Kobe Bryant, the black mamba of the NBA - (Part I)
The athletic, radical and the sensational Kobe Bryant ‘Black Mamba’ is an American professional basketball player, who plays as a shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Kobe Bryant was born on 23 August, 1978
in Philadelphia.
He gave himself the nickname 'Black Mamba', and said he wanted his skills on the court to mimic the moves of one of the world's most venomous snakes. He once described it as, ".... strike with 99% accuracy at maximum speed, in rapid succession"
Bryant’s Natural Game
Kobe Bryant had basketball in his blood; he is the only son of former Philadelphia 76ers player, and former Los Angeles Sparks head coach Joe "Jellybean" Bryant. His dad was a former NBA star, who played for the 76ers, Clippers and Rockets. He is also the
maternal nephew of John "Chubby" Cox, who is a retired American professional basketball player. Therefore, the game came naturally to him.
Bryant’s High School Basketball Career
Right from the age of 11, Bryant chose to focus solely on the game so that he could realise his dream of going to the NBA straight from high school. His dream and passion drove him to beat his father one-on-one by the time he was 14 years old. By then, Bryant
was convinced that basketball was his game.
Bryant enjoyed an eye-catching high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognised as the top high school basketball player in the country.
In Kobe's senior year of high school, he led his school to the Pennsylvania State Championship and was given the title of “the Naismith Player of the Year.”
Bryant’s NBA Career
After a sizzling high school basketball career, Bryant decided to declare his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation. He was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets.
The 17-year-old high school star unveiled his career with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996. Kobe played in the NBA All-Star Game for the first time in 1998. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favourite, by winning the
1997 Slam Dunk Contest. By 2000, Kobe had developed into one of basketball's best players. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting many scoring records in the process.
In 2006, Bryant scored a career high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors; the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history. In the 2007–08 season, he was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP).
After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, and was named the NBA Finals MVP on both occasions.
Bryant is currently ranked fourth and ninth on the league’s post-season scoring and all-time scoring lists, respectively. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history.
Bryant’s Number
Bryant has been well known for his number 8 jersey, which has long been one of the NBA’s top selling jerseys over the years. However, this was not always his number. In high school, Bryant wore the number 24 jersey.
Later, as a mark of respect to his father, he switched to number 33; a number worn by his father in high school.
At the start of the 2006-07 NBA season, Bryant announced the change in his jersey number from 8 to 24 .This number proved to be very lucky, as it won him the Second NBA Scoring Title.
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