|
Early years
Kobe Bryant was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the youngest of three children and the
only son of former Philadelphia 76ers player and former Los Angeles
Sparks head coach Joe "Jellybean" Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant. He is
also the maternal nephew of John "Chubby" Cox. His parents named him
after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant
menu. When Bryant was six, his father left the NBA and moved his family
to Italy to begin playing professional basketball. Bryant became
accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak Italian and
Spanish fluently. During summers, Bryant would come back to the United
States to play in a basketball summer league.He started playing
basketball when he was 3 years old, and at an early age he learned to
play soccer; his favorite team was AC Milan. He has said that if he had
stayed in Italy, he would have tried to become a professional soccer
player; Bryant is a big fan of former FC Barcelona manager Frank
Rijkaard and their former player Ronaldinho. In 1991, the Bryant family
moved back to the United States.
High school
Bryant
earned national recognition during a spectacular high school career at
Lower Merion located
in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. His father coached him his
sophomore (second) year of high school. At ABCD camp, Bryant earned
the 1995 senior MVP award,while
playing alongside future NBA teammate Lamar Odom.
While in high school, then 76ers coach John Lucas invited Bryant to
workout and scrimmage with the team, where he played one-on-one with
Jerry Stackhouse.
In his senior year of high school, Bryant led the Aces to their first
state championship in 53 years. During the run, he averaged 30.8
points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals, and 3.8 blocked shots in
leading the Aces to a 31–3 record.
He ended his career as Pennsylvania's all-time leading scorer at 2,883
points, surpassing Wilt Chamerlain.
Bryant received several awards for his performance his senior year
including being named Player of the year, a Mcdonalds All American, and a
USA today All-USA First Team player.
Bryant's varsity coach, Greg Downer, commented that Bryant was "a
complete player who dominates".
In 1996, Bryant took singer Brandy to his Prom,
though the two were/are just friends. His SAT score of 1080
would have ensured his basketball scholarship to various top-tier
colleges. Ultimately, however, the 17-year-old Bryant made the decision
to go to the NBA.
|
