Kobe Bean Bryant, born on August 23rd, 1978, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, was a professional basketball player. A shooting guard, Kobe played his entire 20-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant entered the NBA directly from high school, winning 5 NBA championships, having been an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, and the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) of 2008.