Kobe Bryant, dubbed by many as the next Michael Jordan, jumped directly from High School to the NBA in 1996. He was born August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia. During his High School days, Kobe was a four-year starter and led his team to a Class AAA state title. He became the leading scorer in Southeastern Pennsylvania history with 2,883 points, beating the previous record held by Wilt Chamberlain.

Kobe was selected 13th overall in the draft by the Charlotte Hornets, and was traded to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. In his rookie season with the Lakers, Kobe played in 71 games averaging 7.6 points and 1.9 rebounds. Kobe won the Slam Dunk contest and was the leading scorer in the All-Star Rookie game. During his second season, Kobe Bryant became the youngest starter in All-Star history at 19 years old and led the Western Conference with 18 points.

During his third season, Kobe started in all 50 games (shortened season due to a lockout). He led the Lakers in steals, and ranked second in scoring with 19.9 points. In 1999-2000, Kobe became an NBA World Champion in just his fourth season. He was also selected to the 1999-2000 NBA All-Defensive first team. In his fifth season, Kobe ranked fourth in the league in scoring with 28.5 ppg and secured his second NBA championship in a row. During the 2001-2002 season, Kobe was voted MVP of the All-Star game, scored a career-high 56 points in only three quarters against Memphis, and won a third straight NBA championship, becoming only the third team in NBA history to three-peat.

There's no question that Kobe is arguably one of the most dominant players in the league today, and possibly on his way to being as great as Michael Jordan. At age 24, he already has three NBA titles and has proven he can be a team leader. With many more years ahead of the young star, there is a great probability that he will win many more.