Year of the Black Mamba: Happy 33rd Birthday Kobe Bryant

Daniel Buerge
2 Min Read

Kobe Bryant will be celebrating his 33rd birthday today after another eventful year. While his 32nd birthday saw him as a two time defending champion, his 33rd birthday sees him as just another NBA player looking to learn from the previous year and claim the championship next season.

Bryant, as well as the rest of the NBA, is currently out of a job until the lockout comes to a close. There has been much speculation as to whether or not Bryant will play overseas once the lockout starts cutting into the season itself. Countries such as Turkey and China have both been mentioned as possible destinations for Bryant if the lockout continues.

Regardless, this has still been an eventful year for Bryant. We saw him become the all-time leading scorer in Los Angeles Lakers history. We also saw him turn back the clock and bring out the highflying Kobe of yesteryear, as he threw down a pair of thunderous dunks over Emeka Okafor in the first round of the 2011 NBA playoffs.

More recently, Bryant finished another tour in Asia and made a surprise appearance in Los Angeles’ Drew League. He performed a 360 dunk during his summer camp, and even got called out by Brandon Jennings. It’s safe to say that even at age 33, Bryant is still one of the best players in the league, and is working to get back on top of the championship mountain.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxmrHVe8hVM

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Daniel is the former Managing Editor of LakersNation. He has also written for SLAM, ESPN and other various publications. Follow Daniel on Twitter @danielbuergeLA