Kobe Bryant Case

Kobe Bryant was born August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the son of a former basketball player by the name of Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant. After his father finished his career with the NBA he took his family to live in Italy where he played basketball for an Italian League. Kobe had two sisters who were also athletic as he. Kobe was an avid player of both basketball and soccer.

The family returned to Philadelphia in 1991. Kobe attended Lower Merion High School basketball team and leading it to the state championships, four times in a row. Right after High School he made the decision to join the NBA and was drafted by Charlotte and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He became the youngest All-Star in NBA history. He helped his team win 3 consecutive NBA Championships and voted 1st team All-NBA in 2002-2003. In 2005 he took the Lakers to the NBA playoffs. In 2007 he became the youngest player to reach 20,000 points and wins NBA most valuable player in 2008. He got multiple endorsement deals with Adidas, Sprite and other top sponsors.

Bryant married his wife Vanessa Laine in 2001 and has two daughters. In July 2003 he was charged with one count of sexual assault on a 19 yr. old female hotel worker in Colorado. He pleaded guilty to adultery but innocent on the rape charge. The case was dismissed in 2004 and Laines civil lawsuit against him was later settled out of court.

Kobe Bryant was part of the memorial service to honor his friend and music star Michael Jackson. He also announced his decision to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers for several more years to come.