Kobe Bryant Biography

Fast Facts

• Father Joe Bryant played eight seasons in the NBA and seven in Italy before eventually becoming WNBA coach
• Named after a type of steak his parents saw listed on a restaurant menu
• Speaks fluent Italian, having spent eight childhood years in Italy
• Took R&B singer Brandy to his high school prom
• Went directly from high school to play for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996
• Became youngest All-Star in NBA history at the age of 19 in 1998
• Won three straight NBA championships with the Lakers (2000-02), plus back-to-back titles (2009-10) in which he was named Finals MVP
• Led the NBA in scoring 2006 and 2007 and was named league MVP in 2008
• Scored 81 points, second most ever in NBA history, against Toronto in 2006
• In 2006, his daughter Gianna Maria-Onoro was born six minutes before the daughter of Bryant's former teammate, Shaquille O'Neal