5x NBA Champ Kobe Bryant felt his parents were ‘smoking something’ when they came up with his name

Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has a unique name, and his parents had a rather interesting way of deciding on the same

When one hears the name Kobe, they think of different things, depending on their interests. While some know Kobe to be a world-class basketball player, others know Kobe to be an incredible type of beef coming straight from Japan.

Kobe Bean Bryant was the third child of Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant & Pam Cox Bryant. Born in Philadelphia, Kobe lived there till he was six. His father moved to Italy after retiring from the NBA, to keep playing basketball professionally. The Bryant family returned to Philly when Kobe was 13, and he enrolled in eighth grade.

Mamba earned national recognition during his time in Lower Merion High School. He made a name for himself and got drafted straight into the NBA after high school. From there on, there was no looking back. We all know how his legendary career turned out. 5x NBA Championships, one NBA MVP, 2x Finals MVP, 18x All-Star, and a whole generation of ballers inspired. Kobe worked hard to get everything he achieved. However, the story of how he got his name is quite random.

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Kobe Bryant jokes about his parents while sharing how they named him

Whenever someone unfamiliar with basketball hears Kobe’s name, they often get confused. They start associating it to the Japanese city, or rather, the kind of beef found there. The story of how Kobe got his name also involves Japan.

Talking in an ESPN interview, Kobe was told he has an advantage because his name was inspired by the beef. Kobe said,

“It’s not inspired by the beef, but it’s the beef itself. My parents must be smoking something really crazy. I’m telling you, they sat down at a Japanese restaurant, they looked at the menu and they saw the name Kobe. They thought that is a cool name, yeah, let’s do it!”

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A Japanese restaurant led to the naming of one of the greatest basketball players ever.