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Kobe Bryant was born August 23, 1978 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.
Kobe Bryant Becomes Big
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, the 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
Kobe Bryant
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 1997 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.
Kobe Bryant Gets Hitched
In 2001, Kobe married Vanessa Laine. The couple met in 1999 when Bryant visited a video shoot where Laine was working as a background model, while still in high school. They have a daughter, Natalia Diamante, who was born in January 2003.
Kobe Bryant - Courtcase
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 he had sex 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 advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with O'Neal. It wasn't good for the Lakers, who missed the playoffs in their first season without Shaq. In 2005-2006, Kobe and the Lakers have rebounded with coach Phil Jackson once again leading the team. Bryant is leading the league in scoring and set a team record by scoring 81 points in a game on January 22, 2005 - the 2nd most points scored in a game in NBA history!