Kobe Bryant

With a large flag as a backdrop, Kobe Bryant dunks the ball at his Lower Merion, Pa., high school gym during a practice Friday, Jan. 19, 1996. The 6-foot-6 suburban Philadelphia phenom can play for any college in the nation or he may jump right from high school to pro basketball.

Lower Merion High School basketball star Kobe Bryant announces at a press conference in the school gym in Ardmore, Pa., Monday, April 29, 1996, that he is foregoing college and will enter the NBA draft.

Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant, right, moves past Philadelphia 76ers Allen Iverson during the first half of their game, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 1996, in Philadelphia. This is the first NBA season for Bryant, who graduated from a suburban Philadelphia high school the previous year.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, center, goes to the basket as teammate Robert Horry, left, and Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone look on during the second half of their game Sunday, April 19, 1998, in Inglewood, Calif. The Lakers won the game 102-98.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, playing for the West All-Stars, reacts to his dunk over Detroit Pistons' Grant Hill and San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan, right, in the first half of the NBA All-Star game at New York's Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Feb. 8, 1998.

Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal (34) puts his arms around teammates, Elden Campbell (41) and Kobe Bryant (8) as Eddie Jones (6) and Derek Harper walk in front as they return to play the Houston Rockets in the fourth quarter at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calif., Friday, Feb. 5, 1999. The Lakers beat the Rockets 99-91.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant drives toward the basket as Houston Rockets' Michael Dickerson guards during the second half of their first-round playoff game, Tuesday night, May 11, 1999, in Inglewood, Calif. The Lakers won the game 110-98, taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, right, reaches for the ball as he forces a turnover on Golden State Warriors' Larry Hughes during the third quarter Sunday, Dec. 16, 2001, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Kobe scored a game-high 28 points as the Lakers won 101-85.

Los Angeles Lakers' guard Kobe Bryant gestures to the crowd from atop a doubledecker bus as the Lakers victory parade arrives at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 21, 2000. The Lakers won the NBA Championship against the Indiana Pacers, Monday, June 19, 2000, in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, right, holds up a warm-up jersey presented to him by Yukio Takenaka, deputy director general for the City of Kobe, Japan, after getting officially commissioned as the City of Kobe's newest ambassador Friday, Dec. 14, 2001, in Los Angeles.

Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson, right, goes up for the goal as Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant defends in the second quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Los Angeles, Wednesday, June 6, 2001.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant reacts after dunking over the Utah Jazz Greg Ostertag, left, on a pass from teammate Shaquille O'Neal during the first half in Los Angeles, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2001.

Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko, of Russia, stops Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, left, during the fourth quarter Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002, in Salt Lake City. The Jazz won 93-85.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, center, goes up for a shot against New Jersey Nets' Todd MacCulloch, left, and Kenyon Martin during the second quarter in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Wednesday, June 5, 2002, in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, left, holding the championship trophy, celebrates with teammates Rick Fox, Lindsey Hunter, second from right, and Shaquille O'Neal, right, holding the MVP trophy, after winning Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Wednesday, June 12, 2002, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Lakers defeated the New Jersey Nets 113-107, capturing their third consecutive NBA championship.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, right, and Derek Fisher accept the award for best team on behalf of the NBA champion Lakers during the 10th annual Espy Awards, Wednesday, July 10, 2002, in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant waves his ThunderStix as his wife, Vanessa, looks on prior to the start of Game 2 of the World Series between the Anaheim Angels and the San Francisco Giants in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2002.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant (8) pats a child on the head as he leaves the court after the Lakers 106-101 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics in Los Angeles, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2003. Bryant scored 41 points, equaling Michael Jordan's 1986-87 NBA record of scoring at least 40 points in nine consecutive games.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant poses with children during a groundbreaking ceremony Monday, April 7, 2003, to expand the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House to 87 rooms, which promises to be the largest "home-away-from-home" in the world. From left are Tabitha Bigelow, Jacob Gago, Gilbert Lopez, Khyana Robinson, and Anthony Arroyo.

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, left, embraces teammate Shaquille O'Neal after they were both taken out of the game late in the fourth quarter of Game 6 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the San Antonio Spurs Thursday, May 15, 2003, in Los Angeles. The Lakers lost the game 110-82, to be eliminated from the playoffs.