“I felt like I was born to play basketball. I started playing it at the age of two and I never, ever stopped. I just played all day, every day so it just seemed like the natural progression is to play NBA”, said Kobe Bryant, in an interview with Graham Bensinger.
Never has a man inspired, influenced and molded the every last fabric of the sport of basketball in a way Kobe Bryant did and continues to do so as he is lived by billions of his fans all over the world. The unexpected loss of the former Lakers player has left a vacuum in the hearts of every spectator, player and enthusiast.
Kobe Bean Bryant, born to former NBA star Joe Bryant, attended the Lower Merion High School in the state of Pennsylvania, and came to be known as the top high school basketball player in the entire United States. From the tender age of 2, Bryant began dribbling the ball.
Once attending a summer camp, Bryant was asked to fill a questionnaire inquiring what he wanted become when he grew up, and was scolded for answering that he wanted to “become an NBA player”, before being asked to reiterate and switch it with a more ‘realistic’ response by a counsellor. To which interestingly, Bryant responded, “Well I am going to be one [NBA player]”.
“Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.”
Consequently, owing to his prodigious performance in High School basketball, Bryant was drafted to the NBA just as he graduated high school back in 1996. Soon after, Bryant was deemed an all-star in 18/20 of his seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the year 2001 Kobe Bryant wed Vanessa Laine, with whom he has 4 daughters.
At the age of 34, Bryant amassed about 30,000 career points, becoming the youngest player in the league history to do so. In addition, in February of 2010 Bryant became the all-time leading scorer in the Los Angeles Lakers team surpassing Jerry West.
In the year 2016 he announced his retirement from the game, in the wake of various injuries. In his final game against the Utah Jazz, the ‘Black Mamba’ scored a phenomenal feat of 60 points, leading the Lakers to a gargantuan victory.
Bryant not only broke ground in the court, but made his name in Hollywood as well. Astoundingly in the year 2018 Bryant claimed an Academy Award for his animated short film “Dear Basketball”, as the film’s executive producer.
“Pain doesn’t tell you when you ought to stop. Pain is the little voice in your head that tries to hold you back because it knows if you continue you will change.”
Kobe Bryant’s monumental life has inspired a generation and continues to inspire another as the Lakers champion dwells in every heart with the beat akin to the dribble of the ball as it hits the court.
Kobe! Cries another fan, as he shoots the hoop.
