Research Paper On Kobe Bryant

LOS ANGELES, California (Achieve3000, February 23, 2010). It was the game that decided which of the men's basketball teams would capture the 2008 Olympic gold medal. Near the end of the fourth quarter, the team from the USA was up by only five points. Their opponent, Spain, could still defeat them. Team USA, made up entirely of NBA superstars, was supposed to be the best in the world, yet its players were struggling to stay ahead.

This was embarrassing for America, the home of basketball. The players' minds went back to the 2004 Olympic Games, when the USA team took bronze instead of gold for the first time since 1992. They were determined that this time, they'd take back the top spot. With only 3.5 minutes left on the clock, Team USA kicked

He was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was NBA player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant. Young Kobe watched his dad, imitating his every move and developing the skills that would later make him famous. In 1984, the Bryants moved to Italy after Joe Bryant began playing for the Italian Basketball League. Kobe continued to play basketball. He also learned to speak Italian fluently and took up soccer, which is extremely popular in Europe. In 1991, the family returned to the U.S., where Kobe at first had trouble fitting in at his American high school. He joined the basketball team, helping the players to win their first state title in more than four

Rather than attend college, Kobe decided to pursue a career as a professional player right out of high school. In 1996, while still a teenager, Kobe Bryant joined the Los Angeles Lakers.

Before his 25th birthday, Bryant had pretty much secured a future place in the Basketball Hall of Fame. At 19, he was the youngest player ever to be chosen for the NBA All-Star Game, an annual event reserved for the NBA's best. Bryant was smart enough to keep honing his skills. Early in his career, he was known for hogging the ball, trying to score all the shots himself. NBA veterans told Kobe that he was making a common rookie mistake. The coaches responded by reducing the young player's minutes on the court. Slowly, Bryant learned to share the ball and be more of a team player, working together with his teammates.

Backing down from the spotlight a bit did not force Bryant to sacrifice points—in fact, his average points per game just kept rising. Even after 2004, when gifted teammate Shaquille O'Neal was traded, Bryant continued to shine. In the 2005-2006 season, he averaged 35.4 points—and one night, he scored an unbelievable 81 points, the second-highest single-game total