JR de HÃ©ctor Camacho.

Biography

Its youth

Wire of the basketball player Joe “JellyeBean” Bryant, Kobe passes a major part of its childhood in Italy (he usually speaks Italian), where his/her father evolves/moves in the Championnat of Italy of basketball. It joined nevertheless the the United States during its adolescence, and continues its studies in a college of Philadelphia, Lower Merion High School, where in margin of its studies it dominates the championship of basketball completely: in its last year it carries its team to an assessment of 31 victories for 3 defeats and is seen appointed player of the year ( Naismith High School Player off the Year ).

Its beginnings in NBA

Sure of its potential, it is presented to the Draft NBA 1996. It is selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th turn of Draft, but Bryant clearly states that it will play only for the club of its heart, the Los Angeles Lakers. Jerry West, the General Manager of Lakers, then carries out a stroke of genius by proposing in Hornets a very convincing currency of exchange: the talented pivot Vlade Divac.

Bryant becomes the youngest player of the history of the league at the time of its first match. His first season, although shy person (7,6 points of average, 6 matches started out of 71), shows the possibility for all the capacities of the player, even if it gives the impression to have to learn all the rudiments from the collective play. The potential duet that it forms with Shaquille O'Neal for the seasons to come seems promised with the titles. It gains also the Slam Dunk Contest at the time of its season rookie (1996-1997).

At the time of the playoffs 1997, in the money-time of a crucial match vis-a-vis the Utah Jazz, it wants to make the difference and to show that it can save its team. But the result shows 3 air-ball and of multiple criticisms on behalf of the journalists.

At the time of its second season (1997-1998), it quickly becomes one of the new feelings of the league, from its spectacular play and its progress carried out (15,4 points of average per match).

In February 1998, he becomes the youngest holder of a NBA All-Star Range. But after the match of stars, he knows a second part of season difficult, and its offensive contribution decreases somewhat. This irregularity costs him to the title of better sixth man and player having progressed more, distinctions to which it was had a presentiment of a long time. Los Angeles is eliminated thereafter from the playoffs 4-0 by Utah.

The season shortened of 1999 watch Kobe Bryant in constant progression in its play, but that will not prevent Los Angeles from being made once again sweep 4-0, this time by the future champion, San Antonio.

The three-peat

Kobe Bryant takes finally all its place in manpower at the time of its fourth season in NBA (1999-2000). The arrival of Phil Jackson, the trainer with the six championships with bulldozers of Michael Jordan, makes it possible Lakers to gain the championship in 2000, vis-a-vis the Indiana Pacers. At the time of Range 4, Kobe Bryant realizes what is regarded as one of its greater matches. Absent from the parquet floors since the first quarter-time of Range 2 because of an ankle sprain, Kobe score 28 points including 8 in prolongation. It is him which registers 3 of the last 4 baskets of Lakers, orphans of Shaquille O'Neal, left for 6 faults. Kobe passes then from the statute of star to that of superstar. Los Angeles gains the title later a few days with the Staples Center. The season 2000-2001 is crowned of a new title, and Bryant further increases its level of play with an average of 28,5 points per match, that is to say 6 points moreover than the previous year. The offensive duet with O' Neal is terrifying, marking nearly 60 points of average to them two. Sometimes but the desire of Bryant to show its progress with all the league is made with the detriment its fellow-members, and aggravates Shaquille O'Neal particularly. The season will be often wasted by the media war of the two stars of Lakers.

But at the end of the season, whereas Kobe is wounded, O' Neal shows that the team manages to gain without him. Bryant also includes/understands it and returns with another mentality. It is the beginning of the domination of Lakers, which gains their the last 8 matches of regular season and their the first 11 meetings of playoffs. Bryant, more collective, however carries out two matches at 48 points and 45 points. O' Neal declares that number 8 is indeed the best player of the league.

Los Angeles, which will lose only one match finally, gains a second consecutive title and becomes the second best team in playoffs of the history, with 15 victories for 1 defeat.

The season 2001-2002 sees Kobe Bryant gaining the title of MVP All-Star Range under the whistles of its old public, with Philadelphia. Los Angeles encounters more difficulties in playoffs than the previous year, in particular in the series against Sacramento, one of most beautiful of these last years. Kobe will make a success of 30 points, 10 rebounds and 7 decisive master keys in the victory in prolongation with Range 7. A third title is gained a few days later vis-a-vis the Nets of the New Jersey.

Kobe obtains its third title at only 23 years. Its offensive style and its dunks spectacular do of Bryant one of the preferred players of the fans.

End of the dynasty

O' Neal wounded at the beginning of the season 2002-2003, Bryant has great difficulty to carry out Lakers towards the victory, excessively shootant failing to imply its fellow-members. This situation reaches its paroxysm at the time of a defeat with Boston, match during which Bryant will miss 30 of its 47 shots. Criticisms of the journalists reappear and Lakers are far from the eighth qualificative place for the playoffs.

However, with O' Neal again in the team, Lakers find little by little their tennis shoe and go back to the classification with the approach of the All-Star Range (mid- February).

Kobe then will carry out the most beautiful partition of its career with nine consecutive matches at 40 points or more (only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan made as well), almost giving to him only Lakers on the way of success (7 victories 2 defeats during the series). In spite of their miserable beginning of the season, Los Angeles succeeds in the exploit to finish in the fifth place, but the master key of four does not take place. Lakers are barred by the Spurs during the playoffs 2003.

At the conclusion of this season, Kobe Bryant is regarded as one of all the best players, finishing in the third place for the title of MVP of the regular season, and while being elected in the All-NBA First TEAM (better five of the season). Kobe is then with the height of its career and its fame.

Shown rape

During the summer 2003, it is shown of Viol by an employee of a hotel of the Colorado where it passed its rehabilitation following a wound. The business had an enormous echo in the American media and Bryant had to acknowledge that it had actually had a sexual relationship with the employee. The continuations are then stopped, the young woman undergoing a very large pressure on behalf of the entourage of Kobe Bryant. Its image (groom and father of a child) was very strongly sullied, certain sponsors (of which Nutella) breaking their contracts with the player.

2003-2004: one season not like the others

Lakers off leave favorite for the season 2003-2004 after the signature two futures Hall Famers : Karl Malone and Gary Payton, in the search of their first title. With O' Neal and Bryant, the four superstars are put at the service of the collective and Lakers quickly becomes the best team of the league. But the wound of Karl Malone in December 2003 comes to stop the beautiful series of Angelinos. Malone, cement of the collective is absent three months, and Los Angeles starts to lose foot. O' Neal and Bryant, which take again their media war, also miss several matches because of wounds. Kobe is also constrained to carry out several return tickets in the Colorado, to answer of its supposed rape.

But the return of Malone at the end of the year gives again breath in Lakers and Bryant, which connects the large performances. At the time of the last match of the regular season, Kobe probably carries out its best performance, by tearing off the prolongation then by giving the victory to the buzzer over a shooting at three points. Lakers become champions of Pacifique division and seem to find their best tennis shoe with starts playoffs 2004.

After a difficult first turn against Houston, Los Angeles is found led 2-0 vis-a-vis to the Spurs de San Antonio. But Lakers succeed in the exploit to gain the four following meetings. In Range 4, Kobe carries out one of its best matches in career with 42 points. After having eliminated Minnesota finally from conference, Lakers reach the Finales where they have the appearance of archi-favorites vis-a-vis the Detroit Pistons. Kobe is had a presentiment of besides for the title of MVP of the Finales. And by tearing off the prolongation in Range 2 on the shooting " most important of its carrière" , Bryant seems to give reason to the journalists and the series is from now on with equality. But the defensive rigor of the Pistons, associated with a certain sufficiency of Lakers, offers the title to Detroit in only five handles. Los Angeles becomes the first team of the history to lose her three matches outside, criticisms point Kobe finger, which showed selfishness and which continued shooter with the detriment of its fellow-members, and this, in spite of a small percentage of 35%.

The rebuilding

After the final lost vis-a-vis Detroit, Kobe Bryant will test the market while renonçant at its additional year in option with Lakers. But its wage requirements, that few teams can satisfy, push it to resign a contract 7 year old with Lakers, after having been a had a presentiment of time on the side of the Clippers. But the team of Lakers changes face: the trainer Phil Jackson leaves the club and Shaquille O'Neal is exchanged with Miami against three players. Many journalists think that Bryant is at the origin of these two movements, although the leader members of Lakers affirm the opposite. Bryant gets along indeed badly with O' Neal and seems to want to be the leader without division of the team.

These two movements are fatal with the club which is not qualified for the play-offs for the first time since Bryant is in manpower: if the statistics of Kobe are always also excellent, the player is esseulé too much and too individualist to carry his team until the playoffs. Its percentage of address falls heavily and its tendency to monopolize the balloon will be worth to him criticisms public of some of its fellow-members.

But at 27 years only, the career of Bryant is far from being finished, and the player is likely to turn over with his team to the outposts.

2006: One season for the memories

Phil Jackson reinstates the team of Lakers, which also signs disappointing number 1 of the draft 2001 Kwame Brown and discrete the Smush Parker.

Nobody believes in Los Angeles before the beginning of the season, but after a first month in half-tone, Lakers create the surprise while positioning in the eighth qualificative place in the West. Bryant, which forever be also extremely offensively, takes very an other dimension by scorant 62 points in three quarter-times the December 20th against Dallas. The appetite of the journalists to see it carrying out great performances is partly found, and the passion is even more important later one month, when that made Bryant, the space of one evening, to tremble the planet tennis shoe.

Kobe beats its record of points in career this January 22nd 2006 with 81 points at the time of the victory of its team vis-a-vis Toronto (122-104). It is the second best performance of the history of the NBA on a match, behind the 100 points of Wilt Chamberlain in 1962. In 42 minutes, Bryant put 28/46 shootings, 18/20 with the charity tosses and 7/13 to 3 points. It marks 55 points in second half and beats even with him only Raptors over this period (55 to 45).

Kobe becomes the attraction of this second part of season, and the journalists and the fans expect each match with a great performance.

The end of season marks the birth of a true team. If the individual performances of Bryant were worth in Lakers to be described as " one man show" , it of it is nothing with the approach playoffs. Odom plays like All star, Brown comfirme finally and Parker remains one of the revelations of the year. And this team will create a feeling by leading 3 victories with 1 against one of the favorites to the title, Phoenix. But the inexperience of this young team will be expensive, and Los Angeles then becomes the eighth team of the history to lose a series of playoffs after having had an advantage of 3-1.

Bryant has succeeds in the exploit to lead almost only its team in play-offs, thanks to an average of more than 35 points, better performance over one season since Michael Jordan at the time of her third year. It thus erases Elgin Baylor for the best marker over one season of Lakers.

Season 2007: The confirmation of the revival

Kobe begins the year by changing number. It carries the number 24 indeed (that it carried to the college). The first part of season of Lakers proceeds with wonder. Gaining 26 of their the first 39 matches, L.A is placed in the 4th place of the Western conference. But the successive wounds of Lamar Odom and Luke Walton will put out of order this beautiful machine. L.A. loses foot, in particular at the time of 7 consecutive defeats in March. With the service of the collective until there, Kobe knows that it must reiterate its beautiful offensive performances to help its club to remain in the race in playoffs. Kobe will carry out one of the greatest exploits of its career, and better still, of the history. " Mamba" thus will become the only player with Wilt Chamberlain has to make a success of four matches of following at least 50pts: 65 against Portland cement, 50 against Minnesota, 60 against Memphis and 50 against New Orleans - all of the victories.

Kobe will again cross the bar of the 50 items three times, becoming the player having made a success of the most match at 50 points over one season in the history of Lakers (10 times). Its offensive explosions enable him to finish better scorer of the league for the 2nd consecutive season, and thus give L.A. on the right tracks. Whereas it is often compared with Jordan, Kobe shows that its talent does not have any limit.

Finishing the season with only 42 victories and 40 defeats, Lakers face Phoenix with the first turn of the playoffs in a remake of the former season. But this time, the manpower of Phoenix is quite higher than that of Lakers, and in spite of a good Range 3 which will see Kobe scorer 45 points, Suns eliminate Los Angeles in 5 handles easily.

Kobe, particularly frustrated at the conclusion of this series, announced that he wanted to be transferred, little convinced by the will of the leaders to improve the team. It will retract a little later, after being maintained with Phil Jackson, but the doubt always planes. Many rumors circulate and of the players like Jermaine O' Neal or Ron Artest could calm Kobe and definitively convince it to remain to L.A.

Kobe concentrates now on TEAM the USA, and defends for the first time the colors of the States at the time of the Championnat of Americas in August 2007. The the United States gain the tournament, Kobe Bryant playing 19,9 minutes of average over 10 matches. It marks on average 15,3 items (60,7% to two points, 45,9% to three points and 87,2% with the charity tosses), collects 2 rebounds and gives 2,9 assists, but it impresses especially the observers by its implication in the team and her defensive intensity.

Prize list

Highlights of its career

Champion NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000, 2001, 2002
AlStar 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
MVP of the AlStar Range 2002 and 2007
AlNBA First TEAM 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007
AlNBA Second TEAM 2000, 2001
AlNBA Third TEAM 2005
Defensive AlNBA First TEAM 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007 * Defensive AlNBA Second TEAM 2001, 2002
AlNBA Rookie second TEAM 1997 Victorious
of Slam Dunk contest in 1997
Better marker NBA in 2006: 35.4 pts/match and 2007: 31.6 pts/match
3 times leader on the level of the points marked over one season: 2,461 in 2003, 2,832 in 2006 and 2430 in 2007
3 times leader on the level of the baskets registered over one season: 868 in 2003, 978 in 2006 and 813 in 2007
Leader on the level of the charity tosses successful in 2006: 696 and 2007: 667
2nd better performance of the history on a match: 81 pts the January 22nd 2006 vs Toronto
7th better total of points over one season in the history: 2,832 pts in 2006
9th better average of points over one season in the history: 35.4 pts in January 2006
Matches with 40pts and + (regular season): 78
Matches with 50pts and + (regular season): 21
Matches with 60pts and + (regular season): 4
Triple doubles: 14
Plus young player of the history to be reached in career 10.000pts (24 years and 193 days), 15.000pts (27 years and 136 days).
younger choke of the history of a match NBA (18 years and 158 days), of All star range (19 years and 175 days).

Records NBA

greater number of 3 points registered on a match: 12 the January 7th 2003 against Seattle
greater number of 3 points registered consecutively on a match: 9 the January 7th 2003 against Seattle
greater number of 3 points successful in one half-time: 8 the March 28th 2003 against Washington
greater number of charity tosses successful in a quarter time: the 14 December 20th 2005 vs Dallas
Plus great number of charity tosses tried in a quarter time: the 16 December 20th 2005 vs Dallas

Records of frankness

Here a list of the principal records establish by Kobe Bryant within its club, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Points

Season: 2,832 (2005-2006)
Match: 81 (January 22nd, 2006 vs Toronto)

Half-time: 55 (January 22nd, 2006 vs Toronto)
Quarter time: 30 (December 20th, 2005 vs Dallas)
Prolongation, playoffs: 12 (May 4th, 2006 vs Phoenixes)
Average of points over one month: 43.4 (January 2006)
Matches with 40pts and + over one season: 27 (2005-2006)
consecutive Matches with 20pts or + over one season: 62 (December 9th 2005 with the April 19th 2006)
consecutive Matches with 40pts or +: 9 (6 to the 23 February 2003)
consecutive Matchs with 50pts or +: 4

successful Baskets

Half-time: 18 (January 22nd, 2006 vs Toronto)

successful Charity tosses

Match: 23 (twice, of which on January 31st, 2006 vs New York)
Mi-temps: 16 (January 30th, 2001 vs Cleveland)
Quarter time: 14 (December 20th, 2005 vs Dallas)
Consécutifs: 62 (11 to the 22 January 2006)

Three successful points

Career: 883 (1996 - present)
Match: 12 (January 7th, 2003 vs Seattle)
Half-time: 8 (March 28th, 2003 vs Washington)
Quarter time: 6 (January 7th, 2003 vs Seattle)
Match, without any failure: 7 (January 6th, 2006 vs Philadelphia)
Consecutive: 9 (January 7th, 2003 vs Seattle)

Interceptions

Half-time: 6 (February 13rd, 2006 vs Utah)
Quarter time, playoffs: 3 (May 17th, 1999 vs San Antonio)

Other personal records

Better marker of the history of the college Southeastern Pennsylvania with 2883 points (in front of Wilt Chamberlain)
Only player with Wilt Chamberlain in the history to have made 35pts or + in 13 consecutive matches
Only player with Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan in the history to have made 40pts or + in 9 consecutive matches
Only player with Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor in the history to have made 45pts or + in 4 consecutive matches
Only player with Wilt Chamberlain in the history to have made 50pts or + in 4 consecutive matches
Only player with Wilt Chamberlain in the history to record an average of 40pts or + over one month, has more than one recovery: February 2003/January 2006 and March 2007.
Seul player in the history has to finish one season with at least 2800 pts and 180 baskets with 3 pts successful
Seul player of the history, since the introduction of clock the 24 second old, to mark more than the opposing team after three quarter-times: 62pts against 61pts for Dallas the December 20th 2006

Did you know?

USA Today and Parade Magazine indicated Kobe Bryant better high-school pupil of the year in 1996, with an average of 30,8 points, 12 rebounds, 6,5 master keys, 4 interceptions and 3,9 counter by match

Kobe Bryant marked 55pts in only the 2nd half-time face has Toronto in January 2006, that is to say as much as the largest match in career of the best marker of the history, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In the emission Best Damn Sport Show, John Salley required has Kobe Bryant to constitute best the Five major possible, included to him. It chose LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal and a combination of Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett for the station of strong winger.

At the time of ESPY Awards 2006, Kobe Bryant received the price of the " performance indéniable" year. It however lost that of the Athlète NBA of the year (Dwyane Wade) and that of the best moment to the profit of the young person J-Mac (20pts in 4min in a match of college).

the day before springtide NBA (2006/2007), Kobe decided to change its number of shirt that everyone knew, the #8 by the #24 (number which it carried to the college).

His/her parents named it Kobe after having eaten a steak " Kobe" in a restaurant little before its birth.

External bond

blog most complete on Kobe, news & rumors, season 2008, videos, TEAM the USA, highlights of its greater matches
Card nba.com
Official site
Signal 10 Plays off Kobe Bryant + Highlights
Kobe Bryant Online - has Kobe Bryant Fan Site

Zh-yue: 高比拜仁

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