10 lesser known facts about Kobe Bryant

The official Kobe Bryant page on Facebook has over 20+ million followers,and his official twitter handle @Kobe Bryant has 5.53 million followers, fourth behind James, Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Durant. Bryant has been more than a revelation from being the first high school guard ever to be drafted by an NBA team in league history to aging beautifully like wine after 18 seasons.Many might consider $30 million for a single season, Bryant’s current annual salary overpayment for a player who will turn 36 shortly. However, he has earned that kind of money with his dedication and years of priceless contribution to the Los Angeles Lakers franchise.For the die-hard Kobe Bryant fans these just might be mere writings inscribed in their memory, but for the rest of the world here are 10 lesser known facts about the Black Mamba on the occasion of his 36th birthday (23rd August).

#10 Kobe had quite the rap career including a never released video single titled K.O.B.E

Sony Entertainment signed Kobe Bryant and his high school band CHEIZAW, named after the Chi Sah gang in the martial arts film Kid with the Golden Arm. However the companys ultimate aim was to eliminate the group and capitalize on Bryants youth and NBA fame by making him record singles.

He performed at a 1997 concert by Swag and King Tech and also recorded a verse in the remix of Brian McKnights Hold Me. Although he was not mentioned in the credits, Bryant also made an appearance in then teammate ONeals album named respect, starting the track 3 Xs Dope.

His debut album with the company Visions was set to release in the spring of 2000 and the first single featured on the album was titled K.O.B.E featuring supermodel Tyra Banks singing the hook.

The single released in January of the new millennium and was later performed at the NBA All-Star Weekend the following month but was not received well, leading to the company abandoning their plans of releasing their album.

#9 Why he chose to wear No.8

Till Kobe Bryant was drafted into the NBA, he was the best high school baller ever, he even broke scoring machine Wilt Chamberlain Philadelphia area high school record registering 2,883 points to the latters 2,252.

So why would he change his jersey number from 33 when it brought him so much success in high school?

Being a part of the illustrious Laker franchise you have to keep in mind their very successful past and the superstars that helped the team achieve that. One such superstar was Kareem Abdul Jabbar, courtesy of whom the number #33 jersey was retired by the franchise.

Kobe chose number 8 because it was number he wore while he grew up playing in Italy and it was also a representation of the number he wore at the Adidas ABCD camp: one, four and three.

#8 He took R&B singer Brandy to his high school prom

Kobe had a knack to attract attention and be the spotlight even before he made it to the NBA. When usually guys take their girlfriends or a lady friend to their senior prom, he did the unthinkable by taking future R&B singer Brandy to his senior prom.

On the contrary this was no attention seeking move as both were pretty well off. Bryant had just signed a shoe deal with Adidas and was months away from being drafted to the league while Brandy was part of UPN’s sitcom “Moesha”.

Brandy later thanked and gave her appreciation to Kobe for taking her to the prom because she would have never got a chance to go to a prom otherwise.

#7 Kobe was named by his parents after a type of Japanese beef

Kobe’s parents Joe and Pamela saw a certain Kobe beef on the menu of Japanese restaurant and thought it had a nice ring to it and apparently loved the name so much they decided to name their future son by that name.

Since it is not often that people are named after types of steak, it’s safe to say that Bryant, given his popularity has helped increase the popularity of that specific type of beef cut in restaurants across the country.

#6 Bryant was originally drafted by the Charlotte Hornets

Yes it was the Charlotte Hornets and not the Lakers that drafted Kobe with 13th pick overall in the 1996 Draft.

The Hornets had reportedly made a deal with the Lakers much before draft day to have him and then trade him to the purple and gold franchise in return for Vlade Divac.

It would be inappropriate to blame the Hornets as well, as at that time their roster was stacked with guards and keeping another one who was not tested at the college level would have been a recipe for disaster. Instead, they traded Kobe for a tried and tested big man in Divac who didn’t stay too long at the franchise either.

#5 Bryant is very fluent in Italian

When he was only six years old, Kobe moved with his father to Rieti in Italy so the latter could continue playing professional basketball. He spent seven years in Europe from 1984 to 1991 studying tapes of NBA games that his grandfather would send him.

Over the course of the seven years, Kobe became a fluent speaker in Italian and Spanish. While his Spanish is a touch shaky, he does not hesitate even a little when asked to speak in Italian on national TV.

#4 He was an AC Milan fan since his childhood

After spending seven years in Italy, Kobe followed pro soccer closely and becoming an AC Milan fan was a no brainer for him considering the high trophy haul that the team achieved while he was in Italy winning the Champions League twice, Coppa Italia twice and Serie A title once.

He could have chosen inter-city rivals Inter Milan, but the given the success of AC Milan that Bryant witnessed you can’t blame him.

#3 Why Bryant changed jersey number to 24 from 8

There were personal, philosophical and business reasons behind Bryant changing his jersey number from 8 to 24.

On the personal side, #24 was the number he wore in high school before he switched to 33. He opted #8 when he entered the league because #24 was unavailable since a player named Fred Roberts had #24 on his back.

Philosophically, Bryant wanted to put his troubling past in the NBA which included a highly reported feud with O’Neal and Colorado sex allegations case by resting jersey number 8. The number 24 on his back was to symbolize his work ethic which is 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

His jersey sales were on an all-time low despite his tremendous on court performances, so business wise he made a decision to change his jersey number in order to revive his jersey sales.

#2 Mike DAntoni was Bryant\'s favorite player while growing up in Italy

Kobe was always a fan of Johnson and the Lakers as they were winning championships,but in the pro basketball league in Italy a someone named Mike DAntoni stole his admiration.

"He was a tenacious guard, man. He made great plays. He was probably the greatest guard to ever play over there... He was a player that I admired growing up."Kobe on DAntonis play.

Adding to other reasons why Bryant chose number 8 for his 9 seasons in the league was that it was DAntonis jersey number when he played in Milan.The future would bring Bryant to work with his idol as DAntoni coached him not only as a Lakers for two seasons. He wasalso as a part of the coaching staff for the USA National Basketball team in 2008 which Bryant was a part of.

#1 Bryant did a pre-draft workout for the Boston Celtics

Every bright Draft prospect every year does pre-season workout for teams for the franchises to access whether the player would be a good fit or no into their current roster. Given he was only in high school almost every team he worked out for were immensely impressed.

Since the Boston Celtics had the 6thpick in the Draft that year analysing the prospects was a key step, and in the processBryant worked out for theCeltics, the Lakers nemesis before the Draft. This fact is one not many know and even after reading many true Lakers fans might find it hard to get a good nights sleep.