Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA, leading the team to five championships between 2000–2002 and 2009–2010. He was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA Team member, a 12-time All-Defensive Team member, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. In 2020, Bryant was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
Early Life and Education
Kobe Bean Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and was raised in a Catholic family. He was the youngest of three children and the only son of Pamela Cox Bryant and former NBA player Joe Bryant. He was also the maternal nephew of NBA player John "Chubby" Cox.
When Kobe was six years old, his family moved to Rieti, Italy, after his father retired from the NBA to continue his basketball career overseas. Over the next few years, the family lived in Reggio Calabria, Pistoia, and Reggio Emilia. During this time, Kobe became fluent in Italian and developed a passion for both basketball and soccer. He was a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and the A.C. Milan soccer team. At the age of 13, Kobe and his family returned to Philadelphia, where he attended eighth grade at Bala Cynwyd Middle School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
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