Kobe Bryant is an American former professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team and 12-time member of the All Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons and ranks third on the league’s all-time regular season scoring and fourth on the all-time postseason scoring list. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Bryant is the first guard in NBA history to play at least 20 seasons.
Birth Name
Kobe Bean Bryant
Nickname
Kobe, Black Mamba, Mister Clutch
Profession
Professional Basketball Player
Position
Guard
Shirt Number
24, 8
Nationality
American
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Kobe Bryant was born on 23rd of August 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
Death
On January 26, 2020, Bryant, his 13 year old daughter Gianna and seven others took off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, in a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter owned by Bryant. The helicopter was registered to the Fillmore-based Island Express Holding Corp., according to the California Secretary of State business database.
The helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California, at about 9:47 a.m. and caught fire. The helicopter had passed over Boyle Heights, near Dodger Stadium and circled over Glendale during the flight. Personnel from the Los Angeles County Fire Department attended the scene and the fire had been extinguished by 10:30 a.m. None of the nine passengers on board the helicopter survived. Initial reports indicated that the helicopter crashed in the mountains above Calabasas in heavy fog. Witnesses reported hearing a helicopter struggling before crashing.
Sun Sign
Leo
Ethnicity
Black
Religion
Roman Catholicism
Education
Kobe attended Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
Family Details
- Father – Joe Bryant (ex Basketball Player)
- Mother – Pam Bryant
- Siblings – Shaya Bryant (Older Sister), Sharia Bryant-Washington (Older Sister)
- Relatives – John “Chubby ” Cox (Uncle)
Marital Status
Married
Girlfriend / Spouse
Kobe Bryant has dated –
- Brandy Norwood (1996) – In April 1996, Kobe took singer and actress, Brandy Norwood as his date on a prom at Lower Merion High School. This relationship soon fizzled out.
- Vanessa Laine (1999-Present) – Kobe met Vanessa Laine, when she was only 17 back in 1999, while she was working as a backup dancer in one of the studios, where Kobe was working on a never released audio album. After several months of being in a relationship both Kobe and Vanessa got engaged in May 2000. Soon after that the couple got married on April 18, 2001. In 2003, Kobe was a part of an affair with a 19-year-old hotel employee for which he was accused of a sexual assault. After this incident Kobe admitted to the affair but both he and Vanessa remained together. Kobe and Vanessa have three daughters, Natalia Diamante (b. January 19, 2003), Gianna Maria-Onore (b. May 1, 2006) and Bianka Bella (b. 2016). The couple is expecting 4th child together which they announced on New Year’s Day in 2019.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 6 feet 5 inches
- In centimeters – 195.5 cm
- In meters – 1.95 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 96 kg
- In Pounds – 212 lbs
Body Measurements
- Measurements – 43-16½-35
- Chest – 43 in or 109 cm
- Arms / Biceps – 16.5 in or 42 cm
- Waist – 35 in or 89 cm
Body Build
Athletic
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Hair Color
Black
Shoe Size
Kobe wears a size 14 (US) shoe.
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Winning 5 NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and also for winning two Olympic Gold medals with the US National basketball team at Olympics 2008 and 2012.
NBA Debut
Kobe played his first NBA game on November 3 back in 1996 like a part of the Los Angeles Lakers against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On that game, Kobe officially became the youngest player that has ever appeared in an official NBA game.
Film Debut
In 2009, he first appeared in the documentary about himself, known as Kobe Doin’ Work directed by Spike Lee back.
Television Debut
Bryant first appeared on a television Show back in 1996 playing as Kobe Bryant in the TV series Arli$$.
Brand Endorsements
He appeared in TV commercials for Adidas (2001), McDonald’s (2001), Sprite (2002), Spalding (2001), NBA Basketball on TNT (2005), Nike (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014), Nutella (2008) and others. Print ads for Vitamin Water Glaceau (2008) and Turkish Airlines (2011).
Kobe Bryant Favorites
- Favorite Basketball Player – Magic Johnson, Joe Bryant
- Favorite Teammate – Derek Fisher
- Favorite Sport – Football
- Favorite Football Team – AC Milan
- Favorite Music – Hip Hop
- Favorite Album – Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt
- Favorite Food – Macaroni and Cheese, Swordfish, Sweet Potatoes
- Favorite Color – Purple, Yellow
Kobe Bryant Net worth
Kobe Bryant has an estimated net worth of $500 million dollars as of 2019.
Social Media Portfolio
- Facebook – Kobe Bryant
- Instagram – kobebryant
- Twitter – Kobe Bryant
Some Lesser Known Facts About Kobe Bryant
- His parent named him after the beef named, Kobe.
- Bryant started playing the game of basketball when he was 3.
- His favorite basketball team while growing up was the Los Angeles Lakers.
- On his high school prom, he took the R&B singer Brandy. After high school, he went directly to the NBA.
- His father, Joe Bryant was an NBA player too and was part of the league for 8 years.
- Bryant speaks fluent Italian and he lived there with his family for 8 years, while his dad played basketball.
- He was chosen as the 13th pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 NBA Draft.
- Bryant became the youngest player to play in one All-star game in 1998; at that point, Bryant was 19.
- He once scored 81 points single-handedly against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.
- He won 3 straight championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
- After he injured his Achilles tendon, he made a great comeback despite he was 36.
- He played with his high school teammates “one on one” to 100.
- Kobe trains for 4 hours in a day in-season and 6+ hours in the off-season.
- On every practice, Kobe counts his shot makes and stops whenever he reaches 400.
- In 2012, Bryant was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald’s All-Americans.
- Bryant rejoined the national team for the 2012 Summer Olympics. He retired from the team after winning another gold medal.
- In November 29, 2015, Bryant announced via The Players Tribune that he would be retiring at the end of the season.
