Bryant | Lifestyle

by DeniseISmithson

Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant is names after the Japanese beef. He is an All-Star player who along with fellow Laker Shaquille O'Neal led the team to three consecutive NBA Championships between 2000-2002.

After O'Neal's retirement in 2003, Bryant was the brightest star on the Lakers, becoming the NBA's highest scorer in the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons. An 11 time NBA All-Star, Bryant is also a 3 time NBA Champion, the 2008 NBA MVP and a gold medalist as a member of the US Olympic Men's Basketball Team in the 2008 Summer games.

Bryant grew up around basketball; his father played on the Philadelphia 76'ers and was coach of the LA Sparks when he was a young child. However, the young Kobe Bryant developed an interest in soccer when his family moved to Italy.

Upon returning to the US in 1991, he began playing basketball on his high school team. Despite being a high achiever academically, Bryant opted to enter the NBA draft at the age of 17. His parents had to co-sign his contract with the Lakers since he was still too young to do so on his own! Kobe Bryant was in fact the youngest player to start in an NBA game.

In his first year, he earned a spot on the NBA All Rookie second team and gained recognition by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. By 1998-99, he was a premiere guard in the league and being compared to basketball greats like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. In 1999, with new coach of the Lakers, Phil Jackson, he started his rise to the elite class as one of the best shooting guards in the league.

In the 2002-2003 season, he achieved a stunning 30 point per game average and even posted 40 or more points in nine consecutive games. This season saw Bryant being voted to the NBA All Defensive 1st Team and the ALL NBA Team. It seemed he was destined for ever greater things; however, an arrest for sexual assault before the beginning of the 2003-2004 season greatly damaged his reputation.

His coach complained that Kobe had become uncoachable in the 2003-2004 season. His stock further declined with the failure of the Lakers to make the playoffs, the first time this had happened in more than a decade.

He floundered through the 04 and 05 seasons before breaking a franchise record with 81 points in a game and a point total that was the second highest in NBA history. During the 2006-07 season, Kobe Bryant's jersey became the top selling NBA jersey in the United States and China. In December, 2007, Kobe became the youngest player, at 29 years old, to reach 20,000 points in a career.

Bryant's appearance in the 2008 Olympics cemented his status as an international star. It was his first appearance in the Olympic Games, but Bryant was hardly a rookie when he became a gold medalist. Bryant has set and broken several records in his career.

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice.

When you want a question answered about sports, be sure to visit http://nothingbutsports.info. Here you will find sports trivia, tips, quotations, and resources about all kinds of sports activities. Visit us today at Nothing But Sports.