Kobe Bryant From entering the NBA'S 1997 draft at the age of 17 to becoming the 1998 NBA All star, Kobe Bryant seems to have done it all. He is the youngest 2nd youngest player to join the NBA and is a on the rise star. Kobe Bean Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, the youngest of three and only son of Joe and Pam Byant. His parents named him after a type of steak seen on a resturant menu before his birth. His family includes two older sisters, Sharia and Shaya, his father Joe "JellyBean" Braynt retired from the NBA in 1983 after playing 606 career games in 8 NBA seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, and the Houston Rockets, and moved his family to