Kobe's father called him after the expensive and well-known Japanese meat cut, Kobe beef, which he saw on the menu. 1)
As it turned out, Kobe did not want to share his name with a cut of tender, fatty beef. So, in 2010, he sued the Japanese town of Kobe for the right to rename their iconic product. 2)
Kobe Bryant has spent all 20 years of his career for the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five championships. He was the first NBA player ever to play 20 seasons for the same team. 3)
Kobe was initially drafted for the Charlotte Hornets. Then, in July 1996, just two weeks after he was selected as the 13th selection in the first round of the NBA draft, Charlotte traded Kobe to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. 4)
In January 2000, Kobe Bryant released a single called “K.O.B.E” with Sony Entertainment. It featured him rapping about his love of “basketball, beats and bands” and the supermodel Tyra Banks singing the hook. 5)
After living in Italy for a number of years in his childhood, Kobe became fluent in Italian. 6)
Growing up in Italy, Kobe grew up in love with soccer and its culture. He played in regular pick-up games at the park, first as a goalie and then as a midfielder. 7)
Kobe Bryant won five NBA titles. The only other LA Lakers with so many rings are Derek Fisher, Michael Cooper, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. 8)
Kobe scored 81 points in a single game against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. The only player who ever scored more points than in a single game was Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in 1962. 9)
Kobe was born and went to high school in the Philadelphia area, but the fans took him by the way. Most of the hometown animosity stems from a statement made by Kobe back in 2001 when he told reporters that the Lakers were coming to Philly to cut off the 76ers' hearts. 10)
In 1997, Kobe Bryant became the youngest player ever to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.11)
Kobe wasn't just the first player to play the same franchise for 20 seasons; he was also the first guard to play 20 seasons. 12)
Kobe's dad, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, was a professional basketball player, too. He played in the NBA for eight years with the 76ers, the Clippers and the Rockets before returning to Europe to play seven seasons in the Italian leagues. 13)
Kobe has made the NBA All-Star Game astounding 18 times. The only player in history to have more choices than that is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who appeared in 19. 14)
Kobe Bryant retired as the Laker's all-time leading scorer and was the fourth-highest scorer in NBA history with 33,643 career points. 15)
Kobe Bryant is also going down in history as the NBA's all-time leader in missed shots. 16)
Kobe is the proud owner of two gold medals for his role with the U.S. National Team at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. 17)
When Kobe retired at the end of the 2015 season, he had spent more than half his life in the NBA. 18)
Kobe was named 12 times to the NBA All-Defensive Team along with Kevin Garnett, second only to Tim Duncan's 15. 19)