Ten fun facts about Kobe Bryant
Fact 1
Born on Aug. 23, 1978, he is nicknamed the “Black Mamba”.
Fact 2
He entered the NBA directly from high school, and has played for the Lakers his entire career, winning five NBA championships.
Fact 3
Bryant is a 15-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team.
Fact 4
Bryant speaks fluent Italian, having spent eight childhood years in Italy.
Fact 5
Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002.
Fact 6
At 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points.
Fact 7
He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history.
Fact 8
At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, he won gold medals as a member of the USA national team.
Fact 9
Sporting News and TNT named Bryant the top NBA player of the 2000s.
Fact 10
His parents named him after a type of steak. The beef is from a species of cattle, Wagyu, raised in the Kobe region of Japan.
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