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Basketball player Kobe Bean Bryant was born on Aug. 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, PA, and is the son of former Philadelphia 76er player and Los Angeles Sparks head coach Joe 'Jellybean' Bryant. At the age of six Kobe and his family moved to Italy where his father began playing Professional basketball, and he learned to play soccer and became fluent in Italian.

In 1991, his family moved back to the United States, and he attended Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia. The 17-year-old Kobe made the controversial decision to skip college and go directly into the NBA. He was the 13th pick overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 draft and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for starting center Vlade Divac. Kobe led the Lakers to three NBA tittles in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and was an NBA all-star in 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2002.

He met his wife, Vanessa, during a visit to the set of one of Snoop Dogg's videos, and they have two daughters Natalia Diamante Bryant and Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant.

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