guard position in the NBA for 20 years. Just in Bryant’s two seasons with the Lakers, he was voted a starter for the 1998 All-Star Game, becoming the youngest All-Star in NBA history at 19. Bryant won five NBA championships and the 2008 MVP Award with the Los Angeles Lakers. On Jan. 22, 2006 Kobe had scored a career high of 81 points against the Raptors. On Dec. 14, 2014, Kobe Bryant passed Michael Jordan on the NBA All-Time Scoring list. And two years later, he retired in 2016 after scoring 60 points in his final game.
NBA legend Kobe Bryant died at the age of 41 on January 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash. Bryant was one of nine people who died when their helicopter crashed on a hillside in Calabasas, California. Among the victims was Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna. Kobe was an amazing person. He was not just a basketball player, but also a poet, a supporter of charities, and the author of his own book. Rest In Peace, the Legend, Kobe Bryant.
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