Like Father, Like Son
As you already know, Kobe’s dad played in the NBA as well. He paved the way for his talented son to spread his wings. Joe “Jellybean” Bryant was the 1st round, 14th overall pick in the 1975 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. He played in the NBA for 8 years, with the Philadelphia 76ers, the San Diego Clippers, and the Houston Rockets. After playing abroad for a few years, he became involved in coaching and is currently the head coach of the Japanese team, “Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka”. It turns out that Kobe and his father scrimmaged. Kobe told fans, “he’d elbow me in the mouth, rip my lip open. Then my mother would walk out on the court, and the elbows would stop”. Kobe didn’t beat his dad in a 1-on-1 game until he was 16!
Like Father Like Son
Aspiring Rapper
Did you know Kobe tried for a rap career before becoming a basketball player? He even produced a debut single named ‘K.O.B.E.’ with Sony and the famous music video producer, Hype Williams. Sadly, the video and song were both so corny that they got a lot of backlash. So much so that Sony scrapped it all. The one good thing that came out of this experience is that Kobe met a special someone while filming, a pretty woman named Vanessa Laine. This was the starting point of the pair’s relationship.
Aspiring Rapper