Childhood and youth
Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the youngest of three children and the only son of former Philadelphia 76ers player and former Los Angeles Sparks head coach Joe "Jellybean" Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant. He is also the maternal nephew of John "Chubby" Cox. His parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu. Bryant was raisedRoman Catholic. When Bryant was six, his father left the NBA and moved his family to Italy to begin playing professional basketball.[10]Bryant became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak Italian and Spanish fluently. During summers, Bryant would come back to the United States to play in a basketball summer league. He started playing basketball when he was 3 years old,[13] and his favorite team growing up was the Lakers. Bryant's grandfather would mail him videos of NBA games, which Bryant would study.[14] At an early age he also learned to play soccer; his favorite team is AC Milan. He has said that if he had stayed in Italy, he would have tried to become a professional soccer player;] Bryant is a big fan of former FC Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard and their former playerRonaldinho.[16] Upon Joe Bryant's retirement from playing basketball in 1991, the Bryant family moved back to the United States.
High school
Lower Merion High Schoollocated in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion. As a freshman, he played for the varsity (junior and senior) basketball team. His father coached him his sophomore year of high school. Although during his first year the team was mediocre, the following three years the Aces compiled a 77–13 record, with Bryant playing all five positions. At Adidas ABCD camp, Bryant earned the 1995 senior MVP award, while playing alongside future NBA teammate Lamar Odom. While in high school, then 76ers coach John Lucas invited Bryant to work out and scrimmage with the team, where he played one-on-one with Jerry Stackhouse. In his senior year of high school, Bryant led the Aces to their first state championship in 53 years. During the run, he averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals, and 3.8 blocked shots in leading the Aces to a 31–3 record. He ended his career as Southeastern Pennsylvania's all-time leading scorer at 2,883 points, surpassing both Wilt Chamberlain and Lionel Simmons. Bryant received several awards for his performance his senior year including being named Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Men's National Basketball Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American, and a USA Today All-USA First Team player.] Bryant's varsity coach, Greg Downer, commented that Bryant was "a complete player who dominates".[21] In 1996, Bryant took R&B singer Brandy Norwood to her senior prom though the two were, and remain, just friends. His SAT score of 1080 would have ensured his basketball scholarship to various top-tier colleges. Ultimately, however, the 17-year-old Bryant made the decision to go directly into the NBA, only the sixth player in NBA history to do so Bryant's news was met with a lot of publicity at a time when prep-to-pro NBA players was not very common (Kevin Garnett being the only exception in 20 years). Bryant has stated that had he decided to go to college after high school, he would have attended Duke University.
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