Detailed introduction of KOBE

On August 23, 1978, Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. At that time, his parents, Joe and Pam, already had two daughters, Shelia and Shea, and Kobe was their third and final child. From the day he was born, our little Kobe was destined to have a different life trajectory than ordinary people, because his father, Joe, the legendary player of John Bartram High School in Philadelphia, was in the midst of his erratic career. In the middle of his career, he played for different teams in three countries.

In 1975, after completing three outstanding seasons at La Salle University, Joe was selected by the Golden State Warriors and began his professional basketball career. As a 6-foot-9 forward, "Jelly Bean" Joe has the skills of a point guard, but he has never found his place in the NBA. When the request for a contract extension was rejected by the Warriors, Joe moved to Philadelphia. From then on, he also began his wandering life: in a few years, he played for the 76ers, Clippers and Rockets, and participated in the NBA In 606 games, Joe averaged 8.7 points per game. After that, he traveled across the ocean to develop in professional leagues in Europe. However, wherever Joe went, his kind-hearted wife, Pam, was always by his side. Because their grandparents were neighbors living in the same neighborhood, they were childhood sweethearts. By the time they were in college, Joe and Pam "rekindled the flames" and soon got married.

Our little Kobe grew up in a strong basketball atmosphere. It seems that everything about him is closely related to basketball. Just a year after he was born, Joe was traded by the team to the San Diego Clippers. Therefore, the young Kobe also came to sunny Southern California with his father. He liked it very much and the people there were very friendly. There, little Kobe's natural interest in basketball was quickly stimulated. When he was just three years old, he often told people around him that he would definitely become an NBA star in the future.

In the summer of 1982, the Qiao family came to Houston again. At this time, Kobe was able to understand that everything his father did was just for a living, and he began to watch NBA games seriously. At that time, Kobe Bryant's favorite star was "Magic" Johnson - a point guard with a power forward body (a bit like his father Joe in this regard). He was obsessed with "Magic's" gorgeous style of play and winning ways. , he also regarded the Lakers as his favorite NBA team.

However, the Joe family only made a short stay in Houston. One season later, the team rejected Joe's request for a contract extension. In desperation, he had no choice but to continue wandering. He finally chose an Italian club as his new club, and Kobe also went to Italy. Life in a foreign country is difficult, but it means a lot to Kobe and his two sisters. Because of the language barrier, they can only rely on each other. Every day when they get home from school, they practice new words and phrases together. Within a few months, the smart Kobe can already speak authentic Italian.

At the same time, Joe finally found his place in the new team. His extraordinary talent and gorgeous style of play quickly made him a new star in the league. Salaries also skyrocketed. Joe's family has been treated warmly by their city.

Kobe’s life always followed his father’s arrangements. He regularly trains with his father and rarely misses a game. Bryant liked to imitate his father's moves and then compete with some fans to shoot baskets during halftime. On days when there were no games, if they weren't traveling, they would be visiting other American players developing in Italy, including Harvey Catchings - his two daughters, Taogia and Ta Mika is now a WNBA player.

In this way, watching his father single-handedly all day long and slamming the basket or making those unpredictable passes, Kobe began to dream that one day he would be able to stand on the NBA stage. But the Italians who are crazy about football hope that he can take another path. They told Kobe more than once that he will become a world-class goalkeeper because he has a wide wingspan, fast speed and strong jumping. ability.

Kobe’s subsequent journey to the NBA is definitely thanks to his grandparents. They are far away in the United States and always help Joe and his son send NBA games that they have recorded personally every week. Then, the father and son would watch it together, including, of course, some video footage that Joe had requested from American scouts. Under Joe's exclusive guidance, Kobe began to learn how to observe the entire court, how to launch offense, and so on.

Every summer, when the Bryant family flew back to Philadelphia to visit relatives and friends, Joe would give little Kobe a chance to hone his skills. From the time Kobe was 10 years old, his father would arrange for him to attend the Sani Hill basketball training camp in Philadelphia, where he would have the opportunity to compete with children of the same age or slightly older, while his father and uncle John would Stay on the sidelines and coach him.

In 1991-92, Joe changed teams again, and his family had to follow him to France. For Kobe and his two sisters, this time was the most difficult because they had to go to an international school in Switzerland for two hours a day to study.

A year later, Joe finally announced his retirement. He and Pam felt it was time to return to the United States because Shelia and Shea had reached college age and Kobe was in high school.

After Joe was hired as an assistant coach by a club in LaSalle, the Bryants returned to the United States and bought a house in the wealthy Ardmore neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia. At that time, Kobe had mixed feelings. Due to the different growing environment, communication with American children became a problem for him, and he was worried that he would not be able to integrate into them.

But on the basketball court, Kobe transitioned with ease. In 1992, he was still one of the best players in Sani Hill's basketball training camp. He then attended Marion High School and directly became a member of the school basketball team. By the second year, he often went to the Temple University gymnasium to watch games. Here and there, he became friends with many people, one of whom was Eddie Jones. Life outside the court is still difficult for Kobe. He still works hard to integrate with his classmates. In Europe, he does not have to face the temptations and pressures that American teenagers have to face. He is not used to the existing life, so he always seems quieter.

In his third year, he finally adapted to the environment, and his performance on the basketball court also improved by leaps and bounds. After growing to 6 feet 5 inches, Kobe felt that his future position on the court should be in the backcourt, so he began to train himself in the direction of a guard. When Marion High School head coach Greg Dorner discovered this, he said he liked Kobe's "dislocation." In fact, many experts at the time believed that the young man learned a lot from his father and the strongest training camp in the Philadelphia area that he attended, and would eventually become a nightmare for defenders.

Kobe really shined in the 1994-95 season. As a junior, he averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, and was eventually named Pennsylvania Player of the Year. Kobe's destructive breakthrough ability was fully demonstrated on the court. And he "stole" this technique from his teammate Goude in the summer training camp.

A year later, recruiters from universities across the United States came in droves. Kobe, who was about to become a fourth-year student, had outstanding academic performance, so there was no obstacle. Many prestigious schools invited him to study, including: Duke, North Carolina , University of Michigan, etc. However, when he heard that Chicago high school student Kevin Garnett would be selected by an NBA team in the first round of the 1995 draft, Kobe also hoped that he could enter the NBA directly. Just that summer, Joe arranged for Kobe to train with players from the Philadelphia 76ers, and Kobe performed very well. Then, his performance at the ABCD All-American training camp in New Jersey also left a very deep impression on those scouts.

As a fourth-year student, Kobe's outstanding performance made Marion High School one of the best high school teams in the United States. A record of 32 wins and 3 losses also brought them their first state championship in 42 years. At that time, the school's name often appeared in newspapers, many college coaches also often appeared in games involving Marion High School, and head coach Downer was invited by many high leagues. This year, Kobe averaged 30.8 points per game, raising his total score in four years to 2,883 points. This score also broke the total scoring record set by Chamberlain in Pennsylvania for more than 40 years.

The really interesting stuff happens at the end of the season. At that time, an Italian club invited Joe to join and hoped that he would become the team's head coach, but the condition was that Joe's son, Kobe, must go with him. At the same time, considering that other high school players have already declared for the draft, such as New Jersey's Tim Thomas, Louisiana's Lester Earl and South Carolina's Jermaine O'Neal, Kobe did not reject those players. The media reported rumors that he would enter the draft.

Then, at a press conference held in the Marion High School gymnasium, Kobe confirmed those rumors. In front of many media reporters, he officially announced that he would directly participate in that year's NBA draft, and members of Boyz II Men were also there to cheer him on. Soon after, he hired Williams Morris as his agent, and then signed long-term contracts with Adidas and Sprite.

For Kobe Bryant's early departure, public opinion at the time was mixed. Some commentators compare Kobe to Grant Hill and Anfernee Hardaway of the same age, except that his offense is sharper. They firmly believe that this child is ready for everything. Some media began to blame Joe and Pam, who they believed were the two who forced the young Kobe to make this wrong decision. Kobe expressed great anger at the latter view.

The subsequent debate was whether Kobe Bryant would appear in the lottery rookie list that year, because Garnett, a high school student the previous year, was selected by the Timberwolves with the fifth overall pick. At that time, public opinion generally believed that Marcus Camby, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury and Ray Allen would lock in the top four positions. After that, there was a serious gap in college players.

The Lakers, under the leadership of general manager Jerry West, were one of the few teams at the time that firmly believed that Kobe Bryant would become a great player in the future. In a secret trial with the Lakers, Kobe's super jumping ability and diverse offensive methods left a deep impression on them.

The team asked him to compete one-on-one with Duddy Jones, and he easily defeated the star player from Mississippi State. The team also believes that Kobe's education is also a major advantage. As the son of an NBA player, he will be able to adapt to the league faster than other rookies.

In the subsequent draft, West showed his magic: First, he selected Derek Fisher from Arkansas with the 24th pick in the first round - a defensive player. Point guard; then, he called the Charlotte Hornets, and after a round of bargaining, he finally reached an agreement to exchange All-Star center Divac for Kobe Bryant, who was selected by the Hornets with the 13th overall pick. The trade also freed up enough salary space for the Lakers to later sign Magic center Shaquille O'Neal, who has become a free agent. When O'Neal came to Los Angeles, the structure of the new dynasty was basically completed.

When Kobe Bryant learned that he would become a member of the Lakers, he seemed ecstatic because he would start his career on his favorite team. In addition to Shaq, the Lakers at that time also had many talented players, such as Nick Van Exel, Elton Campbell, Kobe's old friend Eddie Jones, etc., and then there was their coach Dell. Harris - Joe's head coach when he played in Houston.

Kobe signed a three-year contract with the Lakers for a total of $3.5 million. Then, he averaged 25 points per game in the team's summer league. Then, Kobe bought a house in Los Angeles, his father Joe quit his job at LaSalle, and the family moved to sunny California. However, during the May Day period of that year, Kobe unfortunately broke his wrist in a confrontation in Venice. Although the injury was not too serious, it still caused him to rest for five weeks and miss most of the team's training camp plans. . After the start of the regular season, the team and the head coach unanimously decided not to rush for success and planned to slowly develop this 18-year-old talented player.

On November 3, 1996, in a game against the Timberwolves led by Garnett, Kobe made his debut: played 6 minutes, made 0 of 1 shots, and scored 0 points. 1 rebound, 1 block, and 1 turnover, becoming the youngest player in NBA history. In the first half of the 1996-97 season, Kobe only got limited playing time because the Lakers, whose goal was to win the Pacific Division championship, did not want him to get into chaos prematurely.

By January, the team was full of injured players and had to make some adjustments to head coach Harris, so the 18-year-old, 5-month-old and 5-day-old Kobe Bryant became an NBA player. The youngest starter in history. A few weeks later at the All-Star Weekend, Kobe scored 31 points in the Rookie Challenge and won the slam dunk championship - becoming the first player in Lakers history to achieve this achievement. It was also his most shining moment this season. Performance. In the subsequent playoffs, injuries destroyed the entire Lakers team. In the second round, they were easily defeated by the Utah Jazz 4-1. Kobe also ended his debut season averaging 8 points per game.

In the following 98-98 season, West and Harris discussed using Kobe as the team's sixth man. Kobe quickly adapted to this position, averaging 26 minutes of playing time per game. , he increased his scoring average to 15.4 points per game. Kobe provided firepower to the team, and they started the season with 11 consecutive victories. Even when O'Neal is unable to play, the Lakers are still extremely strong. Van Exel, Campbell and Eddie Jones all play their respective roles, plus role players such as Horry, Fox and Fisher. Stable performance, the Lakers are still singing triumphant songs all the way.

In the middle of the season, when the Lakers and SuperSonics were competing for the top spot in the Pacific Division, fans selected Kobe Bryant into the starting lineup for the 1998 All-Star Game. The league also promoted this game as a match between Jordan and Jordan. The battle for his succession. However, the youngest All-Star player in the history of the league obviously did not find his position. His excessive stickiness to the ball in the first three quarters and his disrespect for Karl Malone during the game aroused the dissatisfaction of his teammates, so that coach George Karl had to play a key role in the game. In the fourth quarter, he was pushed off the court.

Kobe's performance in this All-Star game also showed a shortcoming that he must correct - excessive stickiness to the ball. Jordan also pointed out this shortcoming of Kobe in person. The problem proved to be serious, because by March, Harris significantly reduced Bryant's playing time. Fortunately, Kobe gradually understood the coach's intentions. By the playoffs, he was able to fully integrate into the team as a whole and began to contribute on the defensive end.

The Lakers, who won the division championship, defeated the Trail Blazers 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs. In the second round, their opponent became the powerful SuperSonics. It was predicted before the game that the two sides would be evenly matched, but the result was It was the Lakers who lost 40% in a row and easily defeated their main competitors in the regular season. However, in the subsequent Western Conference finals, the Lakers completely defeated Salt Lake City and were swept out by the more powerful Jazz 4-0 just like the previous year.

In the summer of 1998, due to labor disputes, the league experienced a strike, and the shortened season with only 50 games left plunged all teams into chaos.

The Lakers completed three major moves during this period. First, they signed seven-time rebounding champion Dennis Rodman, then assistant coach Kurt Rambis replaced Harris as coach. Finally, in March, the team Pack Jones and Campbell to the Hornets in exchange for Green Rice, JR Reed and BJ Armstrong.

Kobe finally locked in his starting position and performed very well. He became the team's steal leader and second scoring point. He completed 9 double-doubles and was eventually selected to the best team of the season. Three teams. More importantly, his scoring ability at critical moments began to slowly show up this season, although his shooting coordination was not very good at the time. Teams always like to let him control the game in critical moments-and most of the time, he can do it.

After achieving a record of 31 wins and 19 losses in the regular season, everyone set their sights on the championship. Everything seemed to fall into place: Rodman provided the team with enough experience, and Rice's outside lethality also improved. Sufficient firepower assistance was provided to Kobe and O'Neal, but the fact was not as simple as expected. The rumor that "O'Neal is jealous of Kobe" once enveloped the entire Los Angeles. To this end, the team held a special meeting, but the shadow left behind was difficult to completely dispel.

Fortunately, the off-court discord did not stop Los Angeles' progress. In the first round of the playoffs, they easily defeated the Houston Rockets 3-1. The next opponent was the then-hot Spurs. After losing a game first, the Lakers had a chance to equalize the score. However, in the second game, Kobe Bryant's two missed free throws at the last minute ruined the Lakers' lead, and eventually ended up with 3 It's a pity to lose. The next game fell completely into the Spurs' rhythm, 0-4, and the Lakers were eliminated once again.

Faced with such a result, a major adjustment is inevitable. Therefore, West invited Phil Jackson, who had led the Bulls to six championships, as the team's new coach, hoping that he could lead the team to rebuild its glory. At the same time, Jackson also brought his three assistant coaches Clemens, Hamblen and Winter, and of course the famous "triangle offense" system. West knew that he had to find a way for Kobe and O'Neal to get along harmoniously, and this time he bet on Jackson, because in Chicago, he had also coached two superstars—— Jordan and Pippen.