Kobe Bryant was born August 23, 1978. Kobe Byant is an American retired professional basketball player and businessman. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association(NBA). He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Kobe Bryant approaches his family for a hug after his final game with the Lakers on April 13, 2016.
Bryant married 19-year-old Vanessa Laine in April 2001. In July 2003, he was charged with one count of sexual assault on a 19-year-old female hotel worker in Colorado.
In 1984, after ending his NBA career, the elder Bryant took the family to Italy, where he played in the Italian League. Growing up in Italy alongside two athletic older sisters, Shaya and Sharia, Kobe was an avid player of both basketball and soccer. When the family returned to Philadelphia in 1991, Bryant joined the Lower Merion High School basketball team, leading it to the state championships four years in a row. With an eye on the NBA, he also started working out with the 76ers. Though he boasted good grades and high SAT scores, Bryant decided to go straight to the NBA from high school. He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick of the 1996 NBA draft, and was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.