Kobe Bean Bryant was a professional basketball player in the United States. He played his entire 20-year career as a shooting guard with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball League (NBA). ¹⁾

Kobe's father called him after the expensive and well-known Japanese meat cut, Kobe beef, which he saw on the menu. ²⁾

As it turned out, Kobe did not want to share his name with a cut of tender, fatty beef. So, in 2010, he sued the Japanese town of Kobe for the right to rename their iconic product. ³⁾