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On this day, Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to his parents Joe and Pamela Bryant.
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Kobe attended a high school in Ardmore, Pennsylvania called Lower Merino High School. He was recognized as beth top American high school basketball player while at this school.
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Bryant decided not to attend college and declared himself eligible for the NBA draft straight out of high school. The Charlotte selected him with the 13th pick. shortly after, he was traded to the Lakers.
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Bryant made his debut as the youngest NBA player on November 3rd, 1996. The future legend did not live up to the hype on the night of his debut, only playing for about 6 minutes and missing the only shot he took. Fortunately, he did score his first point in the NBA in the next game he played, two days after.
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During his rookie year, Bryant earned a reputation as a high-flyer by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. He was named an All-Star by his second season in the NBA.
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Bryant met Vanessa when he was 20 and she was 17. They met on the set of a music video for Tha Eastsidaz’s “G’d up”. The two claimed it was “love at first sight.”
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Bryant led his team to his first NBA championship alongside his teammate, Shaquille O’Neal. The Lakers won consecutively in 2000, 2001, and 2002. They also won titles again in 2009 and 2010.
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On April 18, 2001, Vanessa and Kobe got married in Dana Point, California at St.Edward the Confessor Catholic Church. It was an intimate wedding that not many people attended including Kobe’s parents who have been claimed to not support the marriage.
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Kobe and Vanessa had their first daughter, Gianna, in the beginning of 2003. The couple had three more daughters — Gianna in May 2006, Bianka in December 2016, and Capri in 2019.
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Bryant scored a career high of 81 points which is the second most scored in a single NBA game.
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After leading his team to the NBA championships in both 2009 and 2010, he was named NBA Finals MVP both years.
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After helping the Lakers win 5 NBA championships over his 20-year career, Bryant retired.
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After retiring from the NBA, Bryant wanted to give back to the community so he created this training facility for young athletes.
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Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were on the way to a youth basketball game in Thousand Oaks, being transported through helicopter. The helicopter crashed and killed both Kobe and Gianna along with 8 other passengers.