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Kobe Bryant PDF Print E-mail
Written by Denise I Smithson   
Kobe Bean Bryant, named after the Japanese beef, is the shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. This American All-Star, along with Shaquille O'Neal led the team to three consecutive NBA Championships form 2000 to 2002, making both of them household names.
by DeniseISmithson


Kobe Bean Bryant, named after the Japanese beef, is the shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. This American All-Star, along with Shaquille O'Neal led the team to three consecutive NBA Championships form 2000 to 2002, making both of them household names.

With the departure of O'Neal in 2003, Bryant became the team's star player, leading the league in scoring in the 2005-2006 and 206-2007 seasons. He is an 11 time NBA All-Star, 2008's NBA MVP and 3 time NBA Champion, along with having won a gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics as part of the US Olympic Men's Basketball team.

Bryant has spent his entire life around the sport; his father was a player for the Philadelphia 76'ers and also coached the Los Angeles Sparks while Kobe was a child. Basketball almost lost Bryant to soccer when the Bryant family moved to Italy and he took an interest in soccer.

When they moved back to the States in 1991, he gained recognition during his high school years with his basketball career. He earned a SAT score of 1080, but decided to go directly into the NBA at the age of 17, having his parent co-sign his contract with the Lakers since he could not sign on his own until he turned 18. He became the youngest player to play and start in an NBA game.

In his first year, he earned a spot on the NBA All Rookie second team and gained recognition by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. By 1998-99, he was a premiere guard in the league and being compared to basketball greats like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. In 1999, with new coach of the Lakers, Phil Jackson, he started his rise to the elite class as one of the best shooting guards in the league.

During the 2002-2003 season, Bryant averaged 30 points per game, posting 40 or more in nine games in a row! He was also voted to the All Defensive 1st Team and the All NBA team in this season. However, his reputation was badly tarnished before the following season due to his arrest for sexual assault.

His coach complained that Kobe had become uncoachable in the 2003-2004 season. His stock further declined with the failure of the Lakers to make the playoffs, the first time this had happened in more than a decade.

His next two seasons were not among his best; however, this was until breaking a Lakers record by scoring 81 points in a single game and amassing the second highest point total in the history of the NBA. His jersey became the top selling jersey in the US and China during the 2006-2007 season. He became the youngest player to ever reach a career total of 20,000 points in December 2007, when he was 29.

The 2008 Olympics made Bryant an international star. It may have been his first game as an Olympic athlete, but he was already far from a rookie when he won his first gold medal. He has set and broken many records in his career and despite his ups and downs, he may yet achieve more in the game.

About the Author:

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