Kobe Bryant - - - Biography

Career: 5-time NBA Champion (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010) ... 2007-08 NBA Most Valuable Player ... 2009 NBA Finals MVP ... 2010 NBA Finals MVP ... Helped lead the United States to a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics ... Has earned All-NBA honors in each of the last 12 seasons (First Team in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010; Second Team in 2000 and 2001; Third Team in 1999 and 2005) … Has been named to the NBA’s All Defensive Team 10 times (First Team in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010; Second Team in 2001 and 2002) … Named a starter for the Western Conference All-Star Team in each of the last 12 games (2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1998 - no game in 1999) … Led all NBA players in voting for the 2003 All-Star Game ... Earned MVP honors at the 2002 All-Star Game in his hometown of Philadelphia, in the 2007 All-Star Game in Las Vegas and co-MVP honors at the 2009 All-Star Game in Phoenix … Became the youngest player ever to score 15,000 - 20,000 career points & 23,000 - 25,000 career points, to be named to the NBA’s All Defensive Team (1999-2000), to start an All-Star Game (1998) and to earn All-Rookie honors (1996-97) ... Won the 1997 Gatorade Slam Dunk Championship during All-Star Weekend … Is the second youngest player in Los Angeles franchise history (behind Andrew Bynum) to appear in a regular season game in his NBA debut 11/3/96 vs. Minnesota (18 years, two months and 11 days) and is the third youngest player to ever appear in an NBA game (only Andrew Bynum and Indiana’s Jermaine O’Neal were younger) … Has been selected Western Conference Player of the Month 12 times (November 2001, January 2003, March 2004, January, April 2006, December 2006, March 2007, February 2008, April 2008, December 2008, January 2009, December 2009) and has earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors 25 times (11/4/01, 1/20/02, 11/3/02, 12/8/02, 1/12/03, 2/2/03, 2/23/03, 2/17/04, 3/22/04, 11/13/05, 12/18/05, 12/25/05, 1/22/06, 4/16/06, 3/18/07, 3/25/07, 1/13/08, 3/2/08, 4/6/08, 12/29/08, 1/12/09, 3/16/09, 11/22/09, 12/20/09 and 12/27/09) … Prior to that was named NBA Player of the Month once (December 2000) and NBA Player of the Week twice (April 16, 2000 and December 24, 2000) ... Captured the 2005-06 and 2006-07 scoring titles ... In 2005-06, averaged 35.4 points per game (8th highest scoring average of all-time), passing Bob McAdoo for the 7th best scoring season of all-time (2,832 points) ... Scored a career-high 81 points (55 in the second half) 1/22/06 vs. TOR, the 2nd highest game (81) and half (55) point totals in NBA history ... Ranks third in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain (118) and Michael Jordan (31) with 24 career 50-plus point games ... Has 104 career 40-plus point games, 140 career double-doubles and 16 career triple-doubles ... Is the Lakers all-time leading scorer and ranks 12th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Personal: Father Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant played eight seasons in the NBA (Philadelphia, San Diego and Houston) before retiring in 1983 … Spent eight years of his childhood in Italy … Parents named him after a type of steak (Kobe) seen on a restaurant menu prior to his birth … Has two older sisters, Sharia and Shaya … Involved in several community programs in the past, including the Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the Center for Abused Children … Is currently involved with several organizations including Make-a-Wish Foundation, St. Jude's Children's Hospital, The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, and Plaza de la Raza (cultural center in East L.A.) ... In the summer of 2006, created the VIVO Foundation, a charitable initiative dedicated to enhancing the lives of young people and making dreams come true through educational and cultural enrichment opportunities and financial support ... Projects of the foundation include Vivo Del Mondo, an international travel experience that offers deserving high school and college students a unique and expanded context to think, question and formulate their own beliefs about the world and discover and develop their life passions ... Held the first ever Kobe Basketball Academy at Loyola Marymount University in the summer of 2007 (continued in 2008 and 2009), teaching athletes basketball’s five fundamentals as well as the Princeton and Triangle offenses during the week-long camp ... Member of the 2006-08 USA Men’s Senior National Team, helping the 2007 team win the FIBA Americas championship and a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics ... Kobe and his wife Vanessa have two daughters, Natalia Diamante and Gianna Maria.