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Incredible Facts about Kobe Bryant
Right before his birth, Kobe Bryant’s parents were at a Philadelphia restaurant named after the high quality beef steak, Kobe.
They decided that would be the name of their son.
Bryant spent some of his childhood in Italy, and he began learning Italian at age six in grade school.
To this day, the shooting guard still speaks the language fluently, and he has used it to communicate with some of his teammates on the court.
Had the Bryants remained in Europe, Kobe says he would have gone into pro soccer. He rooted for AC Milan while living in Italy.
Bryant decided to take a popular music star. He showed up with R&B singer Brandy Norwood to his prom.
The lifetime member of the Lakers was the first guard to be drafted straight out of Lower Merion High School with the No. 13 overall selection in 1996.
Kobe Bryant was recording his rap album in 1999 when he met is wife Vanessa who was a background dancer in a music video.
Kobe develops new moves in the off-season by playing against his shadow.
In 2006, his daughter Gianna Maria-Onoro was born six minutes before the daughter of Bryant’s former teammate, Shaquille O’Neal.
On January 22, 2005 - Bryant scores 81 points in the Lakers 122-104 win over Toronto.
Only Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game in 1962 tops this performance.
He was chosen for every NBA all-star game since 1998, has two Olympic gold medals for men's basketball.
As of April 2013 is fourth on the NBA all-time scoring list with 31,421 points and has won five NBA championships.