Kobe Bryant was a professional basketball player in the United States. Bryant worked out in Los Angeles before the 1996 NBA draught, scrimmaging against former Lakers players Larry Drew and Michael Cooper and “marching over these dudes,” according to then-Laker manager Jerry West.
The Lakers wanted to trade starting centre Vlade Divac for a player’s draught rights in order to clear salary cap room for a free-agent centre offer to Shaquille O’Neal. The Charlotte Hornets agreed to trade their No. 13 selection to the Lakers the day before the draught, according to Bill Branch, the Hornets’ top scout at the time. Bryant was never drafted by the Hornets prior to the trade agreement.
The Lakers notified the Hornets who to pick minutes before the decision was made at the draught. Bryant was the first guard taken in the first round out of high school. After the draught, Divac vowed to retire rather than be traded from Los Angeles, putting the deal at risk.
However, Divac backed down from his ultimatum on June 30, and the deal was completed on July 9, 1996, when the league’s off-season ban expired. Bryant’s parents had to cosign his contract with the Lakers since he was still 17 at the time, and he wouldn’t be allowed to sign his own until he turned 18 before the season started.
O’Neal was moved after the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals, and Bryant became the team’s cornerstone. In the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, he led the NBA in scoring. He set a career best with 81 points in a single game in 2006, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962. Bryant was awarded NBA Finals MVP both times he led the club to consecutive titles in 2009 and 2010.
He remained among the league’s best performers into the 2012–13 season, when he tore his achilles tendon at the age of 34. The next two seasons were marred by season-ending knee and shoulder ailments. Bryant announced his retirement following the 2015–16 season, citing physical deterioration.
In the mid-2000s, he earned himself the moniker “Black Mamba,” which became popular among the general population. As a member of the United States national team, he earned two gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. For the film Dear Basketball, he received the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2018. (2017). Following that, a variety of honours and monuments were made, including the renaming of the All-Star MVP Award in his honour.
How to Meet Kobe Bryant Personally
Through Social Media
Kobe Bryant loves his followers and communicates with them via social media. So, utilise these methods to request a personal meeting with him. Kobe Bryant was a member of the audience through relevant contacts in the broadcast media.
Twitter: @kobebryant
Instagram: @kobebryant
Facebook: @Kobe
Through Appointment
Requesting an appointment for a one-on-one visit is always preferable due to his habit of being highly busy all of the time. Please make sure you have a good cause for requesting an appointment with Kobe Bryant since the requisition letter should be detailed. Send the mail to the following address:
Kobe Bryant
c/o Kobe, Inc
341 Bayside Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
USA
or
Kobe Bryant
c/o Kobe Studios
1499 Monrovia Ave
Newport Beach, CA 92663
USA
or
Kobe Bryant
c/o Mamba Sports Academy
1011 Rancho Conejo Blvd.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
USA
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