context: Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a shooting guard. Bryant was a basketball player at the high school level and was preparing to qualify for the NBA Draft upon graduation. He was selected as the 13th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 NBA Draft and then moved to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a beginner, Bryant made a name for himself by winning the Slam Dunk Contest in 1997 as a great player and fan favorite.
question: What was the year of the birth of Kobe Bean Bryant?
answers.text: 1978