Ernest
Nov 5/21
Writer Workshop
Mr Ewert
Kobe’s Biography
Kobe Bean Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kobe Bryant is the son of a former NBA player, Joe also known as Jellybean Bryant.
In 1984, after Joe ended his career in the NBA, Kobe Bryant took his family to Italy, where he played in the Italian League. He grew up in Italy with his two athletic older sister, Shaya, and Sharia. Shaya and Sharia were a good player of both soccer and basketball. When they returned to Philadelphia in 1991, Bryant joined the Lower Merion High School basketball team, leading his team to the championship four years in a row. Kobe Bryant also started working out with the 76ers basketball team. Kobe decided to go straight to the National League Basketball (NBA) from High School. He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, but then he got traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
On his second season with the Lakers, Bryant was voted the 1998 All-Star Game Leader. Then they also teamed up with a super star center Shaquille O’Neal to win three NBA Championships.
The Lakers struggled when Shaquille O’Neal left the team in 2004, Kobe played basketball in a different way. He scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006; he was the second highest single game mark in the NBA history. Kobe led the Lakers team for two years in a row.
In 2008, Kobe was named the most valuable player and carried his to the finals where they lost to the Boston Celtics. In 2009 they beat the Orlando Magic in the finals and won the championships. Then in 2010 they won their second game by defeating the Boston Celtics. He also played for the Olympic teams in 2008 and 2012 and won a gold medal.
Kobe Bryant returned to the NBA in 2015-2016, but he struggled with his teammate in Lakers Team. In November 2015, he announced that he would retire at the end of the season.
Then Kobe said, “This season is all I have left to give. My heart can’t take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind, but my body knows it’s time to say goodbye” (Nov. 5, biography.com/athlete/Kobe/Bryant).
Bryant married 19-year-old, Vanessa Laine in 200. They had four daughters: Natalia, Gianna, Bianca, and Capri.
Kobe Bryant and his daughter Giana died in a Helicopter that crashed in Los Angeles in Calabasas on January 26, 2020.
I think the Kobe Bryant was the one of the best basketball players in the NBA and I think Kobe Bryant and Shaquille were the best duo in the Los Angeles Lakers team.