Kobe Bryant (biography of the athlete, height and weight) (photo)

One of the greatest basketball players of our time was born in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) on August 23, 1978. Kobe Bryant, whose growth at this point is 198.12 cm with a weight of 100 kg, is indeed one of the greatest players. Noteworthy is the fact that his father, Joe Bryant, was also one of the NBA players and reached considerable heights in the sport. In his professional basketball career, Jelly Bean (as Joe called) played 606 games in the Association League, where he scored an average of 8.7 points per game.

Childhood and adolescence of Kobe

Primary school future star of the NBA was held in Italy, there and there was his acquaintance with basketball. After Kobe returns home, this sport becomes his main occupation. Daily workouts, father's advice, viewing and evaluation of videos ... Thanks to Kobe's everyday games, Bryant begins to grow rather quickly as a player - not only physically, but also morally. After Bryant enters the Lower Merion High School, thanks to his working ethic and, naturally, talent, the young basketball star almost immediately attracts the attention of scouts who are looking for good players. Needless to say, regular training has led to the fact that for 4 years his team, which was frankly called "bad", is becoming a state champion. And basically it's Bryant's merit. In the end, Kobe Bryant becomes the most productive player in the state in his entire history. In total, he managed to score 2,883 points. As a consequence, in 1996 he won the title of the best player among schoolchildren. Naturally, after that, the door to the NBA world was opened to him.

The beginning of a professional career

The first team in the professional basketball association that chose him was "Charlotte Hornets", in the draft he was at number 13. But soon they exchanged it for "Los Angeles Lakers" on Vlad Divaz, who plays in the center position, which the Hornets needed. Kobe Bryant, by the way, was an attacking defender. Meanwhile, in the "Lakers" young star began to actively show themselves and declare themselves more often. I especially want to mention it during the Weekend of all the stars, where he became the most productive player in that match, when the newcomers played.

After that, he even won the competition Dunk Contest (throws in the ring from above). By the end of the first season, Kobe was included in the 2nd National Team of the National Basketball Association, where the athlete scored on average 7 games per game. And already at the age of 19, in the All-Star Game, which took place in 1998 in New York, he is elected to the starting lineup of 5 people in East All Stars. Thanks to this young star was now officially recognized as a superstar of the NBA, thereby becoming the youngest player in the history of the association. He achieved simply astounding success. Conducting on the basketball court only 26 minutes, he managed to throw an average of one game for 15.4 points.

Acquaintance with spouse

Kobe's wife - Vanessa Bryant (before Lane's marriage) - met a star
Basketball parquet at the age of 16, at the time when Bryant was already 20. At that time, Vanessa tried to make money in the dancers for different music videos. Roman spun quite quickly, and already in April 18, 2001, a solemn marriage ceremony took place . It is noteworthy that the parents of Kobe were originally against marriage with Vanessa, all their arguments were based on the fact that the couple were too young for such a serious step. As a result, Kobe Bryant completely ceased to communicate with his parents, and it lasted several years in a row.

Champion of the Lakers

Further, Kobe gets directly into the 3rd NBA national team, where he shows excellent Results and on average collects 20 points for one game. And despite the fact that he had to miss the first 15 matches due to a right-hand injury, Kobe Bryant, when he returns, will soon show phenomenal results. Between 1999 and 2000, The team comes a new coach named Phil Jackson, and under his command, the "Lakers" become champions of the NBA. Needless to say, one of the team's top stars was, of course, Kobe and Shaquille O'Neal. In those years they were recognized as the best game pair. But soon some disagreements begin, as a result of which Shak leaves, and soon the coach leaves after him. But Kobi's career continues and grows only upwards, he progresses further, and at 22 in the match against the "Golden State" he has his first personal record - 51 points. In addition, his performance now reaches 30 points per match.

Children

Almost two years after the wedding, the Bryant family is a landmark event. In January 19, 2003, the first child appears in the world. This is a girl who was called rather sonorous - Natalia Diamant (abbreviated - just Natalia). In the same year a small scandal erupted. Kobi, under US law, was charged with raping one underage girl who was 19 years old. But soon all the charges were dropped. By the time the first child appeared, the basketball player was able to establish communication with his parents. After another 3 years, the family has a second child, also a girl, who was named Gianna Maria Honoré. She was born on May 1, 2006.

Our days

Kobe Bryant, whose biography is truly magnificent, continues to set records. The brilliant career of the great basketball player continues, and Koby with his 8 number on the "Los Angeles Lakers" shirt will bring more pleasure to all his fans and fans of the beautiful game. Some consider him the heir to the basketball throne of Michael Jordan, and the public will many times say the long "Wow!" With each skid, which became his signature card.

At the moment, it is worth noting the fact that LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, according to the official version of Forbes magazine, are the highest paid basketball players, ranking first in this ranking. The basketball player constantly puts new records and participates in almost all matches of stars exclusively in starting five. This confirms his status as a true basketball star of all time.