Highschool DR.I.

MESOTA NATIONAL COLLEGE Braov English Certification Paper Kobe Bryant - The Next NBA Legend

Coordinator: Prof. Rogoz Rodica

Author: Mamina Vlad Andrei Cls a-XII-a E MAY 2008

Foreword
Basketball is my favourite sport and I have been practising it since the beginning of high school. I like this sport because it is very creative and you can do something extraordinary with the ball on court even if your team is led by another one. It is said that basketball was invented in the USA and they also have the most complex tournaments worldwide. The National Basketball Association (NBA) was founded here too. It is composed of thirty teams in which the greatest players in the world can be found. Like most fans, I have a favourite player who plays in the NBA. His name is Kobe Bryant and he is my idol. The purpose of this certification paper is to present the life of this extraordinary man from the day he was born until he became a successful basketball player who gained the hearths of many fans. You cannot think of NBA without thinking of Kobe Bryant and his outstanding achievements. He has become a popular sportsman in the USA and a household name around the world, many people copying his playing style and way of life.

Contents

1 Early life..1 2 Life's Work......2 3 High School Standout..4 4 Bypassed College for the Pros.....5 5 Faced Reality Check....7 6 NBA career profile o 6.1 1996 Draft...11 o 6.2 First two seasons.11 o 6.3 Championship years....12 o 6.4 End of a dynasty..12 o 6.5 Unquestioned leader13 o 6.6 2005-06 season ...13 o 6.7 2006-07 season15 7 Player Profile...17 8 Regular season statistics..18 9 Awards and achievements o 9.1 Career highlights.19 o 9.2 NBA milestones..20 o 9.3 NBA records...21 o 9.4 Lakers franchise records.22 o 9.5 Other awards and achievements.23 Conclusion.24 Bibliography..25

1.Early life Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the youngest child and only son of Joe and Pam Bryant (they also have two daughters, Shaya and Sharia).When Bryant was six, his father left the NBA, moved his family to Italy, and started playing professional basketball there. Bryant acclimated to the lifestyle there and became fluent in Italian. At an early age, he learned to play soccer. He has said that if he had stayed in Italy, he would have tried to become a professional soccer player, and that his favorite team is AC Milan. In 1991, the Bryants moved back to the United States. Kobe earned national recognition during a spectacular high school career at Lower Merion High School in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. His SAT score of 1080 would have ensured his basketball scholarship to various top-tier colleges. Bryant has stated that had he decided to go college after high school, he would have attended Duke University. Ultimately, however, the 17-year-old Bryant made the controversial decision to go directly into the NBA. Kobe Bryant joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 and became part of a celebrated one-two punch with center Shaquille O'Neal. The pair led the Lakers to NBA championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Bryant was an NBA prodigy, jumping straight from high school to the pros. (He was drafted in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Lakers for center Vlade Divac.) Bryant's charisma and flashy talent led some to compare him with former NBA superstar Michael Jordan. In July 2003 Bryant was charged with sexual assault after an encounter with a 19-year-old resort employee in Colorado; Bryant insisted that his relationship with the woman was consensual. The case was eventually dismissed and Bryant settled a civil suit with the woman out of court. Bryant continued to play with the Lakers, and on 22 January 2006 scored 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors. It was the second highest-scoring individual performance in NBA history, trailing only the 100 points scored by Wilt Chamberlain on 2 March 1962.Bryant stands 6'7" and plays guard... He wore the jersey number 8 for years, but switched to 24 at the start of the 2006 NBA season...

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According to Bryant's NBA bio, his parents "named him after a kind of steak (kobe) seen on a restaurant menu prior to his birth"...Bryant's father Joe Bryant played eight seasons in the NBA and also played pro ball in Italy, where Kobe spent part of his childhood... Bryant married the former Vanessa Laine in April 2001; their daughter, Natalia, was born in January 2003. 2. Life's Work At the age of 18 years 2 months and 11 days, Kobe Bryant became the youngest man ever to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant bypassed college and moved straight from high school to the NBA, a feat accomplished by only 27 other players in the long history of the league. Drafted by the Charlotte Hornets on July 11, 1996, Bryant was soon traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he became the youngest player ever to make that West Coast team. He has been a Laker ever since, joining stars such as Shaquille O'Neal and Nick Van Exel in the team lineup.

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Basketball players who have had some college experience often find the move to the NBA a tough adjustment. How much harder it must be, then, to arrive in the league as an 18-year-old high school graduate. Bryant's transition was hardly a smooth one, but he seemed to handle the media attention, the new expectations, the travel, and all the challenges far beyond his years. Asked about his sudden stardom in the Los Angeles Times, Bryant responded: "It's crazy. If you sit back and start thinking about it, maybe you could be overwhelmed by the situation. You've just got to keep going slowly and keep working hard on your basketball skills. Then, I don't think your head can swell because you won't have time to think about it." At six-feet seven-inches tall and 210 pounds, Bryant was hardly too small or frail to compete in the NBA. Observers cited his size, agility, and shotmaking ability when forecasting his pro success. Another asset was his awareness of NBA life--his father, Joe, played as a pro. "Basketball is kind of like life," Bryant explained in the Philadelphia Inquirer. "It can get rough at times. You can get knocked on your butt a couple of times. But what you have to do is get up and hold your head high and try again." The youngest of three children born to Joe and Pam Bryant, Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia in 1978--the year before Magic Johnson joined the Lakers. The Lakers press guide said his parents named him after a type of steak they saw on a restaurant menu shortly before he was born. Bryant's father was in the midst of a 16-year pro basketball career that first took the family through Philadelphia, San Diego, and Houston, and then took them overseas to an Italian league. When not traveling with his team, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant played sports with his children, teaching them his moves. Kobe proved to be a particularly apt student, and he adored his father. Said Bryant in the New York Times: "Other kids don't have a father. I don't have anything in common with them. My father's my best friend. Those kids say I lead a Beaver Cleaver life. I don't care." Kobe was five years old when his father left the NBA and moved the family to Pistoia, Italy. There the elder Bryant competed eight more years in the Italian Professional Basketball League. Since no one in the Bryant family could speak Italian at first, the bonds between members grew even closer as they struggled with learning another language. "We didn't have anybody to depend on but our family.

We had to stick together," Bryant remembered in the Riverside, California, Press-Enterprise. Kobe got along well with his sisters Sharia and Shaya, and--when time allowed--he played hoops with his dad. He also played soccer, a favorite sport in Italy.

3. High School Standout When Joe Bryant's pro career ended in 1991, the family returned to the United States and settled in a comfortable home on the Main Line--the most prestigious of Philadelphia's suburban areas. Thirteen-year-old Kobe surprised his fellow students at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore: they marveled at the young black man who could speak Italian fluently but who was relatively unaware of the hip urban attitudes popular among teens. In a Los Angeles Times profile Bryant recalled that time: "It was kind of strange because, being away, I didn't know a lot of the slang that kids used. Kids would come up to me and say whatever, and I'd just nod." Basketball helped bridge the gap between Bryant and his classmates at Lower Merion High. Tall and skilled, Bryant quickly became a starter for the varsity team and just as quickly began to make a name for himself in greater Philadelphia. While Bryant became a national star in the late 1990s, he was a local celebrity for years--and that level of attention helped to prepare him for the heightened attention he received in the NBA. He refused to make his ambitions to play in the NBA secret even though many people advised him to pursue safer goals. His parents, however, supported his dreams, and his high school coach, Gregg Downer, offered encouragement. "When I first met [Kobe], at age 13, and I saw him play, after five minutes I said, 'This kid is going to be a pro,"' Downer told the Los Angeles Times. "Never was there one moment I doubted that. That it would happen so quickly, I may have doubted that. But I knew if he progressed so quickly and continued to make good decisions, he would someday get there."Bryant concluded his high school career as the all-time leading scorer in the history of Southeastern Pennsylvania basketball. His 2,883 points far surpassed the 2,359 points of Hall-of-Famer Wilt Chamberlain. As a junior, he was named Pennsylvania's high school player of the year.

Acccolades poured in from both local and national sources. USA Today named him National High School Player of the Year, and he also won the Naismith Player of the Year citation. Downer told the Los Angeles Times, "I know the high school market very well and I've watched it for close to 20 years, and to think there could be another player come into my hands and be this good, that's an abstract concept. [Kobe's] blessed with a lot of natural ability and great genes, but the work ethic is his and it's very strong. Kobe has the skills and the maturity and everything you could want." 4. Bypassed College for the Pros Not surprisingly, Bryant was offered scholarships to almost every major college and university in the country. Not only was he a brilliant basketball player, he was also a good student, scoring an above-average 1100 on his Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Bryant and his parents remained coy about his future, however. They realized that they faced a momentous decision: whether to bypass college completely and go straight into the NBA draft.

Just before prom time, Bryant called a news conference to declare his decision to make himself available for the 1996 NBA draft in June. Philadelphia sports fans who had expected Bryant to enroll at one of the local colleges greeted the announcement with jeers. The criticism escalated when Joe Bryant quit his job as an assistant coach at La Salle University to manage his son's career. Answering all his detractors in the New York Times, Joe Bryant stated, "Would Kobe be more accepted going to the NBA if he'd been a dummy? Do you have to be poor, with five kids, living on welfare?" He concluded, "Kobe should have had the key to the city. Instead they tried to crucify him. No one saw how special he is." No one, that is, except the Charlotte Hornets, who chose Bryant as the thirteenth pick in the first round of the 1996 NBA draft. No one but Adidas, who swooped in to sign the young star to a product endorsement contract. No one but Brandy, who praised her prom date as a terrific guy and invited him to guest-star on her television show, Moesha. And no one but the Los Angeles Lakers, who traded veteran center Vlade Divac to obtain the untested rookie.

A month shy of his eighteenth birthday, Kobe Bryant signed a three-year, $3.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and moved into a mansion in Pacific Palisades, California. If anyone could be said to be "on top of the world," it was Bryant.

5. Faced Reality Check Poised for greatness, Bryant took the Southern California Summer Pro League by storm. He appeared in four games--drawing huge overflow crowds-- and netted 27 points in one game and 36 in another. Then, just before training camp was due to start in September, he broke his wrist playing pickup ball and could not practice for five weeks. This set back effectively undercut his first chance to learn the NBA style of play. To make matters worse, he took a body shot from an opponent in Philadelphia during an exhibition game in October of 1996 and missed not only the rest of the preseason but also the season opener in November. The injuries gave Bryant a huge disadvantage during the Lakers' regular season. Lakers coach Del Harris explained in the Riverside, California, Press-Enterprise that "You've got to figure that not only did [Kobe] skip college, he also skipped training camp. Given that, the fact that he was able to compete at this level by January [1997] is incredible--especially with a team that's been in first or second place all year, rather than a team that might say, 'Well, we're not going anywhere anyway, so let's play the young guys."' Harris saw Bryant as a journeyman who needed more training in the pro game and restricted his playing time accordingly. Bryant warmed the bench, averaging 15.5 minutes, 7.6 points, 1.3 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 71 regular season appearances. Naturally the former high school star who had pretty much carried his previous team on his back felt frustrated by the limited play. "One of the hardest things this year was not knowing whether you're going to play or how many minutes you're going to play," Bryant acknowledged in an Associated Press report. "But at the same time that kind of helps you, because you just have to be ready every night."

Bryant's chance to shine as a rookie came during the All-Star break, when he scored 31 points in the Rookie All-Star Game and aced the slam-dunk title with a dramatic shot that began between his legs. That moment of fame was some compensation for his slow start as a professional, and it served to reinforce his coaches' conviction that he would make an impact within a year or two. Debate, meanwhile, still raged over whether Bryant took a wrong turn when he decided to skip college. As Theresa Smith observed in the Orange County Register, "It's still too early.... If he hadn't turned pro, he'd be learning strategy and refining skills in frequent practice sessions, and starring for a Top 25 team two days a week. Instead, his practice time is limited by a rigorous game and travel schedule and his game time is limited by Harris, who has the incongruous task of developing young talent and winning at the same time." The New York Times quoted Harris as expressing similar frustrations: "I don't want to be remembered ... [as] the guy who wouldn't let Kobe Bryant play." He also observed, "I have to do it. I can't give him special treatment just because he's 18. He elected to come into a man's world and he'll have to play by a man's rules." That "man's world" presents many challenges for a person of Bryant's age. Not yet old enough to order an alcoholic beverage legally and enormously wary of the multitude of other temptations beckoning NBA players, he generally kept to himself both at home and on the road. His parents often traveled with him, and they lived in his Pacific Palisades home. Bryant had no regrets about his busy schedule or his level of responsibility, however. "It's fun," he enthused in an Associated Press report. "I'm in the NBA. No way I'm bored. In four years, then I'll probably be like, 'Oh, God. We've got another road trip.' Right now, it's great." Bryant's regrets did not extend to missing college, either. In fact, he said he planned to get a degree some day, either in basketball's off season or after he retires. "I know I would have liked college, but if I was there, I'd be thinking, 'Man, I should be in the NBA,'" he told the New York Times. "NBA life is fun."

It was also lucrative. In addition to his multimillion dollar contract, Bryant had many endorsement deals "I like getting out there for promotional appearances and having a good time and meeting people," he said in the Los Angeles Times. "I like to see the end product, and I take pride in it. I want my product to be one of the best things out there. And I love going in front of the cameras and learning something new." At the same time, he added, "I understand basketball is what got me here and on top of that, I love to do it so much that it will always be my focal point." His family loved him, the Lakers loved him, and his fans loved him. He attained celebrity status at lightning speed, "Most players have shoe deals and one or two others, but the opportunities Kobe has had are far greater than any other team athlete, aside from Jordan and Kobe's, have come quicker," said Kobe's agent, Arn Tellem. By the age of twenty, Bryant lived the American dream: money, good basketball moves, good looks, and a big smile. But, as could be expected, Bryant had some difficulties adjusting to the demands. Off season, he had a rigorous schedule traveling and promoting consumer goods for several large corporations including Sprite, Spalding, and Adidas. In addition, Kobe had his own Nintendo game. When he was not traveling, he spent his time with his family. According to Newsweek, "Bryant says he doesn't have a single close friend on the team or in the city." Bryant was described as a loner. By age twenty-one, Bryant landed millions of dollars in endorsement deals and had an All Star NBA status. Rather than squander his money on the high life, Bryant became co-owner of an Italian basketball league, Olimpia Milano. He also released a hip-hop album, K.O.B.E. Inevitably, kids grow up. 76ers coach, Larry Brown, told Sports Illustrated, "Kobe's a model of what a young player should aspire to be. Year by year he has learned and made his game more solid, and now he's not just a highlight-film guy but an accomplished NBA player." But Bryant was not perfect. During a spring 2000 game with the New York Knicks, Bryant entered into a halftime scuffle with the Knicks guard, Chris Childs. Both players were ejected from the game, fined, and suspended.

Bryant kept his focus throughout the rest of the season, however, and along with the NBA's Most Valuable Player, Shaquille O'Neal, Bryant helped the Lakers win their first championship in 12 years. The media frequently mentioned tension between Shaq and Kobe. They are very different people. According to Los Angeles Magazine, "Shaq had never become an adult, while Kobe had never been a child."

The Lakers repeated as champions in 2001 and 2002. In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault in Eagle County, Colorado; prosecutors dropped the charge in September of 2004, saying the accuser, a 19-year-old hotel employee, could not move forward with the case. She did, however, file a civil suit against Bryant one month earlier. They settled early in 2005, concealing the terms.

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Bryant often took shuttle flights between the trial in Colorado and Lakers games. He still made the All-NBA first team. The Lakers reached the NBA Finals in 2004, losing four games to one to the Detroit Pistons. The team settled the feud between Bryant and O'Neal by trading O'Neal to the Miami Heat and signing Bryant to a seven-year, $136 million contract extension. Coach Phil Jackson left the Lakers and during the 2004 offseason, wrote a book in which he said Bryant's trial and attitude in general wore down the team. Bryant was again an All-Star in 2005 but the Lakers missed the playoffs for only the second time in twenty-nine years. After the season, team owner Jerry Buss rehired Jackson as head coach and he and Bryant both public said they are at peace. Still, Bryant and Jackson began the 2005-06 season expecting to be under media glare.

6.NBA career profile 6.1. 1996 Draft Before he was chosen as the 13th overall draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, the 17-year-old Bryant had made a lasting impression on thenLakers general manager Jerry West, who immediately foresaw potential in Bryant's basketball ability during pre-draft workouts. He went on to state that Bryant's workouts were some of the best he had seen. Immediately after the draft, Bryant expressed that he did not wish to play for the Hornets and wanted to play for the Lakers instead. Fifteen days later, West traded his starting center, Vlade Divac to the Hornets for the young Kobe Bryant. 6.2. First two seasons During his first season with the Lakers, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel. Initially, he played limited minutes, but as the season continued, he began to see more playing time. He earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan-favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.

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In Bryant's second season (1997-98), he received more playing time and began showing more of his abilities as a talented young guard. He was the runner-up for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award, and through fan voting, he also became the youngest NBA All-Star starter. While his statistics were impressive for his age, he was still a young guard who lacked the experience to complement Shaquille O'Neal and significantly help the team contend for a championship. 6.3. Championship years However, Bryant's fortunes would soon change when Phil Jackson became coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. After years of steady improvement, Bryant had become one of the premier shooting guards in the league, a fact that was evidenced by his annual presence in the league's All-NBA, All-Star, and All-Defensive teams. The Los Angeles Lakers became perennial championship contenders under Bryant and O'Neal, who formed an outstanding center-guard combination. Their success gave the Lakers three consecutive NBA championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. 6.4. End of a dynasty In the 2002-03 NBA season, Bryant averaged 30 points per game and embarked on a historic scoring run, posting 40 or more points per game in nine consecutive games while averaging 40.6 in the entire month of February. In addition, he averaged 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, all career highs up to that point. For the first time in his career Bryant was voted on to both--All-NBA and All-Defensive 1st teams. After finishing 50-32 in the regular season, the Lakers floundered in the playoffs and lost in the Western Conference Semi-finals to the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in six games. In the following 2003-04 NBA season, the Lakers were able to acquire NBA All Stars Karl Malone and Gary Payton to make another push at the NBA Championship. With a starting lineup of four potential Hall of Fame players in Shaquille O'Neal, Malone, Payton, and Bryant, the Lakers were able to reach the NBA Finals. In the Finals, they were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in 5 games. In that series, Bryant averaged 22.6 points per game, shooting 35.1% from the field, and 4.4 assists per game.

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6.5. Unquestioned leader When O'Neal was traded, Bryant became the Lakers' unquestioned leader of the team going into the 2004-05 season. As it turned out, however, his first season without O'Neal would prove to be a very rocky one. With his reputation badly damaged from all that had happened over the previous year, Bryant was closely scrutinized and criticized during the season. A particularly damaging salvo came from Phil Jackson in The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul. The book detailed the events of the Lakers' tumultuous 2003-04 season and has a number of criticisms of Bryant. In the book Jackson also calls Bryant "uncoachable." Then, midway through the season, Rudy Tomjanovich suddenly resigned as Lakers coach, citing the recurrence of health problems and exhaustion. Without "Rudy T," stewardship of the remainder of the Lakers' season fell to career assistant coach Frank Hamblen. Despite the fact that Bryant was the league's second leading scorer at 27.6 points per game, the Lakers floundered and missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. This year signified a drop in Bryant's overall status in the NBA by not making the NBA All-Defensive Team and being demoted to All-NBA Third Team.

6.6. 2005-06 season The 2005-06 NBA season would mark a crossroads in Bryant's basketball career. Despite past differences with Bryant, Phil Jackson returned to coach the Lakers. Bryant endorsed the move, and by all appearances, the two men worked together well the second time around, leading the Lakers back into the playoffs. Bryant also resolved his conflict with former teammate Shaquille O'Neal. The team posted a 45-37 record, an eleven-game improvement over the previous season, and the entire squad seemed to be clicking.In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers played well enough (31 series lead) to come within six seconds of eliminating the second-seeded Phoenix Suns.

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Despite Bryant's remarkable game winning shot in Game 4, the Lakers broke down, and ultimately fell to the Suns in seven games. In the following offseason, Bryant had knee surgery, preventing him from participating in the 2006 FIBA World Championship tournament.

In many ways, the team's improvement in 2005-06 was often overshadowed by the individual scoring accomplishments posted by Bryant which resulted in the finest statistical season of his career. The season included many spectacular individual performances including a game on December 20th in which Bryant scored 62 points despite playing only three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks. Entering the fourth quarter Bryant had, by himself, outscored the entire Mavericks team 62-61, the only time a player has done this through three quarters since the advent of the 24-second shot clock. On January 22, Bryant scored 81 points,[4] in a 122-104 victory against the Toronto Raptors. In addition to breaking the previous franchise record of 71 set by Elgin Baylor, his point total in that game was the second highest in NBA history only to Wilt Chamberlain's legendary 100-point game in 1962. Also in January, Bryant became the first player since 1964, and the only player aside from Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor to score 45 points or more in four consecutive games. For the month of January, Bryant averaged 43.4 per game, the eighth highest single month scoring average in NBA history, and highest for any player other than Chamberlain.

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By the end of the season, Bryant had also set Lakers single-season franchise records for the most 40-point games (27) and most points scored (2,832), among others. Bryant won the league's scoring title for the first time, posting the highest scoring average (35.4) since Michael Jordan's 37.1 average in 1986-87. Bryant finished in fourth-place in the voting for the 2006 NBA Most Valuable Player Award, but also received 22 first place votes second only to winner Steve Nash, and by far the highest number of firstplace votes Bryant had ever received in his career. 6.7. 2006-07 season

Kobe Bryant scored 50 points or more in four consecutive games in 2007. Bryant was selected to his 9th All-Star Game appearance, and on February 18th, logged 31 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 steals, earning his second career All-Star Game MVP trophy. He is currently averaging 30.8 points per game, while shooting 46.7% from the floor. Over the course of the season, Bryant became involved in a number of on court incidents.

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On January 28th while attempting to draw contact on a potential game winning jumpshot, he flailed his arm striking San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili in the face with his elbow. Following league review, Bryant was suspended for the subsequent game at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, the basis given for the suspension was that Bryant had performed an "unnatural motion" in swinging his arm backwards. Later, on March 6th, he seemed to repeat the motion this time striking Minnesota Timberwolves guard Marko Jari. On March 7th the NBA handed Bryant his second one-game suspension, leading several commentators in the media to call recent happenings into question. In his first game back on March 9th, he elbowed Kyle Korver in the face which has been retrospectively re-classified as a Type 1 flagrant foul.

On March 16, Bryant scored a season-high 65 points in a home game against the Portland Trailblazers, which helped end the Lakers 7-game losing streak. This was the second best scoring performance of his 11-year career. The following game, Bryant recorded 50 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves, after which he scored 60 points in a road win against the Memphis Grizzlies - becoming the second Laker to score three straight 50plus point games, a feat not seen since Michael Jordan last did it in 1987.

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On March 23, in a game against the New Orleans Hornets, Bryant scored 50 points, making him the second player in NBA history to have 4 straight 50 point games behind Wilt Chamberlain, who is the all-time leader with seven consecutive 50 point games. 7. Player Profile Bryant is a shooting guard who plays small forward and point guard on some occasions. He is considered one of the most complete players in the NBA, being elected into the All-NBA Teams en bloc from 1999 on and featured in the last nine NBA All-Star call-ups. Bryant was a vital part of the three most recent Lakers' championships. He is a prolific scorer, averaging 24.4 points per game for his career, along with 4.5 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. He is known for his ability to create shots for himself, and is an adept outside shooter, sharing the single-game NBA record for three pointers made with twelve.

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8. Regular season statistics

SEASON 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 Career TEAM Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers GP MPG SPG BPG RPG APG PPG Hi 40+ 50+ 60+ TD 71 15.5 0.69 0.32 1.9 79 26.0 0.94 0.51 3.1 50 37.9 1.44 1.00 5.3 66 38.2 1.61 0.94 6.3 68 40.9 1.68 0.63 5.9 80 38.3 1.48 0.44 5.5 82 41.5 2.21 0.82 6.9 65 37.6 1.72 0.43 5.5 66 40.7 1.30 0.80 5.9 80 41.0 1.84 0.38 5.3 77 40.8 1.44 0.47 5.7 784 36.2 1.49 0.60 5.2 1.3 2.5 3.8 4.9 5.0 5.5 5.9 5.1 6.0 4.5 5.4 4.5 7.6 24 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 5 1 5 0 0 14

15.4 33 0 19.9 38 0 22.5 40 1 28.5 51 6 25.2 56 1

30.0 55 19 3 24.0 45 3 0

27.6 48 10 0 35.4 81 27 6

31.6 65 18 10 2 24.6 81 85 21 4

TD = Triple-doubles

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9. Awards and achievements 9.1. Career highlights

3-time NBA Champion: 2000, 2001, 2002 9-time NBA All-Star: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

Has started in each of his appearances 9 consecutive appearances (No All-Star game in 1999 due to league-wide lock-out)

2-time NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2002, 2007 8-time All-NBA Selection:

First Team: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 Second Team: 2000, 2001 Third Team: 1999, 2005

6-time All-Defensive Selection:

First Team: 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006 Second Team: 2001, 2002

NBA All-Rookie Second Team: 1997 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Champion: 1997 NBA regular season leader in:

points: 2003 (2,461), 2006 (2,832, 7th highest in NBA history), 2007 (2,430) points per game: 2006 (35.4, 9th highest in NBA history), 2007 (31.6) field goals attempted: 2006 (2,173), 2007 (1,757) field goals made: 2003 (868), 2006 (978), 2007 (813) free throws attempted: 2007 (768) free throws made: 2006 (696), 2007 (667)

2nd highest single-game point total in NBA history: 81 (January 22, 2006 vs. the Toronto Raptors)

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9.2. NBA milestones Youngest player in NBA history to reach:

10,000 points (24 years, 193 days), set March 5, 2003 vs. the Indiana Pacers. 14,000 points (26 years, 240 days), set April 20, 2005 vs. the Portland Trail Blazers. 15,000 points (27 years, 136 days), set January 6, 2006 vs. the Philadelphia 76ers. 16,000 points (27 years, 192 days), set March 3, 2006 vs. the Golden State Warriors. 17,000 points (28 years, 86 days), set November 17, 2006 vs. the Toronto Raptors. 18,000 points (28 years, 156 days), set January 26, 2007 vs. the Charlotte Bobcats.[18] 19,000 points (28 years, 223 days), set April 3, 2007 vs, the Denver Nuggets.

Youngest player to start an NBA game (18 years, 158 days), making his first start for the Los Angeles Lakers on January 28, 1997. Youngest player to start an NBA All-Star Game (19 years, 175 days), making his debut at the 48th annual All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden on February 8, 1998. Youngest player to be named to the NBA All-Defensive Team (19992000) Youngest player to be named to the NBA All-Rookie Team (19961997) Youngest NBA All-Star Slam Dunk champion (18 years, 175 days), after winning the contest at the 1997 NBA All-Star Weekend.

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9.3. NBA records Kobe Bryant holds or shares seven NBA records:

Most three-point field goals made, one game: 12 (January 7, 2003 vs. Seattle SuperSonics; shared with Donyell Marshall) Most three-point field goals made, one half: 8 (March 28, 2003 vs. Washington Wizards; shared with 5 players). Most consecutive three-point field goals made, one game: 9 (January 7, 2003 vs. Seattle SuperSonics; shared with Latrell Sprewell and Ben Gordon). Most free throws made, one quarter: 14 (3rd quarter, December 20, 2005 vs. Dallas Mavericks; shared with 5 players). Most free throws attempted, one quarter: 16 (3rd quarter, December 20, 2005 vs. Dallas Mavericks; shared with 6 players). Holds shot-clock era records for:

Greatest percentage of own team's point total (66.4% of the Lakers' 122 points) ( set on January 22, 2006 vs. the Toronto Raptors). Greatest percentage of both teams' combined point total (35.8% of the Lakers' and Raptors' 226 points) (Also set on January 22, 2006 vs. the Toronto Raptors).

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9.4. Lakers franchise records

Kobe Bryant holds or shares twenty-eight Los Angeles Lakers franchise records: Points

Season: 2,832 (2005-06; 7th highest NBA single season scoring output of all-time) Game: 81 (January 22, 2006 vs. Toronto Raptors) Half: 55 (2nd half, January 22, 2006 vs. Toronto Raptors). Quarter: 30 (twice, most recently on November 30, 2006 in 3rd quarter vs. Utah Jazz) Scoring average, month: 43.4 (January 2006) Games scoring 50 points or more, all-time: 21 Games scoring 50 points or more, season: 10 (2006-07) Games scoring 40 points or more, season: 27 (2005-06) Consecutive games of 50 points or more: 4 (March 16March 23, 2007) Consecutive games of 40 points or more: 9 (February 6 February 23, 2003) Consecutive games of 20 points or more, season: 62 (December 9, 2005April 19, 2006)

Free throws made

Game: 23 (twice, most recently on January 31, 2006 vs. New York Knicks). Half: 16 (January 30, 2001 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers) Quarter: 14 (3rd quarter, December 20, 2005 vs. Dallas Mavericks) Quarter, playoffs: 11 (tied with 3 players; May 8, 1997 vs. Utah Jazz). Consecutive: 62 (January 1122, 2006).

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Three-point field goals made

All-time: 936 (1996present)[ Game: 12 (January 7, 2003 vs. Seattle SuperSonics). Half: 8 (1st half, March 28, 2003 vs. Washington Wizards). Consecutive: 9 (January 7, 2003 vs. Seattle SuperSonics).

Three-point field goals attempted

All-time: 2,775 (1996present) All-time, playoffs: 410 (1996present) Season: 518 (2005-06) Game: 18 (January 7, 2003 vs. Seattle SuperSonics).

Steals

Half: 6 (tied with 3 players; February 13, 2006 vs. Utah Jazz). Quarter, playoffs: 3 (tied with 6 players; May 17, 1999 vs. San Antonio Spurs).

9.5. Other awards and achievements 1996 Naismith High School Player of the Year 1996 Gatorade Circle of Champions High School Player of the Year 1996 McDonald's High School All-American 1996 USA Today All-USA First Team 1995 Adidas ABCD Camp Senior MVP Named to the USA Today All-Time All-USA First Team in 2003. USA Today and Parade Magazine's 1996 National High School Player of the Year with a seasonal average of 30.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals and 3.9 blocks per game. Led Lower Merion High School to a 31-3 record, including 27 straight wins, and the PIAA Class AAAA state title as a senior (1996).

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Conclusion

Looking through the aspects mentioned before we can say that Kobe Bryant has become an emblematic figure in the USAs history. The success he gained through his sport life encouraged a lot of teenagers that are keen on basketball to continue until they fulfill their dreams. My opinion is that Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan, though not more successful. He failed to draw as much of the publics attention as his counterpart and has not to this point been such such a centre of the mass-medias interest. However, Kobe Bryant did something Michael Jordan never did: scored 50-plus in four consecutive games. As a better player, Kobe can do everything Michael did, and even a few things Michael could not do. Kobe is just as good a defender, for example. His killer instinct is just as pronounced. He can shoot, finish and explode. And just like Jordan, the more infuriated he is, the more unstoppable he appears. All in all, if you were to think of a method to spend your time in a healthy way I believe that basketball is the perfect choice.

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Bibliography

http://www.nba.com http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news http://www.losangeleslakersonline.com http://hoopshype.com http://www.eonline.com http://allstarz.hollywood.com http://.kb24.com http://www.lakerstats.com http://www.ko8e.com http://en.wikipedia.org

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