When you think of all time greats in the basketball world, Kobe Bryant is at the forefront. However, his story and rise to stardom is far from ordinary. Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but did not stay there long. His father was an NBA player as well which caused them to travel. After a career in the NBA, Joe Bryant signed to a pro basketball team in Italy which cause for Kobe and his family to follow. While growing up in Italy, Kobe learned to speak the language fluently. One of his many talents. At the age of 13 the Bryant family moved back to the states. Kobe attended Lower Merion high school and averaged 31 points his junior year. He was a McDonalds all American and became only the sixth player in history to skip college and go directly to the NBA. In his 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers Kobe became a 5x champion, 2x Finals MVP, 18x Allstar, 11x all NBA first team, and many more. However, maybe the best accomplishment he had was being known for the hardest working player in NBA history. On away games Kobe would find a local high school gym to get shots up. If the team got in late Kobe was in the gym all hours of the night making sure his craft was perfected. This is the true legend of Kobe Bryant and why his "Mamba Mentality" will live on forever.
RIP Kobe Bean Bryant 8/23/1978-1/26/2020