KOBE BRYANT
Name: Kobe Bryant
Nickname Black Mamba
Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an
American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA)
who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant is the only son of former
Philadelphia 76ers player and former Los Angeles Sparks head coach Joe "Jellybean"
Bryant. His parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they
saw on a restaurant menu.
Bryant rose to national prominence in 1996 when he became the first guard in
league history to be drafted out of high school, and led a wave of high school
basketball players skipping college for the NBA. Bryant and then-teammate
Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000
to 2002. Since O'Neal's departure following the 2004 season, Bryant has become
the cornerstone of the Lakers' franchise, and was the NBA leading scorer during
the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
In 2003, Bryant made headlines when he was accused of sexual assault. The
charges were dropped after Bryant's accuser declined to testify, and the two
sides ultimately settled the matter outside of criminal court.
Name: Kobe Bryant
Nickname Black Mamba
Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an
American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA)
who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant is the only son of former
Philadelphia 76ers player and former Los Angeles Sparks head coach Joe "Jellybean"
Bryant. His parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they
saw on a restaurant menu.
Bryant rose to national prominence in 1996 when he became the first guard in
league history to be drafted out of high school, and led a wave of high school
basketball players skipping college for the NBA. Bryant and then-teammate
Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000
to 2002. Since O'Neal's departure following the 2004 season, Bryant has become
the cornerstone of the Lakers' franchise, and was the NBA leading scorer during
the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
In 2003, Bryant made headlines when he was accused of sexual assault. The
charges were dropped after Bryant's accuser declined to testify, and the two
sides ultimately settled the matter outside of criminal court.