Wait, wait! Before you go on reading the rest of this intro, cue this up first. Okay, ready? Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978. Weighing in at... well, we don't know. Anyway, in three days, Kobe will be celebrating his 36th birthday. You're still playing the instrumental, right? We're sure that when it comes time to make a wish and blow out the candles, Bryant will be hoping for a successful and more importantly, healthy 19th season in the league starting on October 28 against the Houston Rockets. And he's not alone in that hope.
For a little more than half of his life, Bryant has left us all amazed, perplexed and feeling just about every other human emotion at one point or another because of what he can do on an NBA court. From those moments of eager anticipation as Kobe held the rock in his hands with the game on the line to dropping ridiculous point totals as if it were a walk in the park to the many accolades which put him up there in the conversation of being one of the greatest to ever play the game, this generation of basketball fans are lucky to live in an era featuring the Black Mamba. If you don't believe us, then let's take the time to remember everything that Vino has done in his many years in The Association and beyond with The Story of Kobe Bryant's Career As Told Thru GIFs.