Kobe Bryant Fan Recounts Touching Tale of How NBA Legend Went the Extra Mile to Make Sure Her Family Got Autographs

One of Kobe Bryant's fans shared a sweet story about the NBA legend's early years as a pro,

Back in 1996, when a young and promising rookie called Kobe Bryant had just joined the Los Angeles Lakers straight out of high school, one family had a memorable encounter with the boy who would become an NBA icon.

Celeste Perez told the story of how her family met Kobe and got his very first autograph ever.

The family had no paper or pen to get an autograph from Kobe

FAMILY RECOGNIZES KOBE BRYANT

Kobe was at a shopping center in Los Angeles when the Perz family spotted the then largely unknown young player.

Celeste posted the sweet story on Facebook, sharing her best memory of the legendary player. She wrote:

“My family came across him hanging out by himself at Universal City Walk, wearing an all-white ensemble and a beret to top it off, Kobe looked like a lost member of Boyz II Men”

KOBE BRYANT WAS THRILLED TO BE RECOGNIZED

When the family asked him if he was Kobe Bryant, the young man's face lit up with delight, and he happily spoke to the family and answered all their questions about his work and his life.

INVITING KOBE BRYANT TO DINNER

The family had no paper or pen to get an autograph from Kobe, and in those pre-cellphone days, no camera to get a selfie with the player, so they invited him to have dinner with them at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., which he refused.

A SWEET SURPRISE

To the Perez family's astonishment, they were having dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. when Kobe showed up.

He had brought them postcards that he had purchased himself and signed "Kobe Bryant #8"

Kobe Bryant was as humble off the court, as he was tenacious and dedicated on it - a true star. He will be sorely missed.

KOBE BRYANT - DEVOTED DAD

For all of us, Kobe Bryant was a star athlete, the man who made the impossible possible, but for 4 little girls, he was just dad.

Kobe, who shared Natalia, 17, Gianna, 13, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months with his wife of 19 years, Vanessa, was as devoted to his role as a doting father as to his career.

He was dedicated to making them strong, and to teaching them his own work ethic. He said:

"The best thing I can teach [my daughters] is what it means to pursue excellence and the kind of commitment level that comes with that."

Sadly, it was in pursuit of that excellence that he and his daughter Gianna lost their lives, on the way to a basketball game in which she was scheduled to play.