Kobe Bryant’s career has been fruitful, remarkable, and a downright impressive experience that has taken him to unprecedented success in the NBA. Even after all of the achievements and milestones, there are some things about Bryant that are always kept away from his fans. His basketball career has been influenced by things both on and off the court.
Let’s have a look at six interesting things about the All-Star that will definitely go down as one of the most versatile NBA players of all time:
1. Bryant spent most of his youth in Italy and started studying Italian when he was six years old in elementary school. The shooting guard is already fluent in the language and has used it on the field to chat with some of his teammates.
After his schooling in Italy, his teammates were more interested in soccer than basketball, so Bryant started learning the language rapidly in order to compete alongside the others.
2.Bryant’s first name isn’t necessarily famous, and the tale behind how he got that name is quite amusing.
Bryant’s parents, Joe and Pamela, saw Kobe beef on a restaurant menu before he was born, and they obviously liked the name so much that they decided to name their son after it. It’s not every day that a person is called after a piece of beef. Since his arrival in the NBA, I believe it is fair to conclude that he has played a significant role in increasing the success of the sport.
3. Most of us went to our high school prom with a girlfriend or a lady pal, but Bryant chose to walk down the red carpet solo. Bryant chose to date a well-known musician. He attended his prom with R&B singer Brandy Norwood. Bryant was a star even before he was ever drafted into the league.
4. Bryant made a big splash when he was drafted with the No. 13 overall picks out of Lower Merion High School in 1996, and that wasn’t just because of his age. The Lakers’ lifetime member was the first guard selected straight out of high school, an impressive achievement and one that was obviously the right choice.
5. Bryant wore 33 for most of his high school career, but why did he turn to No. 8 in the NBA?
Apparently, there were two factors.
He wore the number whilst growing up and playing in Italy, and it’s also a reflection of the Adidas ABCD camp numbers of one, four, and three. Just as his reputation was growing, he decided to change his number in order to increase jersey sales.
6. Last but not least, Bryant’s middle name isn’t something you’ll see on several birth certificates. Bryant’s parents gave him the middle name Bean, which was most likely inspired by his father’s nickname “Jellybean” gained during his playing days. It’s a very unusual moniker.
