BORN IN PHILADELPHIA, RAISED IN ITALY
Kobe Bean Bryant, who is constantly compared to the legendary player Michael Jordan, who marked the 80s and 90s with his position, playing style, backward shots, and most importantly, his ambition to win and who had 6 championships, was born on August 23, 1978. He was born in Philadelphia, USA. Father Joe Bryant, who plays basketball in the NBA and Europe, named his only son after the famous steak of Kobe, Japan, which he loves very much.
Kobe, who met basketball at the age of 3, moved to Italy with his family at the age of 6 after his father’s transfer to the Sebastiani Rieti team. Bryant, who learned Italian and Spanish here and went to the USA to play basketball in the summer, returned to his country in 1991 when his father quit basketball.
Attracting attention with his performance at Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia, Bryant was 17 years old when he decided to directly enter the NBA draft without going to college. Chosen 13th by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 draft, Kobe’s rights were acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers, whom he had dreamed of playing since childhood, in exchange for Serbian center Vlade Divac.
FROM THE Spoiled Rookie to the CHAMPIONSHIP ALL-STAR PLAYER
Bryant wore the Lakers jersey at the age of 18, making him the “youngest basketball player to play in the NBA” until his record was broken by Jermaine O’Neal and Andrew Bynum.
In the Lakers, which recruited all-star center Shaquille O’Neal in the summer of 1996, Kobe, chasing behind a top guard duo like Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel, spent the 1996-1997 season in which he received the title of “youngest dunk contest champion” at 7, He finished with an average of 6 points.
Given his sharp statements from time to time and his self-confident attitude to his youth, Bryant at least started to mature his game in his second season. Bryant, who is among the favorite names of the fans with his love of taking responsibility in difficult moments and his spectacular moves, increased his average points to 15.4 in the 1997-1998 season, when he was “the youngest player to start an NBA All-Star Game in the top 5”.
Like the Lakers, Bryant’s fate changed in the summer of 1999, when Phil Jackson, who won 6 championships with Michael Jordan, was appointed head coach. Turning into one of the league’s elite shooting guards under Jackson, Kobe won the championship three times in 2000, 2001 and 2002 with the Lakers, driven by Shaquille O’Neal. Bryant averaged 22.5, 28.5, 25.2 points in the regular season during the championships, and 21.1, 29.4 and 26.6 points in the play-offs.
Bryant, who was disturbed by the fact that his name was mentioned behind O’Neal and his problems with the star center were reflected in the press from time to time, started the 2002-2003 season with a different motivation. Bryant, who produced 40 points or more in 9 consecutive games in February, finished the season with 30 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.2 steals per game. But the championship’s biggest contender, the Lakers, lost the trophy to the San Antonio Spurs, which they lost in the Western Conference semifinals.
