Kobe Bryant is 6’7″ tall and played guard… He wore the jersey number 8 for years, but switched to 24 at the start of the 2006 NBA season… According to Kobe Bryant’s NBA bio, his parents “named him after a kind of steak (kobe) seen on a restaurant menu prior to his birth”… Bryant’s father Joe Bryant played eight seasons in the NBA and also played pro ball in Italy, where Kobe spent part of his childhood… Kobe Bryant married the former Vanessa Laine in April 2001. They have two daughters, Natalia, born in 2003, and Gianna, born in 2006… Kobe Bryant gave himself the nickname of “Black Mamba,” likening his basketball skills to that of the quick-striking snake. He has used the name in other areas, such as his Black Mamba line of luxury watches.