Kobe Bryant

About Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bean Bryant (August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant was an All-Star shooting guard and one of the best players in NBA history. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu. He attended Lower Merion High School in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion, where he earned national recognition for his basketball skills. His SAT score of 1080 would have ensured his basketball scholarship to various top-tier colleges, but ultimately, the 17-year-old Bryant decided to go directly into the NBA. In 1996, Bryant was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the NBA Draft. However, the Hornets traded his draft rights to the Los Angeles Lakers before the draft was over, and Bryant became a Laker. During his career, Bryant won five NBA championships, was named the NBA Finals MVP twice, and was selected to the All-Star team 18 times. He also won four NBA All-Star Game MVP awards and two NBA regular-season MVP awards. Bryant holds several NBA records, including the second-highest career points scored and the most points scored in a single game by a player over the age of 35.