Kobe Bryant theme by Frank Skalka
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Kobe Bean Bryant (/ˈkoʊbi/ KOH-bee; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, Bryant won five NBA championships and was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. He also led the NBA in scoring twice and ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. Bryant was posthumously voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
The son of former NBA player Joe Bryant, Bryant was born in Philadelphia and partly raised in Italy. Recognized as the top American high-school basketball player while at Philadelphia suburb Lower Merion, Bryant declared for the 1996 NBA draft and was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick; he was then traded to the Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned a reputation as a high-flyer by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest and was named an All-Star by his second season. Despite a feud with teammate Shaquille O'Neal, the pair led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002.
In 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault, the alleged victim being a 19-year-old hotel employee. Criminal charges were dropped after the accuser refused to testify, and a lawsuit was settled out of court, with Bryant issuing a public apology and admitting to a sexual encounter he maintained was consensual. The accusation tarnished his reputation, resulting in the loss of several of Bryant’s endorsement contracts.[3][contradictory]
After the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was traded and Bryant became the cornerstone of the franchise. He led the NBA in scoring in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons and was named league MVP in 2008. On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points, the second most points scored in a single NBA game behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game. Bryant led the team to consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, and was named NBA Finals MVP on both occasions. He continued to be among the premier players in the league through the 2012–13 season when he suffered a torn achilles tendon at age 34. Bryant’s next two seasons were cut short by injuries to his knee and shoulder, respectively. Citing physical decline, Bryant retired after the 2015–16 season. In 2017, the Lakers retired both his Nos. 8 and 24, making Bryant the only player in NBA history to have multiple numbers retired by the same franchise.
The all-time leading scorer in Lakers history, Bryant was the first guard in NBA history to play 20 seasons. His 18 All-Star designations are the third most all time, and Bryant has the second most consecutive appearances as a starter. His four NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards are tied with Bob Pettit for the most in NBA history. Bryant gave himself the nickname Black Mamba in the mid-2000s, and the epithet became widely adopted by the general public. He won gold medals on the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams. In 2018, Bryant won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for the film Dear Basketball (2017).[4]
In 2020, Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.[5] A number of tributes and memorials were issued, and the All-Star MVP Award was renamed in Bryant's honor.[6]
Early life[edit]
Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia,[7] the youngest of three children and the only son of Pamela Cox Bryant and former NBA player Joe Bryant. He was also the maternal nephew of NBA player John "Chubby" Cox.[8] Bryant’s parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu.[9][10] His middle name, Bean, was derived from his father's nickname "Jellybean."[11] Bryant's family was Catholic and he was brought up with this faith.[12][13][14]
Bryant started playing basketball at the age of three,[15] and the Lakers were his favorite team when he was growing up.[16] When Bryant was six, his father retired from the NBA and moved his family to Rieti in Italy to continue playing professional basketball.[17][18] After two years, they moved first to Reggio Calabria, then to Pistoia and Reggio Emilia. Kobe became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak fluent Italian.[19] He was especially fond of Reggio Emilia, which Kobe considered a loving place and where some of his best childhood memories were made.[20][21] Kobe began to play basketball seriously while living in Reggio Emilia.[22][23] His grandfather mailed him videos of NBA games for him to study.[24] Another source of inspiration was animated European films about sports, from which Kobe learned more about basketball.[25] From 1987 to 1989, his father played for Olimpia Basket Pistoia where he paired with former Detroit Pistons player Leon Douglas. Kobe worked at the games as a ball and mop boy and practiced shooting at halftime. Douglas said, "At every one of our games at halftime, it was the Kobe show. He'd get out there and get his shot up. We'd come out of the locker room at halftime and have to chase him off the court".[26]
Bryant also learned to play soccer, and his favorite soccer team was A.C. Milan.[27][28] During summers, Bryant returned to the United States to play in a basketball summer league.[29] When he was 13, Bryant and his family moved back to Philadelphia, where he enrolled in the eighth grade at Bala Cynwyd Middle School.[19][30]
High school (1992–1996)[edit]
Bryant earned national recognition during a spectacular high-school career at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, located in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. He played on the varsity basketball team as a freshman.[31] Bryant became the first freshman in decades to start for Lower Merion's varsity team, but the team finished with a 4–20 record.[31][32] The following three years, the Aces compiled a 77–13 record, with Bryant playing all five positions.[31] During his junior year, Bryant averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 3.8 blocks and 2.3 steals[33] and was named Pennsylvania Player of the Year while also earning a fourth-team Parade All-American nomination,[34][35] attracting attention from college recruiters in the process.[34] Duke, Michigan, North Carolina and Villanova were at the top of his list. However, after high schooler Kevin Garnett went in the first round of the 1995 NBA draft, Bryant also began contemplating going directly to the pros.[34]
At Adidas ABCD Camp, Bryant earned the 1995 senior MVP award[36] while playing alongside future NBA teammate Lamar Odom.[37] While in high school, then 76ers coach John Lucas invited Bryant to work out and scrimmage with the team, where he played one-on-one with Jerry Stackhouse.[38] As a senior, Bryant led the Aces to their first state championship in 53 years. During the run, he averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4 steals, and 3.8 blocked shots in leading the Aces to a 31–3 record.[39] Bryant finished his high-school career as Southeastern Pennsylvania's all-time leading scorer at 2,883 points, surpassing both Wilt Chamberlain and Lionel Simmons.[40]
Bryant received several awards for his outstanding performance during his senior year at Lower Merion. These included being named Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Men's National Basketball Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American, a first-team Parade All-American and a USA Today All-USA First Team player.[41][42] Bryant's varsity coach, Greg Downer, commented that he was "a complete player who dominates" and praised his work ethic, even as the team's top player.[39][43] In 1996, Bryant took R&B singer Brandy to her Hollywood High senior prom.[44] Ultimately, the 17-year-old Bryant decided to go directly into the NBA, becoming only the sixth player in NBA history to do so.[31] His news was met with a significant publicity at a time when prep-to-pro NBA players were not very common (Garnett being the only exception in 20 years).[31] His basketball skills and SAT score of 1080 would have ensured admission to any college Bryant chose,[9][45] but he did not officially visit any campuses.[43] In 2012, Bryant was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald's All-Americans for his high school play as well as his later accomplishments.[46]
Professional career[edit]
1996 NBA draft[edit]
"If you closed your eyes and thought a little bit, you might have thought you were watching Michael Jordan. He did everything well – beyond well. He was exceptional in everything that he did. And then we commented, as I recall, on how reminiscent he was of Michael."
— Celtics general manager Jan Volk on Kobe Bryant during a pre-draft workout in 1996.[47]
Before the 1996 NBA draft, Bryant had worked out in Los Angeles, where he scrimmaged against former Lakers players Larry Drew and Michael Cooper and, according to then-Laker general manager Jerry West, "marched over these people."[48]
The Lakers were looking to trade their starting center Vlade Divac for a player's draft rights to free up salary cap space to make an offer to free-agent center Shaquille O'Neal. Bill Branch, the Charlotte Hornets' head scout at the time, said that the Hornets agreed to trade their No. 13 pick to the Lakers the day before the draft. Before the trade agreement, the Hornets never considered drafting Bryant. During the draft, the Lakers told the Hornets whom to select minutes before the pick was made.[49] Bryant was the first guard drafted directly out of high school. After the draft, the trade was put in jeopardy when Divac threatened to retire rather than be traded from Los Angeles. However, on June 30, Divac relented on his threat and the trade was made final on July 9, 1996, when the league's off-season moratorium ended.[50] Since Bryant was still 17 at the time, his parents had to co-sign his contract with the Lakers until Bryant was able to sign his own when he turned 18 before the season began.[51] Bryant signed a three-year rookie contract totaling $3.5 million.[52]
Los Angeles Lakers (1996–2016)[edit]
Adjusting to the NBA (1996–1999)[edit]
Bryant debuted in the Summer Pro League in Long Beach, California, scoring 25 points in front of a standing-room-only crowd. Defenders struggled to get in front of him, and his performance excited West and Lakers coach Del Harris.[53] Bryant scored 36 points in the finale and finished with averages of 24.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in four games.[54] As a rookie in 1996–97, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel.[55] At the time, he was the second-youngest player ever to play in an NBA game (18 years, 72 days) and also became the youngest NBA starter (18 years, 158 days).[56][57] Initially, Bryant played limited minutes, but as the season continued, he began to see some more playing time.
By the end of the season, Bryant averaged 15.5 minutes a game. During the All-Star weekend, he participated in the Rookie Challenge and won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, becoming the youngest dunk champion at the age of 18.[58] Bryant's performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight.[59]
The Lakers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals in the playoffs against the Utah Jazz, when Bryant was pressed into a lead role at the end of Game 5. Byron Scott missed the game with a sprained wrist, Robert Horry was ejected for fighting with Utah's Jeff Hornacek, and Shaquille O'Neal fouled out with 1:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. Bryant shot four air balls at the end of the game; the Jazz won 98–93 in overtime to eliminate the Lakers 4–1.[60] He first missed a game-winning two-point jump shot in the fourth quarter, and then misfired three three-point field goals in overtime, including two tying shots in the final minute.[61] O'Neal commented that "[Bryant] was the only guy who had the guts at the time to take shots like that."[62]
In Bryant's second season, he received more playing time and began to show more of his abilities as a talented young guard. As a result, Bryant's point averages more than doubled, from 7.6 to 15.4 points per game.[63] He would see an increase in minutes when the Lakers "played small", which would feature Bryant playing small forward alongside the guards he would usually back up.[64] Bryant was the runner-up for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award,[65] and through fan voting, he also became the youngest NBA All-Star starter in NBA history.[66] Bryant was joined by teammates O'Neal, Van Exel, and Jones, making it the first time since 1983 that four players on the same team were selected to play in the same All-Star Game. Bryant's 15.4 points per game was the highest of any non-starter in the season.[67]
The 1998–99 season marked Bryant's emergence as a premier guard in the league. With starting guards Van Exel and Jones traded, Bryant started every game for the lockout-shortened 50-game season.[68] During the season, he signed a six-year contract extension worth $70 million.[67] This kept Bryant with the Lakers until the e
6 Replies to “Kobe Bryant”
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this theme is pretty nice man, like the twelve different backgrounds.
Kobe Bryant is a rapist. Not that good of a ball player either. Overrated. I would never have his creepy face on my PS3.
YOU ARE MENTALLY CHALLENGED DUMB ASS
obviously you are not a fan of kobe or even basketball for that matter even a kobe hater cant deny his greatness so shut yo white ass up
badass theme. and yea kobe is so good lil wayne has an entire song about him. so go to hell
Sweet Theme! This Kobe theme motivated me to make my own too.
If anyone is interested check it out on my blog at
http://edwardredeem.blogspot.com/2010/08/kobe-bryant-ps3-theme.html