kobe bryant
... (Schwartz). At the age of eight or nine basketball was not his only interest in sports, he was also equally interested in soccer (“Kobe Bryant Autography”). He decided to have a major interest in basketball after looking at his dad play in professionals (“Kobe Bryant Autography”). He was growing up as a basketball player ever since the beginning. Kobe used to play in his high school team at Lower Merion High School. All of a sudden he decided to rise as a pro basketball player straight from high school (“Kobe Bryant Autography”). “As a senior at Lower Merion High School, Bryant was selected by USA Today and Parade Magazine as the National High School Player of the Year ... He was also named Naismith Player of the Year, Gatorade Circle of Champions High School Player of the Year and to the McDonald's All-America Team” (Los Angeles). Kobe kept practicing after school everyday and also did fancy dribbling and shooting moves to entertain the crowd at his dad’s game during breaks (Schwartz). After graduating high school and leaving a very great impression on professional players, “Kobe signed a three-year, $3.5 million contract with the Lakers, then averaged 25 points per game for their summer-league team” (“Kobe Bryant”). Kobe was destined to be a pro. Kobe first made his mark, “With the 13th pick in the draft, Charlotte selected Bryant. Fifteen days later, he was a Laker when Jerry West traded starting center Vlade Divac for the untested teenager (Schwartz). “Kobe shut down Allen Iverson, holding him to 0-of-9 shooting in the fourth quarter. It was this kind of effort that earned him a spot on the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team” (“Kobe Bryant”). Kobe has won many games and played in many games under pressure. He is well-known to play under pressure (“Kobe Bryant”...