Full Name: Kobe Bean BryantDate of Birth: August 23, 1978
Place of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Height/Weight: 6'6"/220 lbs.
Family: Mother- Pamela, Father- Joe, Sisters- Shaya and Sharia, Wife- Vanessa, Daughter- Natalia
Education: Lower Marion High School (did not attend college)
Basketball Bio
Position: Shooting GuardTeam/Number: Los Angeles Lakers/8
Drafted: 1996 NBA Draft, 13th pick by the Charlotte Hornets
Career Transactions: Draft rights traded by the Hornets to the Lakers for Vlade Divac on July 11, 1996
Agent: Arn Tellum
Salary/Contract: Signed July 15, 2004, $136.4 million over 7 years
Awards & Accomplishments:
- USA Today High School Player of the Year (1996)
- Parade Magazine High School Player of the Year (1996)
- Naismith Player of the Year (1996)
- Gatorade Circle of Champions High School Player of the Year
- McDonald's All-America Team member
- Class AAAA state title (high school-1996)- Sixth high school player in history to go directly to the NBA
- At the age of 18 years, 2 months and 11 days old, became the youngest player ever to appear in an NBA game November 3, 1996
- Winner of the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk contest at NBA All-Star Weekend 1997 in Cleveland
- 1996-97 NBA All-Rookie Second Team
- Youngest All-Star in NBA history in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game in New York
- All-NBA Third Team (98-99, 04-05)
- All-NBA Second Team (99-00,00-01)
- All-NBA First Team (01-02, 02-03, 03-04)
- All-Defensive Second Team (00-01, 01-02)
- All-Defensive First Team (99-00, 02-03, 03-04)
- All-Interview Second Team (99-00)
- All-Star (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005)
- All-Star Game MVP (2002)
- NBA Championship (99-00,00-01,01-02)
Other Facts
- Kobe was named after a type of Japanese steak that his parents saw on a steak-house menu a year before his birth.
- Kobe speaks fluent Italian; his family lived in Italy for eight years (1984-1992) while his father played in the Italian professional basketball league.- Kobe went to his prom with Brandy in May 1996.
- Kobe's rap group CHEIZAW consists of him and his friends from Philly. Some of them are: Anthony Banister, Akia Stone, Russell Howard, & Kevin Sanchez.
- Kobe's fave Italian phrases are "Bellissimo tiro!" (Beautiful shot) and "Tira la bomba!" (Shoot the three)
- Kobe is mentioned in Brandy Norwood's 'thank yous' on her CD Never Say Never she writes..."Between the first and second album, I managed to graduate from high school, go to Kobe's high school prom (thanks Kobe) and enroll in college. Oh Kobe, remember what I told you when you first came to the Lakers - about not playing a lot - well, look at you now. You've always been a star in my eyes and now you are to the rest of the world. I'm glad we're friends."
- Kobe wears the number 8 because his uniform number at the Adidas ABCD camp was 143 (1+4+3).
- Kobe's middle name (Bean) is short for his father's nickname, Jellybean.- Kobe says his all time favorite movie is "Star Wars".
- Kobe had the first triple double of his career on January 15, 2001 vs. the Vancouver Grizzlies. He had 11 assists, 11 rebounds, and 26 points.
- Kobe married Vanessa Laine in April 2001 and their daughter, Natalia Diamante, was born in January 2003.
- In July 2003 Kobe was arrested on suspicion of felony sexual assault in Eagle County, Colorado after an encounter with a woman at his hotel. He said the sex was consensual and she said she was raped.
| Quick Links |