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Kobe Bryant Facts & Worksheets

Kobe Bryant was an American professional basketball player of the NBA who played as shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 to 2016.

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Kobe Bryant was an American professional basketball player of the NBA who played as shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 to 2016.

See the fact file below for more information on the Kobe Bryant or alternatively, you can download our 26-page Kobe Bryant worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

KOBE’S CHILDHOOD

  • Kobe Bean Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  • Named after a city in Japan, Kobe is the son of former NBA player Joe “Jellybean” Bryant.
  • His father retired from the NBA when Kobe was six and his family moved to Rieti, Italy to continue playing professional basketball.
  • Even though he learned to play soccer, Kobe’s first love was still basketball.
  • At 13, he started his basketball career when they returned to Philadelphia.
  • Bryant joined the Lower Merion High School basketball team and he was recognized as the best highschool basketball player in the US.
  • Bryant ended his high school career as Southeastern Pennsylvania’s all-time leading scorer at 2,883 points.
  • At Adidas ABCD Camp, Bryant earned the 1995 senior MVP award and was named Pennsylvania Player of the Year.
  • He was named Naismith High School Player of the Year, a first-team Parade All-American Gatorade, McDonald’s All-American Men’s National Basketball Player of the Year, and USA Today All-USA First Team player.

PROFESSIONAL CAREER

  • Bryant was the sixth player to go directly into the NBA at 17 years old.
  • He signed a three-year rookie contract amounting to $3.5 million.
  • In his debut games in the Summer Pro League, he finished with averages of 24.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in four games.
  • During the All-Star weekend, Bryant participated in the Rookie Challenge and won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.
  • Bryant (19 years old) was voted a starter for the 1998 All-Star Game in his second season with the Lakers, becoming the youngest All-Star in NBA.
  • Bryant’s first three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers were fruitful after winning several honors as well as the NBA championship.
  • He also signed multi-year endorsement deals with Adidas, Sprite, and other top sponsors.
  • In January 2006, in the game against the Toronto Raptors, Bryant scored 81 points, the second-highest single-game mark in NBA history.
  • He also led the league in scoring that season and in the consecutive year.
  • LA Lakers reached the championship in 2008 (being the MVP, but lost) and 2009 (win, defeating Orlando Magic.)
  • Kobe also played on the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic teams, winning gold medals with teammates Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony.
  • 2010-2015 seasons, Kobe suffered several injuries that sidelined him from many games.
  • He suffered a torn Achilles tendon in April 2013, fracturing his knee just six games into the 2013-2014 season.
  • In December 2014, he surpassed Michael Jordan for third all-time on the NBA scoring list, but his season ended due to injury when he sustained a torn rotator cuff in January 2015.
  • On November 29, 2015, Bryant announced via The Players’ Tribune that he would be retiring at the end of the season.

RETIREMENT AND DEATH

  • “With 17 NBA All-Star selections, an NBA MVP, five NBA championships with the Lakers, two Olympic gold medals, and a relentless work ethic, Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players in the history of our game. Whether competing in the finals or hoisting jumpshots after midnight in an empty gym, Kobe has an unconditional love for the game.”
  • NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Bryant’s retirement.
  • In his poem titled “Dear Basketball”, Bryant wrote “A love so deep I gave you my all/From my mind & body/To my spirit & soul.”
  • On April 13, 2016, Bryant performed to a sold-out crowd at the Staples Center in the last game of his career, scoring 60 points and leading the Lakers to a win against the Utah Jazz.
  • He became the oldest player to score 60 or more points in a game at 37 years and 234 days old.
  • On January 26, 2020, Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other friends, departed from John Wayne Airport with his private Sikorsky S-76 helicopter. They were to return for Gianna’s basketball practice.
  • But due to heavy fog, the helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain in Calabasas, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and began burning.

PERSONAL LIFE

  • Bryant married 19-year-old Vanessa Laine in April 2001.
  • The couple became parents to four daughters: Natalia Diamante (b. 2003), Gianna Maria-Onore (b. 2006, d. 2020), Bianka (b. 2016), and Capri (b. 2019).
  • He ran the non-profit After-School All-Stars as part of the Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation.
  • Bryant was a lifelong fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, his hometown NFL team. He was also a fan of soccer teams Barcelona, AC Milan, and Manchester City.
  • He won the Academy Award in 2018 for the animated short story category for “Dear Basketball.”

Kobe Bryant Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Kobe Bryant across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Kobe Bryant worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Kobe Bryant who was an American professional basketball player of the NBA who played as shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 to 2016.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • The Game
  • Mamba Symbols
  • Player Data
  • NBA Monikers
  • Team Loyalty
  • The Rival
  • MVP Quality
  • The All-Star
  • “Dear Kobe”
  • A Tribute

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Link will appear as Kobe Bryant Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, February 28, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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