Kobe Bryant: A Living Legend

      Kobe was introduced to basketball as a young kid as he watched his father, Joe Bryant, on television playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. An avid player of both basketball and soccer, Kobe joined Lower Merion High School in 1992 and led his school to the state championship four years in a row.

         He went on with an objective qualification that shows he is an elite basketball player, with his parents being there for him every step of the way, according to Adam Schefter’s ESPN report on Kobe Bryant titled, “The Childhood of the Black Mamba”.

       “My parents are my backbone. Still are. They’re the only grouAll-star shooting guard Kobe Bryant announced his retirement at the end of the current National Basketball Association (NBA) season. Spending his career in purple and gold as a Los Angeles Laker,p that will support you if you score zero or you score 40,” Bryant said in an interview with Adam Schefter of ESPN.

        Drafted in the first round of the NBA, 13th overall pick, Kobe was picked up by the Charlotte Hornets and immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers that same day. His rookie season was short of mediocre, scoring only an average eight points per game, according to espn.com. Despite this unstable start, Kobe was given the opportunity to become the cornerstone of the Lakers franchise after the departure of center position Shaquille O’Neal in 2003.

       “The kid is real good, and I see a lot of myself in him, no doubt about it,” NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan said in an interview with Schefter.    

Bryant took the Lakers franchise to all-time heights with positive records for the next ten seasons and two championships in 2009 and 2010. He also set an NBA record by making the all-star game 18 times out of his 20-season career. He put on a show for the public in those games, whether it was blocking Lebron’s shot on defense or scoring 30-plus points on offense.

      “Kobe Bryant has been my idol since I started to watch basketball when I was a little kid,” junior and varsity shooting guard Yu-Hsiang Wang said. “He is everything I wanted to be as a player.”

Achieving five championships and four all-star Most Valuable Player (MVP) titles, Bryant leaves a legacy of scoring the third most points in NBA history (32,683), according to stats.nba.com.

          This season is all I have left to give. My heart can take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind, but my body knows it’s time to say goodbye,” Bryant said in an interview with ESPN.