Yes, Arizona basketball commit Kobi Simmons was named after Kobe Bryant

In case you weren’t sure, Arizona Wildcats commit Kobi Simmons is indeed named after the Kobe.

That’s Kobe Bryant, in case you weren’t aware.

We know this thanks to Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Eisenberg, who got into the nitty-gritty of reporting how five high-profile high school basketball players were named after the NBA superstar.

Bryant is retiring after this 2015-16 season, and the story behind the name of Simmons, who committed to Sean Miller’s 2016 recruiting class earlier in January, goes like so:

After Kobi Simmons’ parents named his older brother Jalen after Jalen Rose, they wanted a basketball name for him too. His mom favored “Jordan,” but the family dog already was named after the Chicago Bulls legend. Four-year-old Jalen suggested “Kobe Jordan Simmons” and his mom loved it, though she did mess with the spelling a bit to make it unique. While Jalen has gone on to play for lower-division Berea College, Kobi has the potential to play professionally someday.

Seems there is a correlation between name and on-court success.

Simmons, who was born July 4, 1997, represents the first crop of youngsters named after Bryant, who entered the NBA out of high school the same year. Less than 200 people were named Kobe in 1996 but that grew to 350 in 1997 and topped out at more than 1,500 baby Kobes in 2001 following Bryant’s second title with the Lakers, according to a study by the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective.

But following Bryant’s 2003 sexual assault accusation, the popularity of the name dropped off dramatically.

It’s since leveled off, according to a more recent analysis by SB Nation.

Follow @AZSports