Kobe Bryant

Born August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kobe Bryant is the son of Joe Jellybean Bryant (an ex-NBA player.) Spending the majority of his youth in Italy, Kobe quickly entered the grand stage with his success at his Lower Merion High School. As a result, he declared eligibility for the NBA draft-at the age of 18. After entering and being the 13th pick in the draft By Charlotte (who was then traded to the Lakers for Vlade Divac), Kobe won the Slam-Dunk contest, yet many considered him as too much flash in the beginning stages of his career and too selfish. As time went on, Kobe began to take steps to mature his game and proceeded in winning 3 championships with Shaquille O'Neal (whom he had continuous quarrels with). However, rape allegations crushed Kobe Bryant's public status, losing countless millions in lost endorsements. Despite the fact he was found innocent, his image was still shattered with the separation of Shaq as a result of numerous quarrels. Kobe then signed with Nike and worked to improve his image, and averaged 35.4 ppg with an 81 point game in the 2005-06 season, with different views on the accomplishment. He lives in Long Beach, California. Many have compared him and others (Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, etc.) to Michael Jordan when such remarks are not really useful because there is only one Michael Jordan. Such qualities include clutch shooting, possibly dunking, and scoring with a good percentage. In a poll by ESPN, Kobe took the majority of votes (40% of those who voted) in the question "Who Would You Let Take the Last Shot?" as well as achieving an overwhelming majority of NBA General Managers for the teams with a similar question. Kobe Bryant's Achievements. 3-time NBA Champion 9-time All-Star 8-time All-NBA Selection 6-time All-Defensive Selection 2-time NBA All-Star Game MVP 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Champion 1996 Naismith Prep Player of the Year