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Who is a KOBE?

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KOBE BRYANT'S PERSONAL INFORMATION

Kobe was the all-time leading scorer in Southeastern Pennsylvania history with 2,883 points, breaking the marks of NBA legend and Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain (2,359 points) and former St. Joseph's player Carlin Warley (2,441 points). Bryant led his high school team to a 77-13 record in last three seasons and was a four-year starter. averaged 30.8 ppg, 12 rpg, 6.5 apg, four spg and 3.8 bpg. He led Lower Merion to Class AAAA state title with a 31-3 record. As a senior at Lower Merion High School, he was selected by USA Today and Parade Magazine as the National High School Player of the Year. He was also named Naismith Player of the Year, Gatorade Circle of Champions High School Player of the Year and to the McDonald's All-America Team. Like with all the players who came out of High School there are those who feel he's making a mistake by not goin to college. "That's their opinion," Kobe said. "I accept that as a challenge. I'm going to go out there and work twice as hard to try and prove them wrong."

Kobe was drafted 13th overall in the 1996 Draft by the Charlotte Hornets and then traded in a deal that sent him to Los Angeles in exchange for center Vlade Divac. "I was really excited because it was a lifelong dream. when i first put on the Lakers' jersey, i was a little nervous." And now he gets to Play with Big Man Shaq... "Shaq is like my older brother. He makes my life easier. We have a great time. Sometimes we hang out at his house and play video games" He loves playing for the Lakers. "Shaquille O'Neal, Byron Scott and Eddie Jones, who I've known since 8th grade, have been especially great."

"He gets into the game, and you just look at him," Eddie Jones says. "Every play, you look at him and you wonder, 'What's next?' "

"He amazes me," Nick Van Exel says. "I see him every day, and he still amazes me."

At the 1997 All Star Weekend Kobe won the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk and was the leading scorer in the Schick Rookie Game with an event-record 31 points!! then came back to become the first Laker ever to win the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk later that night, posting a score of 49 out of a possible 50 in the final round!! "Winning the dunk contest is something I dreamed about since I was a little kid ..... The crowd got me real pumped up after the dunk, and I just felt like flexing. I don't have much, but I flexed what I have.

Kobe was the all-time leading scorer in Southeastern Pennsylvania history with 2,883 points, breaking the marks of NBA legend and Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain (2,359 points) and former St. Joseph's player Carlin Warley (2,441 points). Bryant led his high school team to a 77-13 record in last three seasons and was a four-year starter. averaged 30.8 ppg, 12 rpg, 6.5 apg, four spg and 3.8 bpg. He led Lower Merion to Class AAAA state title with a 31-3 record. As a senior at Lower Merion High School, he was selected by USA Today and Parade Magazine as the National High School Player of the Year. He was also named Naismith Player of the Year, Gatorade Circle of Champions High School Player of the Year and to the McDonald's All-America Team. Like with all the players who came out of High School there are those who feel he's making a mistake by not goin to college. "That's their opinion," Kobe said. "I accept that as a challenge. I'm going to go out there and work twice as hard to try and prove them wrong."

Kobe was drafted 13th overall in the 1996 Draft by the Charlotte Hornets and then traded in a deal that sent him to Los Angeles in exchange for center Vlade Divac. "I was really excited because it was a lifelong dream. when i first put on the Lakers' jersey, i was a little nervous." And now he gets to Play with Big Man Shaq... "Shaq is like my older brother. He makes my life easier. We have a great time. Sometimes we hang out at his house and play video games" He loves playing for the Lakers. "Shaquille O'Neal, Byron Scott and Eddie Jones, who I've known since 8th grade, have been especially great."

"He gets into the game, and you just look at him," Eddie Jones says. "Every play, you look at him and you wonder, 'What's next?' "

"He amazes me," Nick Van Exel says. "I see him every day, and he still amazes me."

At the 1997 All Star Weekend Kobe won the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk and was the leading scorer in the Schick Rookie Game with an event-record 31 points!! then came back to become the first Laker ever to win the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk later that night, posting a score of 49 out of a possible 50 in the final round!! "Winning the dunk contest is something I dreamed about since I was a little kid ..... The crowd got me real pumped up after the dunk, and I just felt like flexing. I don't have much, but I flexed what I have.
I don't do that kind of stuff in a game, only in a dunking competition" And he did'nt even know what dunks he was gonna do till he was in the air "I just tried to be as competitve as possible and use my instincts on the way up to the rim. It felt great to win." how did he come up with the under the leg dunk that won the '97 Dunk Contest?? "I just tried that in high school, fooling around with my teammates. You come into a competition, with a lot of people watching, when the energy starts flowing, you feel that you can do anything and I figured 'why not give it a try?'" Hmm. it worked

In his rookie year he scored in double figures 25 times, played in 71 games including six starts, and averaged 7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 15.5 minutes. He was chosen to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

Kobe appeared in all nine of the Lakers' 1997 playoff games in a reserve role, ranking fifth on the club in scoring at 8.2 ppg

Kobe grew up in Italy. His father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant wo played eight NBA seasons in the NBA played there for eight seasons.(if i'm correct bout those figures) "He's played a tremendous role in my life," Kobe said. "As a player, I idolized him." About movine to Italy.. "I was five years old. It was difficult at first because I could'nt speak italian. So my two sisters and I got together after school to teach each other the words we had learned. I was able to speak Italian pretty well within a few months."
"(when he was little)We had this trampoline, and using it I could dunk the basketball," Kobe said. "I went through about five of those mini-baskets in a short time. My mother says I would play when my father was playing. When his team would take a timeout, I would take a timeout."

"When I first came back from Italy, I had a lot of people saying I couldn't start on my high school basketball team as a freshman at 14," he recalled. "People were saying I'd never be able to win a state championship, that I couldn't do this, I couldn't do that." Like most young players in the NBA he says the shedule is the hardest to get used to. "Traveling. In the pros, you sometimes finish a night game and then fly right away to another city. You might ger in at 1 a.m. You get up early for practice the next morning, then play another game that night. It's exhausting."

"Kobe's a very good basketball player because he works hard," Joe said. "His work ethic is the key. He's willing to work out in the offseason, and that's where you get better."

He Talked to Kevin Garnett, "He told me a lot of things about what goes on." Has he met '97 rookies/teenagers Tim Thomas and Tracy McGrady? "I know them both. Timmy and I are good friends. In high scool, we played against each other. Went to the same camp, adidas abcd Camp. Tracy McGrady was just out in LA with me, stayed at my house for a couple weeks.... He was supossed to stay at a hotel. One night, he was at my house and my mother was cooking dinner. We were just hanging out, having a good time. Next thing i knew, he was at my house for the next two weeks. It was as if we were related." Says Tracy, "I look at Kobe as my older brother. I learn a lot from him because of what he's gone through."
Does he think he was an influence in helping them pick adidas? "I don't think so. Timmy's been with adidas for as long as I've been with adidas. Tracy, the same. I think all of us being there together [at camps and stuff] helped a little bit. So we can keep that same family atmosphere."

It is a game in gyms where he can be alone with his thoughts and his moves. It is a game of one-on-one. With himself. "Shadow basketball," he says. "I play against my shadow." Has he ever caught it? He smiles. It is the same smile you have seen in the Forum after he has sliced through two power forwards on his way to a reverse dunk. That poor shadow. --Sporting News

Kobe was voted a starter in the '98 All Star Game. "I looked at (The game) as a learning experience. Come out play hard, nothing less. Just acquire some more knowledge, not only from Mike (Jordan), but from the other All-Stars." Kobe put on a show for NY with some fancy moves and finishing in his first All Star Game with 18 points and 6 rebounds in 22 minuetes.. but probably the most exciting thing of the weekend had to be playing MJ. "I just wanted to make sure Kobe didn't dominate me. It was a good battle. It was fun. He attacked," Jordan said. "The hype was me vs. him. I knew I wasn't 100 percent and he was, and he was biting at the bit. I was just glad that I was able to fight him off.... He attacked. You know, I like his attitude."

Around March, a while after the game, Kobe Talks about some advice Michael Jordan gave him... "Mike told me, 'no matter what you do, stay aggressive'" Kobe said. "And I thought to myself, 'Whats he talking about? I'm not ever going to lose my aggressiveness, Never.' I was very thankful for the words, but I did'nt ever see myself losing my aggressiveness. Then as the weeks went by, I started to hear his words again, as I felt myself easing back. I realized that it had gone over my head at first.

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BIOGRAPHY

Kobe Bryant #8 - Los Angeles Lakers

Position: Guard

Born: 08 / 23 / 1978 in Philadelphia

Height: 6-7 / 201 cm

Weight: 210 lbs. / 95.3 kg

High School: Lower Merion (PA)

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Kobe B. Bryant was Born August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia. His parents named him after a type of steak (kobe) seen on a restaurant menu prior to his birth. he has two sisters Kobe has two sisters: Sharia, a junior volleyball player at Temple, and Shaya, who graduated last year from Lower Merion where she played basketball and volleyball. "I think we're friends, too," Joe said. "You can't be a parent all the time."

His favorite movie is Star Wars, he likes Karate movies and introduced Tracy McGrady to karate movies, Now McGrady is a karate-movie junkie!! Kobe likes reading, swimming and video games. Some of his favorite foods are Macaroni and cheese, swordfish, sweet potatoes, vanila malts, Apple pie. his favorite cartoon charcter: "road runner; because he cant be caught." His favorite actor is Will Smith, Magazine is Vibe, sports magazine is Slam, tv show is Moesha, baseball team is the Mariners, rap song is If I Ruled The World by NAS and Lauren Hill, group is Boyz II Men.

..there are the earrings. He doesn't wear any. "I don't want holes in my ears," he says. "Nothing against anybody else, but it's not for me." Then there are the tattoos. He doesn't have any. "What for?" he says.

Kobe went to the High School Prom with super star singer/actress Brandy. She was at the All Star Weekend to see him with the Dunk Contest and play in the Rookie game.. she and her brother (Ray-J)were cheering him on the whole time. Now they claim to be just freinds...

"I'm still a mama's boy, I'll want some home-cooked meals....."
The way he got his #8 from that his birhtday is in the 8th month and in the ABCD camp he was mvp so he took the numbers #143 and added them up and he took #8

He has his own shoe the KB-8 from Adidas. why is he with Adidas?"For the simple fact that adidas is upcoming, on the rise. I wanted to be a part of that. It's easy to just go the brand that's already at the top, join in and blend in, but that's something I didn't want to do."

He's going to school "I have started taking courses at the University of California at Los Angeles. I dont know what I will major in yet. Right now, my favorite subject is criminal law."

Who's his favorite basketball player? "I like 'em all, to tell you the truth. Magic, Michael, Penny."

Other sports stars he admires: "I like Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys. He plays with a lot of desire. he works hard and he's a great person. I also admire all-time hom-run champ Hank Aaron, who played for the Atlanda Braves"

Kobe does'nt go out after games and party and stuff.. nope. he jus chills. "I go home with my mother, my father, or my sisters. We have a nice little dinner together. Then I go to sleep." His Dad says, "As I said to one reporter, I said, 'Hey, all these guys are going to the clubs. Kobe will be back at the hotel reading a book or playing Nintendo.' Maybe he'll have a couple of guys stay with him. Basketball will speak for itself. But it's no doubt about it that he has the personality and there's something about him that's going to attract a lot of people in a positive manner. That's what the NBA needs today."

Favorite Quotes

"There's a lot of fake people out there(in LA), wherever you go. You just have to love your family, have your friends and that's basically it."

"I like to create things for my teammates. I love to pass the ball, but when it comes down to crunch time, I click it on. There's no doubt I want the ball."

About Draft Day "It was pretty difficult, because I had my mother there squeezing my thigh and my sister there squeezing my hands, and my father there winking at me all teary-eyed. It was very hard, and I am glad it is over with."

Dell Harris on Kobe "No one ever questioned his one-on-one skills, or even his team skills. But he didn't have college as a transition, to (advance) from where he could dominate everybody he played and do virtually what he wanted without paying a price. There's almost no embarrassment factor for him against high school kids; he could make a mistake come out all right, because he's so good. He would have gotten into some situations in college where he would have gotten stopped and had to adjust. The good news is that he's consciously working at it, and he's making good progress."

"I'm not afraid to fail. When I'm 40, if I sit back and I say, 'Man, I went to the NBA, I gave it my all and I failed,' it happens. But I couldn't accept not going to the NBA and giving my all. I can't accept that."

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