Kobe Bryant
Chapter 1: Early Life
Kobe Bean Bryant. Everyone would remember this name. Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was born a average kid with a dream. He spent his early years growing up in Italy were his father played basketball. Kobe came from a very athletic family were his two sister, Shaya and Sharia. His Father averaged 8.7 points per game in 606 career games in his Nba career. He was at mist of the basketball and soccer. Kobe’s world revolved around his father’s basketball schedule. He often accompanied Joe to afternoon practice and rarely missed a game. Kobe studied his dad’s moves, then tried to mimic the way he played. At halftime of games, Kobe sometimes entertained fans by shooting baskets. He came back to the states in 1991 were he became the top high school player in the country. He was a part of the Lower Marion High School basketball team. Bryant was the all-time leading scorer in Southeastern Pennsylvania schoolboy history with 2,883 points, breaking the marks of Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain (2,359 points) and former St. Joseph's player Carlin Warley (2,441 points). Life outside of hoops wasn’t quite as easy. A solid B student, Kobe struggled to find common ground with his classmates. In Europe he had been sheltered from many of the temptations and pressures faced by teenagers in the U.S. Naturally quiet and reserved, he got a crash-course in dealing with the daily dramas of high school hallways. Kobe lead his high school to four back-to-back state championships. Kobe sizzled during the 1994-95 season. The junior averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists and was named Pennsylvania Player of the Year. Kobe also unveiled his devastating cross-over dribble during the campaign. He learned the move from God Shammgod, a teammate on his summer AAU squad. After Kobe’s breakout year, college recruiters from across the country came knocking. The soon-to-be senior boasted excellent grades...