On the Court with Kobe Bryant Author:Matt Christopher Kobe Bryant may be one of the youngest basketball players in the NBA, but no one would dare call him inexperienced. The son of former NBA player Joe "Jellybean: Bryant, Kobe spent his childhood watching professional basketball. From the moment he could handle a ball, he was learning to dribble and shoot. At age eighteen he was given the chanc... more »e to prove his stuff when he was drafted into the NBA. Fresh out of high school, Kobe showed he had the talent and the heart to make it in the pros.« less