Basketball
KOBE BEAN BRYANT
Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978), nicknamed the "Black Mamba", is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He entered the NBA directly from high school, and has played for the Lakers his entire career, winning five NBA championships. Bryant is a 16-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. As of March 2013, he ranks third and fourthon the league's all-time postseason scoring and all-time regular season scoring lists, respectively.
Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He declared his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.
Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals was followed by O'Neal's trade from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following O'Neal's departure Bryant became the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. He was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award on both occasions.
At 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. Since his second year in the league, Bryant has been selected to start every All-Star Game. He has won the All-Star MVP Award four times (2002, 2007, 2009, and 2011), tying him for the most All Star MVP Awards in NBA history. At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, he won gold medals as a member of the USA national team. Sporting News and TNT named Bryant the top NBA player of the 2000s.
In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault after having sex with a hotel employee in Edwards, Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify. A civil suit was later filed and settled out of court.
(born August 23, 1978), nicknamed the "Black Mamba", is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He entered the NBA directly from high school, and has played for the Lakers his entire career, winning five NBA championships. Bryant is a 16-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. As of March 2013, he ranks third and fourthon the league's all-time postseason scoring and all-time regular season scoring lists, respectively.
Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He declared his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.
Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals was followed by O'Neal's trade from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following O'Neal's departure Bryant became the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. He was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award on both occasions.
At 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. Since his second year in the league, Bryant has been selected to start every All-Star Game. He has won the All-Star MVP Award four times (2002, 2007, 2009, and 2011), tying him for the most All Star MVP Awards in NBA history. At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, he won gold medals as a member of the USA national team. Sporting News and TNT named Bryant the top NBA player of the 2000s.
In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault after having sex with a hotel employee in Edwards, Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify. A civil suit was later filed and settled out of court.
LeBron Raymone James (/ləˈbrɒn/; born December 30, 1984), nicknamed "King James", is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and weighing 250 lb (113 kg), he has played the small forward and power forward positions. James has won two NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, two NBA Finals MVP Awards, two Olympic gold medals, an NBA scoring title, and the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He has also been selected to ten NBA All-Star teams, nine All-NBA teams, and five All-Defensive teams, and is the Cleveland Cavaliers' all-time leading scorer.
James played high school basketball at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar. After graduating, he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers. James led Cleveland to the franchise's first Finals appearance in 2007, losing to the San Antonio Spurs in a sweep. In 2010, he left the Cavaliers for the Heat in a highly publicized free agency period. In his first season in Miami, the Heat reached the Finals but lost to the Dallas Mavericks. James won his first championship in 2012 when Miami defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, being named the Finals MVP Award for his play. In 2013, he led the Heat on a 27-game winning streak, the second longest in league history. Miami also won their second consecutive title and he repeated as Finals MVP. His career achievements and leadership role during Miami's 2012 and 2013 championship runs have led many basketball analysts to consider him the best player in the NBA today.
Off the court, James has accumulated considerable wealth and fame as a result of numerous endorsement deals. His public life has been the subject of much scrutiny, and he has been ranked as one of America's most popular, disliked, and influential athletes. He has also been featured in books, documentaries, and television commercials, and has hosted the ESPY Awards and Saturday Night Live.
TONY PARKER
William Anthony "Tony" Parker, Jr. (born 17 May 1982) is a French professional basketball player who currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The son of a professional basketball player, Parker played for two years in the French basketball league before entering the 2001 NBA Draft. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 28th overall pick in the draft and quickly became their starting point guard, helping the Spurs win three NBA championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Employing his pace and high field goal percentage to great effect, Parker has been named to six NBA All-Star games, two All-NBA Second Teams, and an All-NBA Third Team. He was the 2007 NBA Finals MVP.
Parker was named as the EuroBasket 2013 MVP following his team's victory over Lithuania (80–66) in the gold medal game. The point guard finished as the tournament's top scorer with 19 points-per-game.
Parker is also a music artist with his own music album TP. He married actress Eva Longoria on 7 July 2007.In November 2010, both parties filed for divorce.
Early life
Parker was born in Bruges, Belgium, but raised in France.His father, Tony Parker Sr., an African-American, played basketball at Loyola University Chicago as well as professionally overseas.[His mother, Pamela Firestone, is a Dutch model. Parker enjoyed close relationships with his brothers and they would often attend their father's basketball games together.At first, Parker was more interested in soccer, but after watching the evolution of Michael Jordan into a global basketball superstar, he changed his mind.Moreover, Parker's two younger brothers were also heavily involved in basketball; T.J. and Pierre would go on to play basketball at college and professional levels.As Parker built his skill, his lack of size (notwithstanding a growth spurt at 15) decided his position on-court.He played the point guard position, recognizing that his speed and agility made this position ideal for him.He was eventually talent-spotted and asked to attend the National Institute for Sports and Physical Education in Paris.After playing in the French amateur leagues for two seasons, Parker turned professional and signed with Paris Basket Racing in 1999.
In the summer of 2000, Parker was invited to the Nike Hoop Summit in Indianapolis. There, in front of professional scouts and college coaches, he competed against the likes of future NBA players Darius Miles, Zach Randolph and Omar Cook. In a contest between the American and European All-Stars, Parker recorded 20 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.The Frenchman's performance prompted a recruiting war among several colleges, including UCLA and Georgia Tech, who were on the verge of persuading Parker to join them.However, Parker decided to forgo the NCAA and to remain in France; he spent the next year with Paris Basket Racing in the French League before entering the 2001 NBA Draft.
JOEL ANTHONY
Joel Vincent Anthony (born August 9, 1982) is a Canadian professional basketball player who currently plays for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is also a member of the Canadian national basketball team.
College career
After attending Selwyn House School and Dawson College in the Montreal, Quebec area, Anthony was recruited by Pensacola Junior College in Pensacola, Florida, United States. After two years, he transferred to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).He led the team in blocks in his junior season in 2004–05; fourth overall in the Mountain West Conference,but redshirted the next season and did not play.
Returning to help lead the Runnin' Rebels to a 30–7 season his senior year (2006–07), he was named Mountain West Conference defensive player of the year after finishing second in the NCAA's Division I in blocks-per-40-minutes (6.77), and first in the conference in blocked shots, blocks per game, and defensive win shares. (The D–I leader, Mickell Gladness, later became Anthony's Miami Heat teammate.) The highlight in Anthony's senior year was his only double-double of the season, a season-high 13-block, 11-rebound effort versus Texas Christian on February 7, 2007.
Personal
Anthony's mother is Erene Anthony from the island of Antigua, who he listed on his biography as the person that made a difference in his life because she has been an inspiration to him. He also has a sister, Sherlette Pryce. He graduated from UNLV in December 2006 with a degree in university studies, and majoring in sociology and physical education.
He is commonly referred to as "The Warden" by fans.The nickname started gaining traction on Twitter after the Heat beat the Knicks in New York on December 17, 2010,and fans credited Anthony for “locking up” Amar'e Stoudemire.However, his teammates refer to him as "Doc".