It’s been one year since Kobe Bryant left this work, leaving a big hole in every NBA fan around the world. The Black Mamba was different; a very inspiring player that did almost everything he wanted on the court with the Los Angeles Lakers.
KB24 was killed in a fatal helicopter crash on January 26 of 2020, becoming one of the biggest figures not only in sports but pop culture lost in the complex year 2020. He was and still is greatly missed but his legacy will live forever.
Kobe left a lot of memories at the time of his retirement and although every fan would know most of the facts and moments he lived during his career, there are some little-known facts about the Los Angeles Lakers legend that will make people admire him even more. In honor of the first number he used in the NBA, here are 8 little known facts about Bryant.
Kobe Came out of high school when that wasn’t a common practice
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When everybody else tried to go to college and develop his game a little more before entering the NBA, Kobe skipped that step and went straight from high school, Lower Merion, to go play for the Los Angeles Lakers.
He was initially drafted by the Charlotte Hornets
This must be one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history as Kobe wasn’t originally drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers. He practiced with the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the 1996 NBA draft and he impressed Jerry West, who didn’t hesitate to work in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets. They agreed to trade their No. 13 pick to the Lakers the day before the draft.
He became the youngest player to win the Slam Dunk Contest
Even though he struggled to show his quality during the first couple of seasons in the NBA, Kobe Bryant took advantage of every opportunity he had to display the best of his game. In the 1997 All-Star weekend, he went off in the Slam Dunk Contest at 18 years and 169 days.
The first player with two jerseys retired on a single team
Kobe was so huge with the Los Angeles Lakers that the team retired the two jerseys he used during his time with the team. He donned the #8 and #24 jerseys with the Lakers winning three titles with the 8 and two with the 24, respectively. After his death, the Dallas Mavericks also decided to retire his #24 jersey in a sign of respect.
Once he made two clutch free throws with an ACL
Kobe’s mentality and drive to win was something else. He never backed down from any challenge and on one occasion, he tore his Achilles in a 2013 game between the Lakers and Golden State Warriors. Even after going down and touching his left leg, he stood up and sank two free throws for his team.
He has gotten the 2nd most All-Star Game calls
In 20 years of his NBA career, Kobe only missed two All-Star Games. Imagine how great you have to be to achieve that feat. He earned the call for 18 ASG’s, only one game less than Kareem Abdul Jabbar with 19 selections. Kobe was consistent; he was always making headlines for his good game and even though his level decreased in the last few seasons in the league, he was always present in the big moments.
Kobe won an Oscar award
This is something impressive from every point of view. Imagine being successful at one of the hardest disciplines in the world and then find success in another activity that can be even harder than the first one. Well, that is exactly what Kobe Bryant did. He admitted that winning an Oscar was probably the hardest thing he did in his life and truth be told, he was probably right.
He is the top scorer in Los Angeles Lakers history
Kobe ate, drank and bleed purple and gold. He left his everything every single night during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. One day before his death, LeBron James surpassed him as the 3rd highest-scorers in NBA history. Kobe ranking 4th is still the top scorer in Los Angeles Lakers history. He scored 33,643 during his career while averaging 25.0 points per outing.