Kobe Bryant
Basketball · Hometown: Ardmore, PA
- High school
- Lower Merion High School
- Pro team(s)
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Hall of Fame
- ⭐ Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Kobe Bryant grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion and attended Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, where he scored 2,883 career points — a Southeastern Pennsylvania record — before being selected 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets (immediately traded to the Lakers) in the 1996 NBA Draft at age 17. In Los Angeles, Bryant became one of the greatest players in NBA history: 5 NBA championships (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010), 1 NBA MVP (2008), 2 Finals MVPs, 18 All-Star selections, and an 81-point game in 2006 — the second-highest single-game total in NBA history behind only Wilt Chamberlain. He retired with 33,643 career points (4th all-time) and left behind a legacy that transcended basketball. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.