Kobe Bryant is one of the most recognizable and well-known basketball players in the NBA. The 37-year-old Lakers star may have been around the block a few times, but he’s still going strong. However, despite the fact that Bryant has spent a considerable amount of time in the spotlight and under the scrutiny of the public eye, there are still some things that many people don’t know. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Kobe Bryant. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: He Was Named After a Steakhouse. Though some people joke about Kobe’s name being the same as an expensive cut of beef, he was, in fact, named after a steakhouse. His parents named him after a steakhouse in a suburb of Philadelphia.
Number Fourteen: He Didn’t Beat His Father on the Court Until He Was 16. Bryant didn’t beat his father in a game of one-on-one basketball until he was 16 years old! According to Bryant, his father often got physical with him on the court, and the two would elbow each other quite frequently.
Number Thirteen: He Was the NBA’s Youngest Player in 1996. Bryant joined the NBA in 1996 when he was just 18 years, two months, and 11 days old. At the time, he was the youngest player to join the league. However, this record was later broken by Jermaine O’Neal and Andrew Bynum.
Number Twelve: He Made a Single (But Never Released It). Bryant made a single called “K.O.B.E.”, and the video for the single was directed by none other than Hype Williams. However, Bryant never ended up releasing the single.
Number Eleven: He Met His Wife on the Set of the Single That Never Was. We already mentioned that Bryant recorded a single and a video that was never released, but that’s also where he met his wife, Vanessa Laine. Laine was on the set for Tha Eastsidas “G’d Up” video, and the rest is history.
Number Ten: He Once Came Seven Hours Early to Practice. It’s true! Bryant once felt compelled to practice by successfully making 800 jump-shots before the 2012 Olympics. This took him seven hours.
Number Nine: His Shoe Was Influenced by Another Sport. You might know that Bryant released a shoe with Nike, but did you know the show was influenced by soccer cleats? Bryant made his sneakers low-cut because he liked how much soccer players could do with their ankles without overworking them. Stay tuned for part two of our list of 15 things you didn’t know about Kobe Bryant, coming soon!