Early Life
Kobe Bean Bryant was born on the 23rd of August, 1978 to Joe Bryant, a former NBA Player and Pamela Cox Bryant as the youngest child and only son to the couple.
He was named Kobe after a popular beef brand, Kobe. His middle name was derived from his father’s nickname, Jellybean. Kobe was born into a Catholic family and practised his faith until his demise. He reportedly attended the 7 a.m mass at the Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church two hours before the fatal incident that took his life.
When he was two years old, his family moved to Reggio Calabria, Italy and finally settled in Reggio Emilia where he learned to speak fluent Italian and play basketball efficiently. He also returned frequently during the summer to the United States to play basketball.
Basketball Career
He attended the Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia and played on the varsity basketball team as a freshman. During his junior year, he averaged a total 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and became the Pennysylvania Player of the year. He ended his high school career as Southeastern Pennsylvania’s all-time leading scorer at 2,883 points.
While at the Lower Merion he received several awards including the Naismith High School Player of the Year, The Gatorade Men’s National Basketball Player of the Year, McDonald’s All-American, a first-team Parade All-American and a USA Today All-USA First Team Player.
Kobe Bryant was the first guard to ever be drafted directly out of high school, he was 17 at the time, so his parents had to co-sign until he turned 18 before the season began with the Lakers. Kobe signed a three-year rookie contract at the time worth $3.5 million.
He was the youngest player at the time to play in an NBA game. In 1997, he won the Slam Dunk Contest and at the time was the youngest dunk champion ever. He also became the youngest NBA All-Star starter in NBA history. He won so many awards he was often compared to the likes of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
On December 17, 2013, he sustained a lateral tibial plateau fracture in his left knee, yet he was voted by fans to start in his 16th All-Star game, a selection he didn’t feel worthy for at the time, but sadly missed the game due to the injury. That year, the Lakers finished with the worst record in the Western Conference since 2005.
He eventually returned for the 2014 – 2015 season, his 19th season. He recorded his 20th triple-double with 31 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds on November 30, 2014, and at 36 he became the oldest NBA player to achieve 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a game and by December 14, he became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, exceeding Michael Jordan in a game against Minnesota.
Kobe also suffered a rotator cuff tear in his right shoulder in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans, after his recovery in his final season, he suffered a calf injury and missed two weeks of his exhibition games but also surpassed John Stockton’s league record of 19 for the same team. Bryant played his final game at his hometown against his hometown team where the Lakers lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. Kobe announced his retirement through The Players’ Tribune.
Kobe Bryant loved Basketball so much, he wrote a poem for it titled ‘Dear Basketball’ and ascribed the nickname ‘Black Mamba’ to himself after the snake for his ability to strike with 99% accuracy at max. speed in rapid succession. He also fondly called himself ‘vino’ to describe his skills which kept getting better over the years.
In all, Kobe had 19 Laker records, nine NBA records, two Olympic gold medals and was an MVP player.
Personal Life
Kobe met his wife Vanessa Laine when he was 21 and she was 17 when she worked as a background dancer on the Tha Eastsidaz music video. They got engaged six months later and got married at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church without a prenuptial agreement.
The couple has 4 children, all girls – Natalia, Gianni, Bianka and Capri Kobe
Vanessa filed for divorce on December 16, 2011, citing irreconcilable differences though the couple requested joint custody for their kids. On January 11, 2013, the couple announced the divorce had been called off via social media.
In 2003, he was accused of sexual assault against a certain 19-year-old hotel employee. The case dropped his ratings and hurt his popularity among Basketball fans. The case was later dropped in September 2004 after the accuser decided not to testify at the trial.
Kobe eventually tendered a public apology for the incident in a statement in a public mea culpa. The case was eventually settled in a private civil lawsuit.
Kobe fluently spoke English, Italian and Spanish.
Career
Not only was Kobe an ardent basketball player, but he was also described as a tenacious investor and entrepreneur. Kobe purchased roughly 10% stake in a sports drink startup – BodyArmour for $6 million and when Coca Cola acquired a minority stake in the company, his shares rose to $200 million. He reportedly co-wrote and directed some of the Brand’s ads
More recently, he was involved in a $100 million venture with Jeff Stibel titled Bryant Stibel which invested in several companies including Epic Games and LegalZoom.
In 2018, he became the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, and the first former professional athlete to be nominated and win an Academy Award for his poem turned film ‘Dear Basketball’.
He also wrote a book, The Mamba Mentality: How I Play which reflects on his career as a professional basketballer player.