12 Things You Need To Know About Kobe Bryant

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#1- Kobe Bryant was born on 23 August, 1978, in Pennsylvania, U.S. His real name was Kobe Bean Bryant.

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#2- His parents named him "Kobe" after a type of famous Japanese Kobe beef.

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#3- His father, "Joe Bryant," was also a former NBA player who played for the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, & Houston Rockets.

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#4- Kobe started playing basketball at the age of three & his father retired from the NBA when he was six.

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#5- Bryant was 17 years old when the Lakers drafted him as a shooting guard straight out of high school. At that time, he signed a $3.5 million contract.

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#6- On 3 Nov, 1996, at the age of 18, Kobe played his first professional basketball game. In which he played just for 6 minutes and didn't score.

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#7- Kobe Bryant nicknamed himself "Black Mamba" in the mid-2000s. Which quickly became popular among his fans.

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#8- Kobe Bryant dedicated his entire 20 years of basketball career playing with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA.

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#9- He was the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2018 and a two-time NBA Finals MVP.

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#10- In his career, Kobe won 5 NBA championships & was selected to the All-Star team 18 times, & a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team.

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#11- Kobe also won an Academy Award in 2018 for the film Dear Basketball (2017) under the category of Best Animated Short Film.

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#12- Kobe Bryant was also named one of the 35 Greatest McDonald's All-Americans in 2012.

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