Kobe Bryant: A Basketball Legend

Whispers and stories began to travel around Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. There was a new eighth grader in town. He could speak Italian, and that was interesting. But there was something else that got everyone talking. This new student could really play basketball. Finally, the stories reached the high school basketball coach’s ears. He decided that he had to see the new student play for himself. The coach invited the student to come practice with his team.

The next Saturday morning, a tall eighth grader came to practice with the high schoolers. The coach waved him into the gym. The eighth grader was much shorter and smaller than the others. Would he be able to keep up?

It only took five minutes for the head coach to make up his mind. He turned to the assistant coach and said, “this kid is a pro.”

The kid’s name was Kobe Bryant, and everyone knew he was going to be a star.

Basketball Beginnings

Kobe Bean Bryant was born in the U.S., but he moved to Italy when he was only six years old. Kobe’s dad played in the NBA, then moved his family to Europe to play basketball there. Kobe grew up playing basketball in Italy during the school year and flying home for summer camps in the States. He also played soccer and learned to speak Italian and Spanish.

The Bryant family moved to Pennsylvania in 1991 when Kobe was 13 years old. He had already decided he wanted to become a basketball player like his dad. Anyone who watched him knew that Kobe was one of the best players. He led his team to a state championship during his final year of high school at Lower Merion. They hadn’t won in 53 years!

At the end of high school, Kobe had to decide what to do. Should he go to college, or should he play professional basketball right away?

On April 29, 1996, Kobe sat in front of reporters to announce his decision. He was relaxed and joking. He wore a suit with sunglasses pushed up on his forehead. Kobe announced that “I have decided to skip college and take my talent to the NBA.”

Kobe was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets two months later. He was quickly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

High-flying Career

Kobe wasn’t the hero of his new team right away. He was the youngest starter in the NBA, but he didn’t see a lot of playing time at first. Yet he was determined to get better.

“Those times when you stay up late and you work hard; those times when you don't feel like working — you’re too tired, you don’t want to push yourself — but you do it anyway. That is actually the dream. That’s the dream. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey,” said Kobe. Hard work and constantly pushing himself to be better were always part of Kobe’s thoughts.

His practice paid off. By the end of his first season, Kobe was on the court for much longer than he had been earlier in the season. And he kept getting better.

Kobe would go on to win 5 NBA championships with the Lakers. He was an 18-time member of the All-Star team, a 15-time member of the All-NBA team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player, and 2-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. Kobe played for the Lakers for 20 years. He retired from professional basketball after the 2015-2016 season.

Family had always been important to Kobe. He and his wife had four daughters. Kobe loved coaching his daughters and helping them learn to play. On January 26, 2020, Kobe was flying in a helicopter with his 13-year-old daughter. They were headed to one of her basketball games. The day was cloudy, and the helicopter crashed. Kobe, his daughter, and the seven other people in the helicopter all died in the accident.

“Life is too short to get bogged down and be discouraged,” Kobe once said. “You have to keep moving. You have to keep going. Put one foot in front of the other, smile and just keep on rolling.”

Kobe’s death was a tragedy, but we remember him for the hard work, talent, and determination that made him a basketball legend.