Kobe Bryant Biography

Picture of Kobe Bryant, basketball star of the LA Lakers.

Courtesy: ABC/Steve Sdojin

Birthdate: August 23, 1978
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

With the Lakers in the finals and his MVP award, Kobe Bryant is having the best season of his career. Find out more about the Black Mamba!

Growing Up

Kobe Bryant was born with basketball already in his blood. Kobe Byant's dad was former NBA star, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant who played for the 76ers, Clippers and Rockets. When Kobe was six years old, Joe Bryant started playing basketball in Europe, so the Bryant family moved to Italy. The family stayed there for seven years. While living in Itlay, Kobe Bryant learned to speak fluent Italian and started playing basketball.

The Bryant family moved back to the United States when Kobe was 13 and he started playing high school basketball in Philadelphia. Kobe was now 6'6" and a star on the court. Bryant could even school his dad in one-on-one games. In Kobe Bryant's senior year of high school, he led his school to the Pennsylvania State Championship and was named the Naismith Player of the Year.

Kobe Bryant

NBA Superstar

Kobe Bryant figured he was already good enough to play in the NBA, so he skipped college and was drafted right after high school by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft. In a trade the Hornets are still crying about, they sent Kobe Bryant to the LA Lakers for center, Vlade Divac. Despite not going to college, Kobe Bryant was a quick learner on the courts of the NBA. He played in the NBA All-Star Game for the first time in 1998 and by 2000, Kobe Bryant had developed into one of basketball's best players. Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal teamed up to lead the LA Lakers to three straight NBA Championship Titles from 2000 to 2002.

Court Case

In 2003, Kobe Bryant was arrested and charged with sexual assault after an encounter with a woman at a Colorado ski resort. In August, 2004, the charges and the court case against Kobe Bryant were dropped, but Kobe has still had to live with a damaged reputation and a might PO'd wife - Kobe admitted to an affair with his accuser but said it was consensual.

Kobe Without Shaq

In 2004, Kobe Bryant will be trying to prove that he can lead the LA Lakers without Shaquille O'Neal. After Kobe told the Lakers he wouldn't be wearing the purple and gold if Shaq was in town, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat before the 2004-2005 season. The trade was good news for the Heat, who won the NBA championship with O'Neal. In the next few years, Kobe grew frustrated as his teams repeatedly suffered first round exits in the playoffs. The 2007-'08 season is when the Lakers finally got over the hump. They acquired Pao Gasol via trade and the Lakers went on to have the best record in the Western Conference. Kobe also won his first MVP award that year too. As of June 2008, the Lakers are in the NBA Finals playing their rival from the '80s, the Boston Celtics.