Bryant's family was Catholic, and he was raised in that religion. However, he later said he did not believe in God. Kobe Bryant was born on January 4th, 1977, in Philadelphia. His mother, Vanessa, was a high school track and field star who competed for Louisiana State University before marrying basketball player Joe Bryant. His father had several jobs including truck driver and security guard, but was most often seen playing basketball in front of an Atlanta-area mall with his brothers. Kobe has two siblings: a brother, Joseph, and a sister, Gloria. The family moved to Italy when Kobe was three years old so his father could play professional basketball. They returned to America when Kobe was five years old. In 1994, when Kobe was about to enter high school, his father died of a heart attack at age 36. After his death, Vanessa Bryant decided to rename her son after one of her husband's teammates, Kobe Anderson. She also told reporters she wanted her son to be like basketball player Michael Jordan. When Kobe started playing varsity basketball in high school, he made headlines by scoring 100 points in a game.