Event Information

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1978, Kobe Bean Bryant would grow up to become a young star in the National Basketball League (NBA). Many people don’t realize that Kobe was actually named after the rather expensive Japanese steak after his father saw it on the menu.

Kobe’s early childhood was spent in Italy where his father was a basketball player with the European league. In fact, Kobe was fluent in Italian and he also loved soccer and other parts of Italian culture.

When he was 13 years old, Kobe’s family moved back to the United States where he attended Lower Merion High School in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Until Kobe arrived, this high school basketball team had not been to the state championship in 53 years.

Following four amazing high school basketball years, Kobe Bryant decides not to go to college and, instead, goes directly into the NBA. He was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets, but that only lasted for 16 days. It was then that he was picked up by the Los Angeles Lakers where he lived out his 20 year basketball career, where he earned five titles.

In the last couple of seasons of his career, Kobe struggled with a variety of injuries that kept him from playing. This included a fractured knee, torn Achilles’ tendon and Achilles’ surgery. After so many health difficulties, Bryant finally decided to make the 2016 season his last.

In addition to his stellar career as a player for the National Basketball League, Kobe Bryant also represented the United States on the Olympic basketball team. He won two gold medals, in Beijing in 2008 and in London in 2012.

Kobe’s personal life as a family man started just a couple of years after entering into the NBA. Kobe met his future wife, Vanessa, when he was 20 and she was only 17 and still in high school. They were married not long after. The couple went on to have four daughters: Natalia Diamante, Gianna Marie-Onore, Bianka Bella and Capri Kobe.

After his retirement in 2016, the city of Los Angeles had voted to make August 24 Kobe Bryant Day in honor of the philanthropy of the basketball star and his wife through the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation. This foundation was dedicated to bringing improvement to the lives of families and youths in need, particularly by encouraging youth to participate in sports and stay active.