On This Day In NBA History: August 23 - Kobe Bryant Is Born
When you look back on NBA history, it is easy to point out one or two legends of the game that just absolutely dominated their generation.
In fact, you can refer to them by just their first name and you know exactly who they are.
Bill, Wilt, Kareem, Larry, Magic, Michael and how could you forget Kobe.
One of the greatest scorers, one of the greatest leaders and one of the main reasons today’s generation of stars are playing the game of basketball, Kobe Bryant was more than just a basketball player.
On this day in 1978, Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the youngest of three in his family.
Basketball was always in Kobe’s blood from the very moment he was born and after spending the vast majority of his life growing up in Italy, Bryant’s family moved back to Philadelphia when he was 13-years-old
From that moment, his journey to basketball immortality began, especially during his time at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore.
Drafted 13th overall out of high school, Kobe was initially selected by the Charlotte Hornets before being traded on draft night to the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal that involved Vlade Divac,
an already proven talent that Charlotte believed could not only help them win games, but raise their attendance numbers.