Childhood
Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the youngest of three children and the only son of former Philadelphia 76ers player and former Los Angeles Sparks head coach Joe "Jellybean" Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant. When Bryant was six, his father left the NBA and moved his family to Rieti in Italy to continue playing professional basketball. Bryant started playing basketball when he was 3 years old and his favorite team was the Lakers Bryant's grandfather would mail him videos of NBA games, which Bryant would study. At an early age he also learned to play soccer, and his favorite team is AC Milan. He has said that if he had stayed in Italy, he would have tried to become a professional soccer player. Bryant is a big fan of former FC Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard and player Ronaldinho as well as a fan of Galatasaray. Upon Joe Bryant's retirement from playing basketball in 1991, the Bryant family moved back to the United States.
High school Bryant earned national recognition during a spectacular high school career at Lower Merion High School located in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. As a freshman, he played for the varsity basketball team.He became the first freshman in decades to start for Lower Merion's varsity team, but the team finished with a poor 4–20 record. During his junior year, he averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists and was named Pennsylvania Player of the Year.At Adidas ABCD camp, Bryant earned the 1995 senior MVP award.Bryant received several awards for his performance his senior year including being named Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Men's National Basketball Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American, and a USA Today All-USA First Team player. Ultimately, however, the 17-year-old Bryant made the decision to go directly into the NBA, only the sixth player in NBA history to do so. Bryant's news was met with a lot of publicity at a time when prep-to-pro NBA players were not very common
1996 Draft
The first guard to ever be taken out of high school, Bryant was chosen as the 13th overall draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996.On July 1, 1996, West traded his starting center, Vlade Divac, to the Hornets in exchange for Bryant's draft rights. Bryant's performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All Rookie second team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight
First three seasons (1996–99)
During his rookie season, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel. At the time he became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game (18 years, 72 days) and also became the youngest NBA starter ever (18 years, 158 days).During the All-Star weekend, Bryant was the winner of the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, becoming the youngest player to be named the slam dunk champion at the age of 18.Bryant's performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All Rookie second team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight.In Bryant's second season, he received more playing time and began to show more of his abilities as a talented young guard. As a result Bryant's point averages more than doubled from 7.6 to 15.4 points per game.Bryant was the runner-up for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award.The 1998–99 season marked Bryant's emergence as a premier guard in the league. With starting guards Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones traded, Bryant started every game for the lockout-shortened 50-game season. During the season, Bryant signed a 6-year contract extension worth $70 million. This kept him with the Lakers until the end of the 2003–04 season.
Three-peat (1999–2002)
The Lakers hired Phil Jackson as their head coach before the 1999-2000 season, which ushered a new era in Kobe’s career. Under Jackson’s fabled triangle offense, Kobe averaged over 20 points for the first time in his career, beginning a run of 13 straight seasons of averaging over 20 points. After being eliminated either in the first or second round of the playoffs in each of his first three seasons in the league, Kobe and co-superstar Shaquille O’Neal won their first of three consecutive championships during the 1999-2000 season, defeating the Indiana Pacers in 6 games. The Lakers, led by O’Neal and Kobe, would defeat the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets over the next two years in the finals.
Trials and tribulations Kobe also did not have a great relationship with his coach and his fellow star (shaq). Coach Jackson wrote a book titled The Last Season in which he accused Kobe of being “uncoachable”. Kobe’s bad relationship with O’Neal was the primary reason behind O’Neal’s trade to the Miami Heat in 2004; the two alpha-males often disagreed publicly, culminating in Kobe offering the Lakers an ultimatum between himself and O’Neal in the summer of 2004. The dynamic duo led the Lakers to three championships and four finals appearances in their seven years together.Upon O’Neal’s trade to the Heat, Kobe found much more individual success but less team orientated success. It was during this period where Kobe led the league in scoring twice. In his first year without O’Neal, Kobe failed to lead the Lakers to the playoffs in the 2004-2005 season—this was the first time the club missed the playoffs in 11 years. The following year, the Lakers brought back Phil Jackson as head coach. This time around, Kobe and Coach Jackson had a much closer relationship. That season, Kobe had his best season statistically (averaging 35.4 points) coupled with several unbelievable scoring feats: scoring 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, as well as outscoring the Dallas Mavericks 62-61 through three quarters by himself. Before the start of the 2006-07 season, Bryant changed his number from 8 to 24 without declaring an official reason.
The road to the end
Until the arrival of Pau Gasol in February of 2008, Kobe and the Lakers failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs, losing to the Phoenix Suns twice. Discontent with the lack of support around him, Kobe demanded a trade from the Lakers unless Jerry West returned to the club’s front office. Bryant eventually backed off his trade requests and was awarded with the arrival of Pau Gasol. With Gasol in tow, Bryant and the Lakers immediately returned to the NBA finals for the first time since 2004, losing to the Boston Celtics in 6 games. Despite squandering a chance for a championship, Bryant was awarded the only MVP award of his career in 2008. In the following two seasons, Kobe led the Lakers to the finals twice more, defeating the Orlando Magic in 2009 and the Boston Celtics in 2010. In the 2009 finals, Kobe joined Michael Jordan as the only other player to average 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in an NBA series; Kobe was also awarded his first NBA finals MVP in six finals appearances.Kobe’s quest for the second three-peat of his career ended when the Dallas Mavericks swept them in the second round. Following the sweep, Phil Jackson officially retired from coaching. However, in the 2010-2011 season, Bryant did achieve an individual milestone by becoming the youngest player in NBA history to reach 26,000 and 27,000 career points—sixth highest in league history. During the 2011-12 season shortened by the lockout, Bryant and the Lakers once again fell short in the second round, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder.Other accomplishments on Bryant’s resume include: the Lakers all-time leading scorer with 29,484 points, 10 time member of the All-NBA-First Team, nine time member of the NBA All-Defensive First-Team and a 4 time NBA All-Star MVP.Kobe won two Olympic gold medals with the United States senior men’s basketball team in the summers of 2008 and 2012. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Kobe was a defensive specialist with the team; however during the gold medal game against Spain, Kobe’s offensive prowess—notably converting a four-point play in the last minute of the game sealed the gold medal for the USA. In the 2012 London Olympics, Kobe took on a lesser role with the team due to the emergence of LeBron James but Kobe still had his moments of brilliance, most notably converting 6 three-pointers in the second half against Australia. Bryant was also a part of the championship USA team that finished 10-0 at the FIBA Americas, which qualified USA for the Olympics in 2008. Kobe has stated that he is likely to retire after his contract runs out in 2014.
webliography
http://www.lakersnation.com/
http://kobebryant.com/
http://bleacherreport.com/kobe-bryant
Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the youngest of three children and the only son of former Philadelphia 76ers player and former Los Angeles Sparks head coach Joe "Jellybean" Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant. When Bryant was six, his father left the NBA and moved his family to Rieti in Italy to continue playing professional basketball. Bryant started playing basketball when he was 3 years old and his favorite team was the Lakers Bryant's grandfather would mail him videos of NBA games, which Bryant would study. At an early age he also learned to play soccer, and his favorite team is AC Milan. He has said that if he had stayed in Italy, he would have tried to become a professional soccer player. Bryant is a big fan of former FC Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard and player Ronaldinho as well as a fan of Galatasaray. Upon Joe Bryant's retirement from playing basketball in 1991, the Bryant family moved back to the United States.
High school Bryant earned national recognition during a spectacular high school career at Lower Merion High School located in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. As a freshman, he played for the varsity basketball team.He became the first freshman in decades to start for Lower Merion's varsity team, but the team finished with a poor 4–20 record. During his junior year, he averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists and was named Pennsylvania Player of the Year.At Adidas ABCD camp, Bryant earned the 1995 senior MVP award.Bryant received several awards for his performance his senior year including being named Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Men's National Basketball Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American, and a USA Today All-USA First Team player. Ultimately, however, the 17-year-old Bryant made the decision to go directly into the NBA, only the sixth player in NBA history to do so. Bryant's news was met with a lot of publicity at a time when prep-to-pro NBA players were not very common
1996 Draft
The first guard to ever be taken out of high school, Bryant was chosen as the 13th overall draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996.On July 1, 1996, West traded his starting center, Vlade Divac, to the Hornets in exchange for Bryant's draft rights. Bryant's performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All Rookie second team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight
First three seasons (1996–99)
During his rookie season, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel. At the time he became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game (18 years, 72 days) and also became the youngest NBA starter ever (18 years, 158 days).During the All-Star weekend, Bryant was the winner of the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, becoming the youngest player to be named the slam dunk champion at the age of 18.Bryant's performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All Rookie second team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight.In Bryant's second season, he received more playing time and began to show more of his abilities as a talented young guard. As a result Bryant's point averages more than doubled from 7.6 to 15.4 points per game.Bryant was the runner-up for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award.The 1998–99 season marked Bryant's emergence as a premier guard in the league. With starting guards Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones traded, Bryant started every game for the lockout-shortened 50-game season. During the season, Bryant signed a 6-year contract extension worth $70 million. This kept him with the Lakers until the end of the 2003–04 season.
Three-peat (1999–2002)
The Lakers hired Phil Jackson as their head coach before the 1999-2000 season, which ushered a new era in Kobe’s career. Under Jackson’s fabled triangle offense, Kobe averaged over 20 points for the first time in his career, beginning a run of 13 straight seasons of averaging over 20 points. After being eliminated either in the first or second round of the playoffs in each of his first three seasons in the league, Kobe and co-superstar Shaquille O’Neal won their first of three consecutive championships during the 1999-2000 season, defeating the Indiana Pacers in 6 games. The Lakers, led by O’Neal and Kobe, would defeat the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets over the next two years in the finals.
Trials and tribulations Kobe also did not have a great relationship with his coach and his fellow star (shaq). Coach Jackson wrote a book titled The Last Season in which he accused Kobe of being “uncoachable”. Kobe’s bad relationship with O’Neal was the primary reason behind O’Neal’s trade to the Miami Heat in 2004; the two alpha-males often disagreed publicly, culminating in Kobe offering the Lakers an ultimatum between himself and O’Neal in the summer of 2004. The dynamic duo led the Lakers to three championships and four finals appearances in their seven years together.Upon O’Neal’s trade to the Heat, Kobe found much more individual success but less team orientated success. It was during this period where Kobe led the league in scoring twice. In his first year without O’Neal, Kobe failed to lead the Lakers to the playoffs in the 2004-2005 season—this was the first time the club missed the playoffs in 11 years. The following year, the Lakers brought back Phil Jackson as head coach. This time around, Kobe and Coach Jackson had a much closer relationship. That season, Kobe had his best season statistically (averaging 35.4 points) coupled with several unbelievable scoring feats: scoring 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, as well as outscoring the Dallas Mavericks 62-61 through three quarters by himself. Before the start of the 2006-07 season, Bryant changed his number from 8 to 24 without declaring an official reason.
The road to the end
Until the arrival of Pau Gasol in February of 2008, Kobe and the Lakers failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs, losing to the Phoenix Suns twice. Discontent with the lack of support around him, Kobe demanded a trade from the Lakers unless Jerry West returned to the club’s front office. Bryant eventually backed off his trade requests and was awarded with the arrival of Pau Gasol. With Gasol in tow, Bryant and the Lakers immediately returned to the NBA finals for the first time since 2004, losing to the Boston Celtics in 6 games. Despite squandering a chance for a championship, Bryant was awarded the only MVP award of his career in 2008. In the following two seasons, Kobe led the Lakers to the finals twice more, defeating the Orlando Magic in 2009 and the Boston Celtics in 2010. In the 2009 finals, Kobe joined Michael Jordan as the only other player to average 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in an NBA series; Kobe was also awarded his first NBA finals MVP in six finals appearances.Kobe’s quest for the second three-peat of his career ended when the Dallas Mavericks swept them in the second round. Following the sweep, Phil Jackson officially retired from coaching. However, in the 2010-2011 season, Bryant did achieve an individual milestone by becoming the youngest player in NBA history to reach 26,000 and 27,000 career points—sixth highest in league history. During the 2011-12 season shortened by the lockout, Bryant and the Lakers once again fell short in the second round, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder.Other accomplishments on Bryant’s resume include: the Lakers all-time leading scorer with 29,484 points, 10 time member of the All-NBA-First Team, nine time member of the NBA All-Defensive First-Team and a 4 time NBA All-Star MVP.Kobe won two Olympic gold medals with the United States senior men’s basketball team in the summers of 2008 and 2012. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Kobe was a defensive specialist with the team; however during the gold medal game against Spain, Kobe’s offensive prowess—notably converting a four-point play in the last minute of the game sealed the gold medal for the USA. In the 2012 London Olympics, Kobe took on a lesser role with the team due to the emergence of LeBron James but Kobe still had his moments of brilliance, most notably converting 6 three-pointers in the second half against Australia. Bryant was also a part of the championship USA team that finished 10-0 at the FIBA Americas, which qualified USA for the Olympics in 2008. Kobe has stated that he is likely to retire after his contract runs out in 2014.
webliography
http://www.lakersnation.com/
http://kobebryant.com/
http://bleacherreport.com/kobe-bryant