Kobe Bryant

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The son of NBA player Joe Bryant and his wife Pam, he was born in Philadelphia and spent part of his childhood in Italy. Bryant played high school basketball at Lower Merion High School outside of Philadelphia. He opted out of college basketball and declared for the 1996 NBA draft. He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick; he was then traded to the Lakers. Following his rookie season, he earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors and won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. He was named an All-Star in his second season. He had a feud with teammate Shaquille O'Neal that was well-documented. Nevertheless, the pair led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. In 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault; the criminal charges were ultimately dismissed. In a related lawsuit, he settled and issued an apology while maintaining that the encounter was consensual. After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was traded and Bryant became the franchise's centerpiece. He led the NBA in scoring in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points, the third most in an NBA game. He adopted the nickname Black Mamba during this time. Bryant won the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, but lost the NBA Finals that same season. He followed the defeat by leading the Lakers to consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, and was named NBA Finals MVP both times. His remaining playing career was hampered by injuries and reduced playing time. He retired after the 2015–16 season. In 2017, the Lakers retired both his jersey numbers: 8 and 24, making him the only NBA player to have multiple numbers retired by one franchise. In 2018, Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball (2017). Bryant's individual accolades include 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, and two-time scoring champion. He ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. He is the Lakers' all-time leading scorer and the NBA's first guard to play 20 seasons. His 18 All-Star designations are the third most ever, and his four NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards tied Bob Pettit's record. In January 2020, Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Tributes and memoria

In Their Own Story

The narrative of January 22, 2006, began with a lethargic first half where the Lakers trailed significantly and Bryant had only 26 points. The turning point arrived in the third quarter when Bryant scored 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including three consecutive baskets early in the period to cut the deficit. He crossed the 40-point mark at 6:20 of the third and the 50-point barrier with a steal and emphatic dunk that shifted momentum. Entering the fourth, he was hit by Morris Peterson without a foul call, drawing a technical for arguing. Despite the crowd chanting "MVP! MVP!", his first points in the final quarter didn't come until 9:47 remaining, consisting of two free throws. The game aired on FSN West alongside NFL Championship coverage, with local stars like Chris Rock courtside.

Reader's Guide

Kobe Bean Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mother, Pam Bryant (née Cox), is the sister of basketball player Chubby Cox, and his father, Joe Bryant, played eight seasons in the NBA. His father named him after the Kobe beef from Japan, which he saw on a restaurant menu, whereas his middle name, Bean, was derived from his father's nickname "Jellybean". He had two older sisters: Sharia and Shaya. He was raised Catholic. He was fluent in English, Italian, and Spanish. The Lakers were his favorite team when he was growing up. He was also a fan of the New York Mets, wanting to be like Darryl Strawberry, and his hometown NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles. When his father was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the then-San Diego Clippers, Bryant and the family moved to San Diego in 1979. His mother said he first showed an interest in basketball at the age of three. He would watch his father play basketball on TV and pretended to be a part of the game. He attended preschool at the Gillispie School in La Jolla where he played basketball on the playground. His father played his final season in the NBA with the Houston Rockets in the 1983 NBA season. When Bryant was six years old, his father retired from the NBA and moved his family to Rieti, Italy to continue his professional basketball career for the team AMG Sebastiani Rieti. After two years, they moved to Reggio Calabria, then to Pistoia and Reggio Emilia. He became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak fluent Italian. He was especially fond of Reggio Emilia, which he described as a loving place and the source of some of his fondest childhood memories. It was there that he began to take basketball seriously. His grandfather mailed him videos of NBA games for him to study. He also watched European films about sports, from which he learned more about basketball. From 1987 to 1989, Bryant's father played for Olimpia Basket Pistoia where he paired with former Detroit Pistons player Leon Douglas. Bryant worked at the games as a ball and mop boy and practiced shooting during halftime. Douglas recalled, "At every one of our games at halftime, it was the Kobe show. He'd get out there and get his shot up. We'd come out of the locker room at halftime and have to chase him off the court". During the summer, he returned to the United States to play in a basketball summer le

Did You Know?

• Kobe Bryant scored a career-high 81 points on January 22, 2006, the third most in an NBA game.
• He won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2018 for Dear Basketball.
• Bryant is the only NBA player to have multiple jersey numbers (8 and 24) retired by one franchise.
• He was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 for his individual career.