By: The Don
In honor of the great Kobe Bryant, who passed away on 01-26-20, we have decided to do a post to showcase the great and legendary career of the Philly native. Rest In Peace Black Mamba and thank you for everything. #24forever
High School
He became the first freshman in decades to start for Lower Merion’s varsity team, but the team finished with a 4–20 record. In the following three years, the Aces compiled a 77–13 record, with Bryant playing all five positions. During his junior year, he averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists and was named Pennsylvania Player of the Year while also earning a fourth-team Parade All-American nomination, attracting attention from college recruiters in the process.
NBA
Kobe Bean Bryant (August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, Bryant played his entire 20-season career in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA Championships. Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the NBA All Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, and the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, he led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, ranks fourth on the league’s all-time regular season scoring, and ranks fourth on the all-time postseason scoring list. Bryant was the first guard in NBA history to play at least 20 seasons.
On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points in a 122–104 victory against the Toronto Raptors. In addition to breaking the previous franchise record of 71 set by Elgin Baylor, Bryant’s 81-point game was the second-highest point total in NBA history, surpassed only by Chamberlain’s 100 point-game in 1962.
Where Did The Nickname Black Mamba Come From?
Kobe Bryant’s nickname is “The Black Mamba,” a name he gave himself. But for Bryant, the moniker is more than a nickname. It is an alter-ego he created to get through the darkest part of his life. In his auto-documentary “Muse,” Bryant reveals that he created The Black Mamba as a way to deal with the struggles he was going through off the court in 2003 and 2004.
“I had to separate myself,” Kobe explains. “It felt like there were so many things coming at once. It was just becoming very, very confusing. I had to organize things. So I created The Black Mamba.” Bryant went on to explain that “Kobe” was tasked with dealing with all his “personal challenges” and “The Black Mamba” handled business on the court.
Eagles Fan
Oscar Win
Kobe Bryant won an Oscar back at the 2018 Oscars for his short animated film that was narrated and written by the legend himself.
Jerseys
It was reported that Bryant would change his jersey number from 8 to 24 at the start of the 2006 to 2007 season. Bryant’s first high school number was 24 before he switched to 33. After the Lakers’ season ended, Bryant said that he wanted 24 as a rookie, but it was unavailable, as was 33, retired with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bryant wore 143 at the Adidas ABCD Camp, and chose 8 by adding those numbers. Kobe is the only player NBA history to have both jersey numbers retired.
FINAL GAME SPEECH
