American professional basketball player Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 23, 1978. Bryant helped the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) win five titles between 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2010.
Kobe Bryant was born and raised in Italy, and he immediately entered the NBA after graduating from high school. The Los Angeles Lakers won the MVP Award in 2008. He was a dominant scorer. He surpassed Michael Jordan for third place on the NBA all-time scoring list in December 2014, and he retired in 2016 after finishing with 60 points in his final game, despite injury-plagued seasons.
In 2018, Bryant won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film called Dear Basketball. However, on January 26, 2020, Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and seven others passed away in a helicopter crash.
Quick Info
| FULL NAME | Kobe Bean Bryant |
| NICKNAME | The Black Mamba |
| BORN | Aug 23, 1978 |
| BIRTHPLACE | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| NATIONALITY | American |
| DIED | Jan 26, 2020 (41 years old) |
| HEIGHT | 6 feet 5 inches (198 cm) |
| NETWORTH | $600 Million |
| SALARY | $25 Million |
| Profession | Basketball player, Athlete |
How was Kobe Bryant’s early life?
Joe Bryant, his father, was a Philadelphia 76ers player in the past. His parents named his son Kobe after the well-known beef from Kobe, Japan, that they had seen on a restaurant menu. Joe moved the family to Italy when Kobe was six years old, where he continued to play in a European league after retiring from the NBA.
Kobe picked up fluency in Italian. When Kobe was a pre-teen, he would spend the summers returning to the United States to play in summer basketball leagues. Following his complete playing retirement, Joe’s family moved to Philadelphia, where he attended at Lower Merion High School.
Kobe excelled as a basketball player in high school, helping his team win its first state title in 53 years. He was named the first-team player for USA Today’s All-USA team and the Gatorade Men’s National Basketball Player of the Year. Kobe chose to enter the professional ranks after receiving enough scholarship offers from several colleges based on his high SAT score. Kobe Bryant was the youngest player ever to be selected in the NBA Draft.
Kobe Bryant career
The Charlotte Hornets selected Bryant as a draft pick in 1996. However, an agreement was worked out, and Bryant signed a contract to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. His parents had to co-sign the agreement because he was only 17 years old at the time.
For two seasons, he was the NBA’s top scorer. He also ranks third among all-time regular season scorers and fourth among all-time postseason scorers. He currently owns the record for the most seasons spent during a career playing for a single team.
Bryant, who is widely considered one of the best players in NBA history, was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive team, the 2008 NBA MVP, and the MVP of the NBA Finals twice. He also won five NBA championships. In 2020, he was posthumously elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
Who are Kobe Bryant’s parents?
Pamela Cox Bryant and Joseph Washington Bryant gave birth to Kobe Bryant who was the youngest child. Kobe was raised in a family where basketball was a passion, so his parents undoubtedly had an impact on his imminent NBA career. Pamela Cox Bryant born in 1954 is the sister of Chubby Cox a former NBA player. In 1975, at the age of 21, Pam got married to Joe, and together they had three children: Sharia, Shaya, and Kobe.
How many children does Kobe Bryant have?
On April 18, 2001, Kobe and Vanessa Laine married in Dana Point, California. She was working as a background dancer for a music video when they first got together. She was still a high school senior. In the end, they had four children in all, all girls. They welcomed Natalia Diamante Bryant as their first child and Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant as their second child. Bianka Bryant and Capri Bryant are the names of their other daughters.
How did Kobe Bryant die?
Kobe Bryan unexpectedly passed away on January 26, 2020, at the age of 41 in a helicopter crash. In the accident, eight more people passed away. Gianna, Kobe’s 13-year-old daughter, was also among the dead.
How much is Kobe Bryant worth?
American-born Kobe Bryant was a professional basketball player, entrepreneur, producer, and philanthropist. Kobe Bryant had a net worth of $600 million when he passed away. Kobe Bryant tragically passed away in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. Kobe Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, five-time NBA Champion, and two-time MVP of the NBA Finals.
Even when he retired, the league considered Kobe as one of the highest-paid athletes. Throughout his career, Kobe received hundreds of millions of dollars in salary and endorsement deals. He invested in the business in incredibly smart ways. His $200 million equity stake in the drink company BodyArmour was valued at the time of his passing. Six years ago, he paid $6 million for the stake. Coca-Cola paid $5.6 billion to purchase 100% of BodyArmour in October 2021.
