Research Paper On Kobe Bryant

LOS ANGELES, California (Achieve3000, February 23, 2010). It was the game that decided which of the men's basketball teams would capture the 2008 Olympic gold medal. Near the end of the fourth quarter, the team from the USA was up by only five points. Their opponent, Spain, could still defeat them. Team USA, made up entirely of NBA superstars, was supposed to be the best in the world, yet its players were struggling to stay ahead.

This was embarrassing for America, the home of basketball. The players' minds went back to the 2004 Olympic Games, when the USA team took bronze instead of gold for the first time since 1992. They were determined that this time, they'd take back the top spot. With only 3.5 minutes left on the clock, Team USA kicked

the ball out to Kobe Bryant. He nailed a 3-pointer, helping the Americans to maintain their lead so they could ultimately grab the gold once again.

It was no surprise that the team trusted Bryant with the ball in that critical moment. He's arguably the best basketball player in the world. Basketball fans, coaches, and team managers say that it's not only talent that makes great players, though Bryant has plenty of that. The best players display drive, focus, competitiveness—and confidence. Bryant is assured enough in his ability to feed off the pressure of being asked to carry a game on his shoulders.

"I really have no fear of those [high-pressure] situations," Bryant said. "I enjoy those moments; they're fun. I look forward to those situations."

In many ways, basketball is second nature to Kobe Bryant.

He was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was NBA player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant. Young Kobe watched his dad, imitating his every move and developing the skills that would later make him famous. In 1984, the Bryants moved to Italy after Joe Bryant began playing for the Italian Basketball League. Kobe continued to play basketball. He also learned to speak Italian fluently and took up soccer, which is extremely popular in Europe. In 1991, the family returned to the U.S., where Kobe at first had trouble fitting in at his American high school. He joined the basketball team, helping the players to win their first state title in more than four

decades.

Kobe was a very good student, but his skills on the basketball court had gotten the attention of the NBA.

Rather than attend college, Kobe decided to pursue a career as a professional player right out of high school. In 1996, while still a teenager, Kobe Bryant joined the Los Angeles Lakers.

Before his 25th birthday, Bryant had pretty much secured a future place in the Basketball Hall of Fame. At 19, he was the youngest player ever to be chosen for the NBA All-Star Game, an annual event reserved for the NBA's best. Bryant was smart enough to keep honing his skills. Early in his career, he was known for hogging the ball, trying to score all the shots himself. NBA veterans told Kobe that he was making a common rookie mistake. The coaches responded by reducing the young player's minutes on the court. Slowly, Bryant learned to share the ball and be more of a team player, working together with his teammates.

Backing down from the spotlight a bit did not force Bryant to sacrifice points—in fact, his average points per game just kept rising. Even after 2004, when gifted teammate Shaquille O'Neal was traded, Bryant continued to shine. In the 2005-2006 season, he averaged 35.4 points—and one night, he scored an unbelievable 81 points, the second-highest single-game total

ever.

Bryant's competitive fire and fearless playing style have earned him comparisons to the legendary Michael Jordan. During a telecast of a Lakers game in 2009, former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy noted that if Jordan is the best player ever, then Bryant is the best since Jordan. Van Gundy added that if Bryant continues to play as well as he does now, he could go down as one of the top in the handful of all-time greats. His teammates agree.

"His desire and will to win is just greater than anybody's I've ever seen personally," said Derek Fisher of the Lakers. "And so you look at what he's accomplished in terms of the championships and what he's done individually, I think it'd be hard to argue that there's been a better individual within the last 10 years."

Bryant is so competitive, and demands so much of himself, that he'll likely be satisfied only if he can continue to play at a high level. Still in his early 30s, he's got several more years before retirement.

"It is about longevity," Bryant said. "I don't want to be a player [who] had a hot two or three years there, or four or five years. I [want] to be able to sustain that over the course of a career."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.