basketball player
Personal Information
Born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, PA; son of Joe (a professional basketball player and coach) and Pam Bryant; married Vanessa Laine, 2001 (daughter, Natalia)
Education: Graduate of Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA.
Career
Professional basketball player, 1996-. Drafted 13th pick in the first round of the 1996 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft by Charlotte Hornets; traded to Los Angeles Lakers, July 1996; signed with Lakers, July 24, 1996.
Life's Work
At the age of 18 years 2 months and 11 days, Kobe Bryant became the youngest man ever to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant bypassed college and moved straight from high school to the NBA, a feat accomplished by only 27 other players in the long history of the league. Drafted by the Charlotte Hornets on July 11, 1996, Bryant was soon traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he became the youngest player ever to make that West Coast team. He has been a Laker ever since, joining stars such as Shaquille O'Neal and Nick Van Exel in the team lineup.
Basketball players who have had some college experience often find the move to the NBA a tough adjustment. How much harder it must be, then, to arrive in the league as an 18-year-old high school graduate. Bryant's transition was hardly a smooth one, but he seemed to handle the media attention, the new expectations, the travel, and all the challenges far beyond his years. Asked about his sudden stardom in the Los Angeles Times, Bryant responded: "It's crazy. If you sit back and start thinking about it, maybe you could be overwhelmed by the situation. You've just got to keep going slowly and keep working hard on your basketball skills. Then, I don't think your head can swell because you won't have time to think about it."
At six-feet seven-inches tall and 210 pounds, Bryant was hardly too small or frail to compete in the NBA. Observers cited his size, agility, and shot-making ability when forecasting his pro success. Another asset was his awareness of NBA life--his father, Joe, played as a pro. "Basketball is kind of like life," Bryant explained in the Philadelphia Inquirer. "It can get rough at times. You can get knocked on your butt a couple of times. But what you have to do is get up and hold your head high and try again."
The youngest of three children born to Joe and Pam Bryant, Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia in 1978--the year before Magic Johnson joined the Lakers. The Lakers press guide said his parents named him after a type of steak they saw on a restaurant menu shortly before he was born. Bryant's father was in the midst of a 16-year pro basketball career that first took the family through Philadelphia, San Diego, and Houston, and then took them overseas to an Italian league. When not traveling with his team, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant played sports with his children, teaching them his moves. Kobe proved to be a particularly apt student, and he adored his father. Said Bryant in the New York Times: "Other kids don't have a father. I don't have anything in common with them. My father's my best friend. Those kids say I lead a Beaver Cleaver life. I don't care." Kobe was five years old when his father left the NBA and moved the family to Pistoia, Italy. There the elder Bryant competed eight more years in the Italian Professional Basketball League. Since no one in the Bryant family could speak Italian at first, the bonds between members grew even closer as they struggled with learning another language. "We didn't have anybody to depend on but our family. We had to stick together," Bryant remembered in the Riverside, California, Press-Enterprise. Kobe got along well with his sisters Sharia and Shaya, and--when time allowed--he played hoops with his dad. He also played soccer, a favorite sport in Italy.
High School Standout
When Joe Bryant's pro career ended in 1991, the family returned to the United States and settled in a comfortable home on the Main Line--the most prestigious of Philadelphia's suburban areas. Thirteen-year-old Kobe surprised his fellow students at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore: they marveled at the young black man who could speak Italian fluently but who was relatively unaware of the hip urban attitudes popular among teens. In a Los Angeles Times profile Bryant recalled that time: "It was kind of strange because, being away, I didn't know a lot of the slang that kids used. Kids would come up to me and say whatever, and I'd just nod."
Basketball helped bridge the gap between Bryant and his classmates at Lower Merion High. Tall and skilled, Bryant quickly became a starter for the varsity team and just as quickly began to make a name for himself in greater Philadelphia. While Bryant became a national star in the late 1990s, he was a local celebrity for years--and that level of attention helped to prepare him for the heightened attention he received in the NBA. He refused to make his ambitions to play in the NBA secret even though many people advised him to pursue safer goals. His parents, however, supported his dreams, and his high school coach, Gregg Downer, offered encouragement. "When I first met [Kobe], at age 13, and I saw him play, after five minutes I said, 'This kid is going to be a pro,"' Downer told the Los Angeles Times. "Never was there one moment I doubted that. That it would happen so quickly, I may have doubted that. But I knew if he progressed so quickly and continued to make good decisions, he would someday get there."
Bryant concluded his high school career as the all-time leading scorer in the history of Southeastern Pennsylvania basketball. His 2,883 points far surpassed the 2,359 points of Hall-of-Famer Wilt Chamberlain. As a junior, he was named Pennsylvania's high school player of the year. In Bryant's senior year he led the Lower Merion Aces to a season record of 31-3 and the Class-AAAA state championship. He averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4 steals, and 3.8 blocked shots per game. Accolades poured in from both local and national sources. USA Today named him National High School Player of the Year, and he also won the Naismith Player of the Year citation. Downer told the Los Angeles Times, "I know the high school market very well and I've watched it for close to 20 years, and to think there could be another player come into my hands and be this good, that's an abstract concept. [Kobe's] blessed with a lot of natural ability and great genes, but the work ethic is his and it's very strong. Kobe has the skills and the maturity and everything you could want."
Bypassed College for the Pros
Not surprisingly, Bryant was offered scholarships to almost every major college and university in the country. Not only was he a brilliant basketball player, he was also a good student, scoring an above-average 1100 on his Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Bryant and his parents remained coy about his future, however. They realized that they faced a momentous decision: whether to bypass college completely and go straight into the NBA draft. Bryant, meanwhile, catapulted to national prominence when the media learned that he would be escorting pop star Brandy to his high school prom in downtown Philadelphia.
Just before prom time, Bryant called a news conference to declare his decision to make himself available for the 1996 NBA draft in June. Philadelphia sports fans who had expected Bryant to enroll at one of the local colleges greeted the announcement with jeers. The criticism escalated when Joe Bryant quit his job as an assistant coach at La Salle University to manage his son's career. Answering all his detractors in the New York Times, Joe Bryant stated, "Would Kobe be more accepted going to the NBA if he'd been a dummy? Do you have to be poor, with five kids, living on welfare?" He concluded, "Kobe should have had the key to the city. Instead they tried to crucify him. No one saw how special he is."
No one, that is, except the Charlotte Hornets, who chose Bryant as the thirteenth pick in the first round of the 1996 NBA draft. No one but Adidas, who swooped in to sign the young star to a product endorsement contract. No one but Brandy, who praised her prom date as a terrific guy and invited him to guest-star on her television show, Moesha. And no one but the Los Angeles Lakers, who traded veteran center Vlade Divac to obtain the untested rookie. A month shy of his eighteenth birthday, Kobe Bryant signed a three-year, $3.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and moved into a mansion in Pacific Palisades, California. If anyone could be said to be "on top of the world," it was Bryant.
Faced Reality Check
Poised for greatness, Bryant took the Southern California Summer Pro League by storm. He appeared in four games--drawing huge overflow crowds-- and netted 27 points in one game and 36 in another. Then, just before training camp was due to start in September, he broke his wrist playing pickup ball and could not practice for five weeks. This set back effectively undercut his first chance to learn the NBA style of play. To make matters worse, he took a body shot from an opponent in Philadelphia during an exhibition game in October of 1996 and missed not only the rest of the preseason but also the season opener in November.
The injuries gave Bryant a huge disadvantage during the Lakers' regular season. Lakers coach Del Harris explained in the Riverside, California, Press-Enterprise that "You've got to figure that not only did [Kobe] skip college, he also skipped training camp. Given that, the fact that he was able to compete at this level by January [1997] is incredible--especially with a team that's been in first or second place all year, rather than a team that might say, 'Well, we're not going anywhere anyway, so let's play the young guys."'
Harris saw Bryant as a journeyman who needed more training in the pro game and restricted his playing time accordingly. Bryant warmed the bench, averaging 15.5 minutes, 7.6 points, 1.3 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 71 regular season appearances. Naturally the former high school star who had pretty much carried his previous team on his back felt frustrated by the limited play. "One of the hardest things this year was not knowing whether you're going to play or how many minutes you're going to play," Bryant acknowledged in an Associated Press report. "But at the same time that kind of helps you, because you just have to be ready every night."
Bryant's chance to shine as a rookie came during the All-Star break, when he scored 31 points in the Rookie All-Star Game and aced the slam-dunk title with a dramatic shot that began between his legs. That moment of fame was some compensation for his slow start as a professional, and it served to reinforce his coaches' conviction that he would make an impact within a year or two.
Debate, meanwhile, still raged over whether Bryant took a wrong turn when he decided to skip college. As Theresa Smith observed in the Orange County Register, "It's still too early.... If he hadn't turned pro, he'd be learning strategy and refining skills in frequent practice sessions, and starring for a Top 25 team two days a week. Instead, his practice time is limited by a rigorous game and travel schedule and his game time is limited by Harris, who has the incongruous task of developing young talent and winning at the same time." The New York Times quoted Harris as expressing similar frustrations: "I don't want to be remembered ... [as] the guy who wouldn't let Kobe Bryant play." He also observed, "I have to do it. I can't give him special treatment just because he's 18. He elected to come into a man's world and he'll have to play by a man's rules."
That "man's world" presents many challenges for a person of Bryant's age. Not yet old enough to order an alcoholic beverage legally and enormously wary of the multitude of other temptations beckoning NBA players, he generally kept to himself both at home and on the road. His parents often traveled with him, and they lived in his Pacific Palisades home. Bryant had no regrets about his busy schedule or his level of responsibility, however. "It's fun," he enthused in an Associated Press report. "I'm in the NBA. No way I'm bored. In four years, then I'll probably be like, 'Oh, God. We've got another road trip.' Right now, it's great."
Bryant's regrets did not extend to missing college, either. In fact, he said he planned to get a degree some day, either in basketball's off season or after he retires. "I know I would have liked college, but if I was there, I'd be thinking, 'Man, I should be in the NBA,'" he told the New York Times. "NBA life is fun."
It was also lucrative. In addition to his multimillion dollar contract, Bryant had many endorsement deals "I like getting out there for promotional appearances and having a good time and meeting people," he said in the Los Angeles Times. "I like to see the end product, and I take pride in it. I want my product to be one of the best things out there. And I love going in front of the cameras and learning something new." At the same time, he added, "I understand basketball is what got me here and on top of that, I love to do it so much that it will always be my focal point."
His family loved him, the Lakers loved him, and his fans loved him. He attained celebrity status at lightning speed, "Most players have shoe deals and one or two others, but the opportunities Kobe has had are far greater than any other team athlete, aside from Jordan and Kobe's, have come quicker," said Kobe's agent, Arn Tellem. By the age of twenty, Bryant lived the American dream: money, good basketball moves, good looks, and a big smile. But, as could be expected, Bryant had some difficulties adjusting to the demands.
Off season, he had a rigorous schedule traveling and promoting consumer goods for several large corporations including Sprite, Spalding, and Adidas. In addition, Kobe had his own Nintendo game. When he was not traveling, he spent his time with his family. According to Newsweek, "Bryant says he doesn't have a single close friend on the team or in the city." Bryant was described as a loner.
By age twenty-one, Bryant landed millions of dollars in endorsement deals and had an All Star NBA status. Rather than squander his money on the high life, Bryant became co-owner of an Italian basketball league, Olimpia Milano. He also released a hip-hop album, K.O.B.E. Inevitably, kids grow up. 76ers coach, Larry Brown, told Sports Illustrated, "Kobe's a model of what a young player should aspire to be. Year by year he has learned and made his game more solid, and now he's not just a highlight-film guy but an accomplished NBA player." But Bryant was not perfect. During a spring 2000 game with the New York Knicks, Bryant entered into a halftime scuffle with the Knicks guard, Chris Childs. Both players were ejected from the game, fined, and suspended. Bryant kept his focus throughout the rest of the season, however, and along with the NBA's Most Valuable Player, Shaquille O'Neal, Bryant helped the Lakers win their first championship in 12 years. The media frequently mentioned tension between Shaq and Kobe. They are very different people. According to Los Angeles Magazine, "Shaq had never become an adult, while Kobe had never been a child."
The Lakers repeated as champions in 2001 and 2002. In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault in Eagle County, Colorado; prosecutors dropped the charge in September of 2004, saying the accuser, a 19-year-old hotel employee, could not move forward with the case. She did, however, file a civil suit against Bryant one month earlier. They settled early in 2005, concealing the terms. Bryant often took shuttle flights between the trial in Colorado and Lakers games. He still made the All-NBA first team. The Lakers reached the NBA Finals in 2004, losing four games to one to the Detroit Pistons. The team settled the feud between Bryant and O'Neal by trading O'Neal to the Miami Heat and signing Bryant to a seven-year, $136 million contract extension. Coach Phil Jackson left the Lakers and during the 2004 offseason, wrote a book in which he said Bryant's trial and attitude in general wore down the team.
Bryant was again an All-Star in 2005 but the Lakers missed the playoffs for only the second time in twenty-nine years. After the season, team owner Jerry Buss rehired Jackson as head coach and he and Bryant both public said they are at peace. Still, Bryant and Jackson began the 2005-06 season expecting to be under media glare.
Awards
Selected Awards: Named National High School Player of the Year by USA Today, 1996; named Naismith Player of the Year, 1996; named Gatorade Circle of Champions High School Player of the Year, 1996; named to McDonald's All-American team, 1996; played in NBA Rookie All-Star Game, 1997; won Slam Dunk competition during 1997 NBA All-Star Weekend; NBA All-Star game Most Valuable Player, 2002; All-NBA First Team, 2002, 2003, 2004; All-NBA Defensive First Team, 2002, 2003, 2004.
Further Reading
- Associated Press, November 10, 1996; April 29, 1997.
- Jet, April 24, 2000; July 10, 2000.
- Los Angeles Times, October 15, 1996, p. C1.
- Los Angeles Magazine, June 2001, p. 58.
- New York Times Magazine, January 19, 1997, p. 23; January 1999, p. 66.
- Orange County Register, January 5, 1997, p. C10.
- Philadelphia Inquirer, November 3, 1996, p. C1, C6.
- Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA), October 29, 1996, p. C1; February 8, 1997, p. C1.
- San Diego Union Tribune, October 22, 1996, p. D2.
- SI.com,, October 12, 2004, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/basketball/nba/10/12/jackson/(December 21, 2004); February 8, 2005, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com; March 2, 2005, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/basketball/nba/03/02/kobe.settlement.ap/index.html?cnn=yes.
- Sports Illustrated, April 24, 2000 p. 38; June 25, 2001, p. 42.
— Mark Kram and Christine Miner Minderovic
