Question 1

True or false: Kobe Bryant was drafted directly out of high school in 1996.

Accepted Answer

True. Kobe Bryant was selected 13th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft straight from Lower Merion High School, bypassing college.

Question 2

True or false: Kobe never won an NBA MVP award during his career.

Accepted Answer

False. He won the MVP in 2008, averaging 28.3 points per game that season.

Question 3

True or false: Kobe never scored 60 points in a single NBA game.

Accepted Answer

False. He scored 60 in his final game against the Utah Jazz in 2016, the highest ever for a farewell game.

Question 4

True or false: Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a single NBA game in 2006.

Accepted Answer

True. On January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second-highest single-game total in NBA history.

Question 5

True or false: Kobe Bryant's full name includes the middle name 'Bean'.

Accepted Answer

True. Kobe Bryant's full name is Kobe Bean Bryant, a fact widely documented in his official biography and Wikipedia.

Question 6

True or false: Kobe Bryant’s middle name was 'Bean' after his father’s nickname.

Accepted Answer

True. His father, Joe 'Jellybean' Bryant, passed along the nickname; Kobe's full name is Kobe Bean Bryant.

Question 7

True or false: Kobe won an Oscar for the short film 'Dear Basketball' in 2018.

Accepted Answer

True. The animated short, based on a poem he wrote, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

Question 8

True or false: Kobe never played in the NBA All-Star Game after turning 30.

Accepted Answer

False. He played in 18 All-Star Games total, including several after turning 30, winning MVP in 2011 at age 32.

Question 9

True or false: Kobe Bryant won the NBA Finals MVP award for all five of his championships.

Accepted Answer

False. Kobe Bryant won Finals MVP only twice (2009, 2010). The other three championships (2000–2002) were led by Shaquille O'Neal.

Question 10

True or false: Kobe Bryant's final NBA game was against the Boston Celtics.

Accepted Answer

False. Kobe Bryant's last game was on April 13, 2016, against the Utah Jazz, where he scored 60 points. The Celtics were not involved.

Question 11

True or false: Kobe’s number 24 was chosen because it’s one more than Michael Jordan’s 23.

Accepted Answer

False. Kobe Bryant stated that his switch from #8 to #24 was about a clean slate and personal growth, not about surpassing Jordan. He denied the 'one-upmanship' theory.

Question 12

True or false: Kobe Bryant won an Academy Award for the short film 'Dear Basketball'.

Accepted Answer

True. Kobe Bryant won the Oscar for Best Animated Short in 2018 for 'Dear Basketball', based on his poem announcing his retirement.

Question 13

True or false: Kobe Bryant was the first overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft.

Accepted Answer

False. Kobe Bryant was selected 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets then traded. The first pick was Allen Iverson.

Question 14

True or false: Kobe was the first guard drafted directly out of high school in NBA history.

Accepted Answer

True. Kobe Bryant, drafted 13th overall in 1996, was the first guard in NBA history to be selected directly out of high school. Prior prep-to-pro draftees like Darryl Dawkins and Kevin Garnett were frontcourt players.

Question 15

True or false: Kobe Bryant's nickname 'Black Mamba' was given to him by Shaquille O'Neal.

Accepted Answer

False. Kobe Bryant gave himself the nickname 'Black Mamba' in 2003, inspired by the movie 'Kill Bill'. It was not given by a teammate.

Question 16

True or false: Kobe spoke fluent Italian because he lived in Italy as a child.

Accepted Answer

True. He moved to Italy at age 6 and learned Italian, later using it to trash-talk opponents.

Kobe Bryant Trivia Questions