34 Facts About Joe Bryant

1. In 2001, Joe Bryant had appeared in twenty NBA playoff games.

2. Joe Bryant was a great success as a professional basketball player in Europe, averaging thirty points per game in the Italian Professional Basketball League.

3. Joe Bryant was a member of the 2008 and 2012 gold-medal US Olympic men's basketball teams.

4. Joe Bryant made his first career start on January 28, 1997, scoring twelve points in a game against the Dallas Mavericks.

5. Joe Bryant welcomed these opportunities to add to his wealth and fame.

6. Joe Bryant was again an All-Star in 2005, but the Lakers missed the playoffs for only the second time in twenty-nine years.

7. Joe Bryant often took shuttle flights between the trial in Colorado and Lakers games.

8. Joe Bryant concluded his high school career as the all-time leading scorer in the history of Southeastern Pennsylvania basketball.

9. Joe Bryant played on both the 2008 and 2012 US Olympic teams, winning consecutive gold medals with teammates Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, among several other top players.

10. In 2008 Joe Bryant was named Most Valuable Player and carried his team to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics.

11. Joe Bryant established Kobe Inc to own and grow brands in the sports industry.

12. In high school, Joe Bryant was a member of a rap group called CHEIZAW, named after the Chi Sah gang in the martial arts film Kid with the Golden Arm.

13. On December 13, 2010, Joe Bryant signed a two-year endorsement deal with Turkey's national airline, Turkish Airlines.

14. Joe Bryant had checked into The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Eagle County in advance of undergoing knee surgery nearby.

15. Joe Bryant is a lifelong fan of his hometown NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles.

16. Joe Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, which ranks second behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 19.

17. Joe Bryant rejoined the national team for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

18. Joe Bryant declined to play in the 2000 Olympics because he was getting married in the off-season.

19. On November 29, 2015, Joe Bryant announced via The Players' Tribune that he would be retiring at the end of the season.

20. Joe Bryant was leading the league in scoring through much of the first 42 games.

21. On November 2, 2012, Joe Bryant scored 40 points with two steals, and he passed Magic Johnson as the Lakers career leader in steals.

22. Joe Bryant suffered multiple injuries throughout the season and as a result, missed nine games.

23. Joe Bryant wore 143 at the Adidas ABCD camp and chose 8 by adding those numbers.

24. On December 20, 2005, Joe Bryant scored 62 points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks.

25. Joe Bryant made two buzzer beaters to win the game and the Pacific Division title.

26. In Game 4, Joe Bryant scored 22 points in the second half and led the team to an OT victory as O'Neal fouled out of the game.

27. Joe Bryant debuted in the Summer Pro League in Long Beach, California, scoring 25 points in front of a standing-room-only crowd.

28. Joe Bryant earned national recognition during a spectacular high school career at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, which was located in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion.

29. Joe Bryant was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award in 2008.

30. Joe Bryant finished two for two from the free-throw line in the game.

31. Joe Bryant got a team-high 11 points from Tierra Trotter and 10 more from Kalia Walker.

32. Joe Bryant served as the head coach of Rizing Fukuoka of the bj league.

33. Joe Bryant served as coach for the Diablos in the 2003 Season of SlamBall.

34. Joe Bryant was the head coach of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks from August 22, 2005 until April 4, 2007.