Kobe Bryant
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| The [Neutral point of view>neutrality] of this article is [NPOV disputedisputed]. Please see the discussion on the [August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.) is an All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. He is the son of former Philadelphia 76ers player Joe "JellyBean" Bryant. He rose to national prominence as he became the first guard to be drafted out of high school in league history. Bryant's combination of talent, skill, dedication, and work ethic have been instrumental in establishing his status as one of the premier athletes in the NBA.
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Early lifeKobe Bryant was born the only son of Joe and Pam Bryant. At the age of six, he, his two sisters and his parents moved to Italy, where his father began playing professional basketball. While living there, he gradually became accustomed to the lifestyle and subsequently learned to speak Italian fluently. Kobe greatly idolized Michael Jordan as a child, and he spent hours trying to learn many of Michael's moves. In 1991, the Bryants moved back to the United States. After a spectacular high school career in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion, at Lower Merion High School, Bryant achieved national recognition as a prodigious basketball talent. While his SAT score of 1080http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3129989/ would have ensured his basketball scholarship to various top-tier colleges, Bryant eventually scrapped his original plans of continuing on to college by making the leap from high school directly to the NBA, a bold but controversial decision made by the then 17-year-old, the first guard ever to bypass college basketball. Personal lifeA few years later, the 20-year-old Bryant met 16-year-old Vanessa Laine on the set of a music video where Laine was working as a background dancer. The two began dating and were engaged six months later. They married on April 18, 2001 in Dana Point, California, while Laine was still a senior at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California. Bryant's parents initially were staunchly opposed to the marriage for a number of reasons, citing the couple's young age as their primary concern. This disagreement resulted in an estrangement period of over two years, during which Kobe Bryant did not have any contact with his parents.The Bryants' first child, a daughter named Natalia Diamante Bryant, was born on January 19, 2003. The birth of Natalia influenced Bryant to reconcile his differences with his parents, and the family was once again on good terms. Vanessa Bryant suffered a miscarriage due to an ectopic pregnancy in the spring of 2005. In the fall of that same year, the Bryants announced that they were expecting their second child. Their second daughter, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, was born on May 1, 2006, and happened to be born within 6 minutes of former teammate/rival Shaquille O'Neal's daughter, Me'arah Sanaa. Early NBA career1996 DraftEven before he was chosen as the 13th pick overall by the Hornets in 1996, Bryant had made a lasting impression on then-Lakers general manager Jerry West, who immediately foresaw the potential in Bryant's basketball talent during pre-draft workouts. West stated that Bryant's workout was one of the best he had ever witnessed. West continued his quest to return the Lakers to championship status by trading then-starting center Vlade Divac to the Hornets for the 18-year old Bryant.Growing painsBryant was labeled a work-in-progress by then-Laker coach Del Harris, during his first two seasons with the Lakers, in which he mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel. In his first season, he played limited minutes initially but this changed as the season continued. While Bryant was a promising young talent, his inexperience was soon exposed. With the Lakers facing elimination in a playoff game against the Utah Jazz, late in the game Bryant missed three crucial shots, all air balls. The Lakers lost the game and were eliminated. The failure was a humbling one for Bryant, but veteran Antoine Carr of the Jazz took time immediately after the game to seek out the young Bryant and offer words of encouragement.In Bryant's second season, he received more playing time and began showing more of his abilities as a talented young guard. However, he still came off the bench behind a more experienced guard in Eddie Jones. In a somewhat controversial trade, the Lakers traded Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell for veteran All-Star forward Glen Rice. The move was unpopular with Laker fans, who were particularly fond of Jones, and it also hurt the Lakers prospects for winning a title in the lockout season. However, it would put the pieces in place for the team's eventual championship run in the following season. This move had added significance in that it thrust Bryant into regular starting role in the NBA for the first time. While his statistics were impressive, he was still a young guard who lacked the experience to complement Shaquille O'Neal and significantly help the team win a championship. Championship yearsHowever, Bryant's fortunes would soon change when Phil Jackson became coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. After years of steady improvement, Bryant had become one of the premier shooting guards in the league, a fact that was evidenced by his annual presence in the league's All-NBA, All-Star, and All-Defensive teams. The Los Angeles Lakers became perennial championship contenders under Bryant and O'Neal, who formed an outstanding center-guard combination. Their success gave the Lakers three consecutive NBA championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002.First NBA title (1999-2000)The Lakers finished the 1999-2000 Season with a 67-15 record, best in the NBA. Bryant averaged 22.5 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game, and 5 assists per game. In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings in the first round, the Phoenix Suns in the second round, the Portland Trailblazers in the western conference finals, and the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals.Back-to-back (2000-2001)The Lakers finished the 2000-2001 Season with a 56-26 record, tied for second best in the NBA. Bryant finished the season averaging a then career-high 28.5 points per game. He also averaged 6 rebounds per game and 5 assists per game.The team then broke out in the playoffs. The Lakers went on one of the greatest postseason runs in NBA history, winning 11 straight games. LA went undefeated against the Western Conference beating the Trail Blazers, the Sacramento Kings, and the San Antonio Spurs. In the Finals, L.A. faced the Philadelphia 76ers, led by MVP Allen Iverson. The Lakers closed out the series in 5 games. Three-peat (2001-2002)The Lakers finished the 2001-2002 Season with a 58-24 record. Bryant was named MVP of the 2002 All-Star game. He finished the season averaging over 25 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, and 5.5 assists per game. In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Trail Blazers, Spurs, Kings, and New Jersey Nets. The dynamic duo of Bryant and O'Neal led the team to a four game sweep, and the Lakers captured their third title. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/2002/playoffs/news/2002/06/12/lakers_nets_ap/ The only other NBA teams to win at least three champions in a row were the Chicago Bulls of the 90's and the 60's Boston Celtics. End of the dynastyIn the 2002-03 NBA season, Bryant had by far his best season, statistically. He averaged 30 points per game and embarked on a historic scoring run, posting 40 or more points per game in nine consecutive games while averaging 40.6 in the entire month of February. In addition, he averaged 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, all career highs. For the first time in his career Bryant was voted on to both--All-NBA and All-Defensive 1st teams. After finishing 50-32 in the regular season, however, the Lakers floundered in the playoffs and lost in the Western Conference Semifinals to the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in six games.In the following 2003-04 NBA season, the dynamic Lakers were able to acquire legends Karl Malone and Gary Payton to make one final push at the NBA Championship. The powerful starting lineup included Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton. After reaching the NBA Finals, once again, by defeating the Houston Rockets, The San Antonio Spurs and The Minnesota Timberwolves they met the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons eventually end up victorious in the NBA Finals, besting the Lakers in 5 games. This was quite improbable due to the All-Star lineup the Lakers possessed. In this series, Kobe averaged 22.6 points per game and 4.4 assists. Sexual assault allegationAccusation and court cases
 Law enforcement officials interviewed Bryant about the incident following his surgery.http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0924041kobea1.html Later that week, they arrested Bryant, releasing him immediately on bond, and news of the arrest became public two days after that. Several days later, the Eagle County District Attorney's office filed a formal charge against Bryant. After he was formally charged, Bryant held a news conference in which he adamantly denied having raped Faber. He confessed to having an adulterous sexual encounter with her, but insisted that everything that happened between the two had been consensual. The case's pre-trial hearings went on through the 2003-2004 NBA season, a number of times causing Bryant to have to be in court in Colorado during the day, then immediately fly to another part of the country to play in the Lakers' game that night. Bryant generally performed well in such games, though the on-going proceedings and the media attention on them served as a continuing distraction, both to Bryant personally, and to the Laker team as a whole.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/basketball/nba/12/26/kobe.interview.ap/index.html?cnn-yeshttp://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/2004-02-12-shaq-kobe_x.htm As the hearings went on, it became clear that Bryant's defense team was going to aggressively attack Faber's credibility.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3723073/ Various media reports about evidence that Bryant's defense was planning to present caused widespread speculation that chances of the prosecution overcoming reasonable doubt and obtaining a conviction were dwindling. Amid both such speculation and the intense scrutiny of her personal life, Faber decided to withdraw her support of the criminal prosecution and informed prosecutors that she would be unwilling to testify in the case. With that development, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the case against Bryant, with District Attorney Mark Hurlbert citing Faber's unwillingness to continue as his reason for doing so. As part of the overall agreement, Bryant issued a statement in which he continued to assert that he believed his encounter with Faber was consensual, but acknowledged that Faber "did not and does not view this incident the same way that I did." In the aftermath of the trial, Faber filed a civil lawsuit against Bryant over the incident. The two sides ultimately settled that lawsuit, with the specific terms of the settlement being undisclosed to the public.
Other conflictsOther conflicts have also done their share of damage to Bryant's image. In addition to his problems with O'Neal, Bryant feuded with other teammates during his career. In an isolated incident, he allegedly punched then teammate Samaki Walker in the face outside of the team bus. In 2004, a dispute between Bryant and former teammate Karl Malone became public prior to Malone's expected re-signing with the Lakers. Bryant claimed Malone had made inappropriate comments to Bryant's wife. Malone claimed the comments were in jest and that Bryant was overreacting. In the subsequent months, rather than re-join Bryant and the Lakers, Malone turned his attention to the possibility of joining another team, but ultimately decided to retire. More recently, there have been rumors of Bryant clashing with teammate Lamar Odom which both have denied and attribute to media rumors.Bryant also clashed with coach Jackson. While remarkably efficient in Jackson's "triangle offense", Bryant had a personal distaste for Jackson's brand of basketball and subsequently called it "boring." In games, Bryant would often disregard the set offense completely to experiment with his own one-on-one moves, incensing the normally calm Jackson. Bryant managed to test Jackson's patience enough that the "Zen Master" even demanded that Bryant be traded, although Laker management rejected the request. The end of the trifectaJackson's coaching contract expired following the 2003–04 season and the Lakers failed to produce a championship despite sporting four Hall of Fame-caliber players: Karl Malone, Gary Payton, O'Neal, and Bryant. Bryant opted out of his contract and became free agent, thus having the ability to choose to leave for another team if he desired.Eventually Jackson, a favorite of O'Neal, was not offered a new contract by the Lakers. Many assumed that this was because of Bryant, who enjoyed the support of Lakers owner Jerry Buss and who had at times voiced displeasure with Jackson's offensive scheme. O'Neal, who wasn't notified of the move and learned of it by watching television, made it clear that he felt the Laker organization was making moves designed primarily to placate Bryant. Although Jackson, Bryant and Buss all denied that Bryant made any explicit demand regarding Jackson, O'Neal, upon hearing General Manager Mitch Kupchak's announcement of the team's willingness to trade O'Neal but its intention on keeping Bryant, nonetheless indicated that he felt the franchise was indeed pandering to Bryant's wishes with the departure of Jackson. O'Neal demanded to be traded, and was dealt to the Miami Heat. Bryant proceeded to consider playing for the Lakers' Staples Center suitemates, the Los Angeles Clippers, raising the possibility that the Lakers had made such drastic moves, perhaps primarily to please Bryant, and yet would lose him anyway. Ultimately though, Bryant did re-sign with the Lakers for the veteran's maximum of seven years at over US$136 million. Unquestioned leaderWith O'Neal gone, Bryant became the Lakers' unquestioned leader of the team going into the 2004-2005 season. As it turned out, however, his first season at the helm of a team would prove to be a very rocky one. With his reputation so badly damaged from all that had happened over the previous year, Bryant was closely scrutinized and criticized during the season.A particularly damaging salvo came from Phil Jackson in . The book detailed the sordid events of the Lakers' tumultuous 2003-04 season and hurled numerous harsh criticisms of Bryant. Along with other unsavory adjectives, Jackson called Bryant "uncoachable." Then, midway through the season, Rudy Tomjanovich suddenly resigned as Lakers coach, citing the recurrence of health problems and exhaustion. Without "Rudy T," stewardship of the remainder of the Lakers' season fell to career assistant coach Frank Hamblen. Despite the fact that Bryant was the league's second leading scorer at 27.6 points per game, the Lakers floundered and missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. This year signified a drop in Bryant's overall status in the NBA by not making the NBA All-Defensive Team and being demoted to All-NBA Third Team. 2005-06 seasonThe 2005-06 NBA season would mark a crossroads in Bryant's basketball career. Despite past differences with Bryant, Phil Jackson returned to coach the Lakers. Bryant endorsed the move, and by all appearnces, the two men worked together well the second time around, leading the Lakers back into the NBA Playoffs. The team posted a 45-37 record, a twelve-game improvement over the previous season, and played well enough in the first round of the playoffs to come within a game of eliminating the second-seeded Phoenix Suns before finally falling short. Kobe Bryant was further questioned for his atypical performance in the 2nd half only taking 3 shots in the game 7 in the first round.ScoringAccomplishmentsIn many ways, however, the team's improvement in 2005-06 was often overshadowed by the spectacular individual scoring accomplishments posted by Bryant which resulted in the finest statistical season of his career:
Other notable events
Awards and achievementsCareer highlights
NBA milestones
NBA recordsKobe Bryant holds eight NBA records:
Lakers franchise recordsKobe Bryant holds thirty Los Angeles Lakers franchise records:
Personal records
Other awards and achievements
Trivia
External links
NotesSee also
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