Kobe Bryant was an essential basketball player in the United States, he was destined to become a stadium superstar since he is none other than the son of Joe Bryant.
Kobe Bryant Biography
The future ,Kobe Bryant, athlete was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 23, 1978. The boy began his basketball lessons at the age of three. This love was instilled in him by his father Joe, who was also a professional basketball player.
At the age of six, the family moved to Italy, where Kobe’s father was supposed to pursue a career as an athlete. Right now, Bryant also likes football. He also studies several languages, including Spanish and Italian. Joe is trying to raise an excellent basketball player since he is a child and spends a great deal of time on this.
Since childhood, nature has endowed Kobe with good growth and very good health. He moves around the court well and is rarely injured.
At the age of 13, the family returns to the United States, where Joe becomes a coach, and Kobe diligently continues to play basketball.
He is noticed on the school team and is incorporated into the composition. After Bryant’s appearance, the school team went from an absolutely bad team to the best team in the state.
This is largely due to Kobe becoming the highest scoring player among any school team in history. This allows him to receive the title of best player of the year. From that moment on, Kobe’s life was inextricably linked to basketball.
The Black Mamba started dribbling at the age of 3 . As Bryant has said many times that he is a die-hard Lakers fan, and to get drafted and traded to the Lakers organization and play there 20 years, no one could write anything better than that.
Upon his father’s retirement, Kobe’s father moved the family to Italy. While there, the NBA legend had the opportunity to hone his skills at a lower level. After getting used to a new lifestyle and a new tradition, young Kobe has also become a football fan.
His all-time favorite being that of the Rossonero, AC Milan. The future gold medalist was an avid learner, and he showed his desire by adapting to the situation he found himself in. Thus, Bryant became fluent in Italian and Spanish in no time.
Making money wasn’t Kobe’s only goal. As a human, he believed in giving back to society. Although he grew up in a relatively comfortable environment, Bryant knew there were hardships around him.
Hence the NBA legend signed on to be the ambassador for All-Stars After School , an organization aimed at promoting after-school programs for kids. Similarly, Bryant founded the Kobe Bryant China Fund , which works alongside the Soong Ching Ling Foundation.
Kobe Bryant Accusation Of Rape
In 2003, Bryant lives the darkest period of his career, which will tarnish his image forever: he is accused of rape by an employee of a luxury hotel complex of Edwards (Colorado) where he was staying, convalescing after a knee arthroscopy.
In court, he admits having had a sexual relationship with the 19-year-old young woman who, according to him, was consenting. The trial was finally canceled after his victim refused to testify, with whom he reached an agreement far from the courts.
Kobe Bryant Career
In 1996, he participated in the Draft – the selection of future professional players – where he was chosen by the Charlotte Hornets. Quickly, the team decided to trade him with the Los Angeles Lakers, very interested in the talent of Kobe.
At only 17, he became one of the youngest players in the NBA and one of the few to go straight from high school to the professional level .
For his fourth season with the Lakers, Kobe is already an indispensable player on his team. At only 22 years old, the basketball player from Philadelphia shows a maturity and a rare ease. After a sensational Western Conference final against the Portland Trail Blazers won in 7 games, the Lakers reached the NBA Finals.
Led by Phil Jackson ‘s coach, Los Angeles faces the Indiana Pacers. But not everything will go as planned for the young prodigy. Injured in the ankle, he was forced to miss game 3. In bad shape, the Lakers suffered from his absence and lost after winning the first two games.
Despite the pain, Kobe Bryant returns for Game 4 and scores a total of 28 points. He will finally take his franchise to the title at Staples Center on June 19, 2000.
An evening that will forever be etched in the minds of NBA fans. Already crowned three times champion with the Lakers before this date (2000, 2001 and 2002), Kobe again delivers an anthology match. Faced with the Toronto Raptors, the world star will not make any gifts (122-104).
While the franchise is the author of a lackluster season (22 wins for 19 losses), the basketball player from Philadelphia is preparing to carry his team alone.
Kobe Bryant scored 81 points that day, or 1.89 points per minute. Just that. Untouchable, he signs the second best performance in NBA history. The first being Wilt Chamberlain ‘s historic record and his 100 points scored with the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962 (169-147).
Like Michael Jordan ‘s “Dream Team” , “Team USA” lands in Beijing with a view to securing an Olympic title at the 2008 Summer Games after the failure of 2004. With LeBron James and Carmelo Anthonyat his side, the Black Mamba enriches his prize list by flying over the competition.
Considered one of the most beautiful matches of all time, the final against Spain will be remembered. On the final score of 118 to 107, Kobe Bryant and his teammates delivered a top-flight performance, magnified by an impressive collective level. Happy to add an Olympic title to his CV, the rear of the Lakers especially wanted to show a united American team. The United States will return the cover four years later at the London Games with a new gold medal, again against Spain (100-107).
It ends the decade in style. 10 years after his first title with the Los Angeles Lakers, KB24 is about to win the fifth and last title of his career. Facing the Boston Celtics, the battle promises to be tough and complicated. Phil Jackson’s men easily won match 1 (89-102) thanks to 30 points scored by the Black Mamba. But match 2 knows the opposite scenario (103-94).
Three wins everywhere after six matches. More than one to decide between the Lakers and the Celtics. Of course, Kobe Bryant took matters into his own hands and finished as the game’s leading scorer with 23 points and 15 rebounds. At the same time, he won the Finals MVP trophy, as in 2009. This was the Lakers’ 16th title and the last to date.
On the field, the Lakers are having a bad run and behind-the-scenes tensions are mounting between Shaquille and Kobe. After these hard years, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers are going up the slope, chaining no less than 6 NBA finals. In 2016, he announced his retirement.
After completing his sports career, Bryant created a brand name clothing company called KOBE. In his free time, Kobe travels a lot with his wife and children. And he was recently promoted to the NBA Hall of Fame.
Kobe Bryant Marriage
The great basketball player connected his whole life with a woman. She is the former dancer Vanessa Cornejo Ubrita. Kobe’s parents were initially against this marriage, but later gave up.
They were married in the Catholic Church in 2001. During this time, Vanessa gave birth to her husband three daughters, and the last daughter was born only in 2016.
Kobe Bryant Net Worth
Being a player is one thing, and being a legend is another, and fittingly, Kobe Bryant ‘s net worth is a whopping $600 million . The late basketball great was one of a kind, but an inspiration to many.
Every person in their 20s or 30s grew up watching the magician perform. The signature fadeaway move is somewhat reminiscent of Michael Jordan .
Kobe Bryant owns a custom Ferrari.
The carbon fiber chassis included all the necessary safety features and was officially an upgrade from its previous possession. Importantly, his other prized possessions included Ferrari 458 Italia , bought for $230,000 , 1963 Chevrolet Impala Cabriolet , bought for $25,000 .
Finally, a 1967 Pontiac Parisienne Convertible was a retirement gift from a close friend of his, rapper Snoop Dogg. The car was painted in the Lakers signature color, Purple and Yellow, as a tribute to the NBA Icon.
Here is the list of his winnings:
- nineteen ninety-six: Adidas Sponsorship – $48 million
- 1997: LA Lakers salary – $1.01 million
- 1998: LA Lakers salary – $1.1 million
- 1999: LA Lakers salary – $1.3 million
- 2000: LA Lakers salary – $9 million
- 2001: LA Lakers salary, McDonald’s deal – $10 million
- 2002: LA Lakers salary – $11.2 million
- 2003: LA Lakers salary, Nike contract- $12.3 million, $45 million
- 2004: LA Lakers salary – $13.5 million
- 2005: LA Lakers salary – $14.1 million
- 2006: LA Lakers salary – $15.9 million
- 2007: LA Lakers salary – $19.4 million
- 2008: LA Lakers salary – $21.2 million
- 2009: LA Lakers salary – $23 million
- 2010: LA Lakers salary – $23.03 million
- 2011: LA Lakers salary – $20.3 million
- 2012: LA Lakers Salary, Endorsements, Gains – $20.3 million, $32 million, $23.5 million
- 2013: LA Lakers salary, offers – $27.9 million, $34 million
- 2014: LA Lakers Salary, Endorsements- $30.5 million, $34 million
- 2015: LA Lakers Salary, Offers, Sales – $23.5 million, $26 million, $6.1 million
- 2016: LA Lakers salary, offers – $25 million each
Kobe Bryant Death
Kobe Bryant, one of the game’s biggest stars, died aged 41 in a helicopter crash on Sunday January 26.