LA LAKERS BASKETBALL PLAYER
KOBE BRYANT NBA BASKETBALL STAR
Kobe Bryant chose to enter the NBA after finishing high school and thus became the first ever player in Los Angeles history to do so. The NBA recently set an age limit that stopped players from joining a professional basketball team as soon as they left high school.
Bryant finished as the all-time leading scorer in South-eastern Pennsylvania history (2,883). breaking the marks of NBA legend and Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain (2,359 points) and former St. Joseph’s player Carlin Warley (2,441 points) As a high school senior he was voted USA Today’s National High School Player of the Year with an average of 30.8 points, twelve rebounds, 4.0 steals, 6.5,assists and 3.8 blocked shots each game.
He led the Aces to the class AAAA Champions High School Player of the Year.
He was selected by Charlotte in the 1st round (thirteenth overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft. Draft rights traded by the Hornets to the LA Lakers for Vlade Divac.
Kobe took part in the Rookie Game, where he scored a rookie game record thirty one points, and took out the Slam Dunk Championship during the 1997 NBA All-Star Weekend.
Kobe Bryant is one of the NBA’s most electrifying talents and the closest thing the NBA has today to Michael Jordan. Bryant has matured as a basketball player which has coincided with the Lakers three consecutive championships.
Now the center act in the LA basketball world since Shaq left for Miami. Kobe is one of three players (D. Wade and S. Marion ) who were selected in 2006 to the All-NBA, All-Defense, and All-Dunkadelic Teams.
Sometimes I do wonder what college would have been like. But I made my decision.
I’m playing against great players, playing against the best in the world. The competition – that’s what I’ve always wanted.