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Draft Day
At the age of 17, Kobe Bryant was drafted 13th by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996. Immediately following the draft, Bryant made it clear that he did not wish to play for the Hornets and wanted to play for the Lakers. A few days later, he was traded to L.A. for Vlade Divac.Kobe Bryant was the youngest player to start an NBA game at 18 years, 158 days old -
Slam Dunk Contest
In his rookie season, Kobe Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan-favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. He also became the youngest NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Champion at 18 years, 175 days old. -
Title No. 1
In 1999-2000, Kobe Bryant helped lead the Lakers to their first NBA title since the days of Magic Johnson. -
Title No. 2
In the 2000-01 season, Kobe Bryant helped the Lakers win back to back NBA championships against the Philadelphia 76ers. -
Married life
On April 18, 2001, in Dana Point, Calif., Kobe Bryant married Vanessa Laine. Neither Bryant's family, nor Lakers teammates attended. Bryant's parents were opposed to the marriage for a number of reasons. -
All-Star MVP
In 2002, in front of his hometown of Philadelphia, Bryant was named the MVP of the All-Star game. -
Title No. 3
In the 2001-02 season, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers solidified themselves as a dynasty by winning their third championship in a row. -
Scoring streak
During the 2002-03 season, Bryant averaged 30 points per game and embarked on a historic run, posting 40 or more points in nine consecutive games. He also averaged 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.2 steals. -
Trouble
In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault by a young woman in Colorado. She accused him of rape, but in 2004, a judge dismissed all charges against Bryant. Patrick Graber is shown with his attorney Peter Knecht in Los Angeles County Superior Court after being charged with offering to kill the woman who accused Kobe Bryant of rape for $3 million. -
81
In 2006 against the Raptors, Kobe Bryant scored a staggering 81 points, the second-highest total in NBA history.