Numerous audiences gathered around him awaiting his decision. As cameras flashed and the crowd quietly murmured, a 17-year-old Kobe Bryant seemed anxious to get the news off his chest. Wearing a sandy brown colored suit with sunglasses at the top of his head, he made eye contact with the crowd and then looking towards the camera said, "I have decided to skip college and take my talents to the NBA."
Being praised as a top-three high school talent, Bryant's future was deemed prosperous. During his rookie season, witnessing his NBA peers receive 30 plus minutes a game, while he rode the Laker's bench, there was immediate regret on Bryant's part: would college have been the better choice? But we all know how history unfolded: Bryant's obsessive work ethic and Jordan's mentorship allowed him to become one of the greatest two-guards in NBA history.
Bryant's NBA journey is pretty well known at this point, so shifting a focus towards his childhood and adolescent years, here's a look at Kobe's early life prior to his NBA debut.
13 Life In Italy
Joe Bryant grew up idolizing Earl Monroe. However, due to being a 6'10" forward in the 70s, the flashy playstyle (called "showboating" by coaches) Joe loved was forbidden for big men. Refusing to adjust, Joe only played 8 seasons in the NBA and chose to continue his basketball career overseas and play in the Italian league. Taking his wife and a 6-year-old Kobe with him, Kobe mastered the Italian language after living in the country for 7 years.
12 A Growing Basketball Fanatic
While residing in Italy, the Bryant family managed to move three times. Going from Reiti to Reggio Calabria, Cireglio, and finally Regio Emilia, Kobe's childhood consisted of him constantly identifying as the new kid in school. The only thing that remained consistent at that time was his love for basketball. Tagging along with his father's team, Kobe served as the team's ball boy and often sat under the basket to witness the court's atmosphere.
11 The Escape
Knowing that his father had two-day practices, Kobe used to sleep in his clothes as a precaution to prevent his father from being late. In spite of his enormous efforts, Joe used to tell him he couldn't come. As a result, Kobe would leave the house and go play basketball at the local park. To him, it was his refugee and only source of familiarity.
10 Good Old Grandpa Cox
Knowing Kobe's infatuation with the sport of basketball, grandpa Cox (Kobe's grandfather on his mother's side) used to record NBA games on his VHS, make copies of them, and put them in a box to send them to his grandson in Italy. Kobe made sure to capitalize on his grandfather's thoughtful gesture as he would spend hours upon hours watching the films in his room.
9 Migrating to The U.S.
Exposed to a distinct culture from an early age, a teenage Bryant really struggled to fit in and was constantly teased by his classmates when his family returned to America. In his 2015 Muse documentary, Bryant stated, "It was different. I didn’t understand the slang, I was a little Italian boy, I didn't understand the fashion … and I couldn't spell, so the teacher told my mother that I was probably dyslexic."
8 Taking Brandy To Prom
With the new Moesha sitcom still fresh in everyone's minds, it was not unusual to witness the amount of press Kobe and his date, Brandy Norwood, attracted on Lower Marion High School's prom night in 96. Gaining Brandy's mother's permission beforehand, and on the peak of adulthood, Bryant made sure to leave his adolescence with a bang and remain true to his word: take his celebrity crush to prom just like he had promised in English class.
7 Voted Most Likely To Succeed
It was pretty clear to Lower Marion students that Bryant was destined for greatness. By the end of his senior year, Bryant had been named the Naismith High School Player of the Year and the Gatorade Men's National Basketball Player of The Year. For a young man that was contemplating whether to attend a Division 1 school or declare for the NBA, the yearbook prediction didn't seem too far fetched.
6 Kobe Gave An Oral Presentation (NBA vs College)
For an English class assignment, Kobe was asked to give a presentation and chose to do the topic on his pending decision to either go to college or the NBA and touch on his upbringing. Considering how he was one of the highest-ranked high school players of the 1996 class, an ESPN camera crew was quietly sitting in the back recording the entire speech and proceeded to do a one-on-one interview shortly after.
5 His English Teacher Inspired Him
It is well known that Bryant's Dear Basketball film won an Academy Award two years ago. Serving as a glimpse for the style of stories Bryant had in store for us, Bryant credited Mrs. Jeanne Mastriano, his 10th and 12th grade English teacher, for sparking his storytelling path. Telling USA Today, “She firmly believed that storytelling could change the world. And she opened my eyes to this passion I didn't know existed."
4 Almost A Dukie
Coach Mike Krzyzewski has had quite the résumé when it comes to recruiting. Coaching the likes of Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, Elton Brand, and Correy Maggette during the 90s, Bryant admitted how close he came to attending Duke University had he not gone pro in 1996. Recruited heavily by coach K, the persistence showed weighed heavily on Bryant through the years.
3 The Nets' Biggest Regret
Per the business insider, prior to the 1996 draft, there was a division on the 8th pick within the Nets organization. Recently hiring college sensation, John Calipari, as their head coach and vice president, Joe Taub's responsibility was to "act as a basketball liaison" due to Calipari's inexperience. Concerned over Bryant's potential early struggles, along with his refusal to play in New Jersey, Taub influenced the Nets to draft Kerry Kittles and Jerry West came out a genius.
2 The Michael Cooper Workout
Being the general manager of the Lakers, Jerry West made sure to do his due diligence on the raw prospect out of Lower Marion High School. Holding a pre-draft workout, West had ex-Laker, Michael Cooper, play him one-on-one. Despite being only a few years removed from the league, Bryant embarrassed the former Defensive Player of the Year. West immediately realized he had to find some way to move up in the draft to snag the 17-year-old.
1 Laker Dreams
Growing up in Italy, Kobe was a massive Lakers fan. Working on his skyhooks every day, to be like Kareem, along with Magic Johnson's baby hooks, when he was told on draft night that he had been traded to the Lakers, Kobe was ecstatic. "Scoring 40, 50, 60, 80 points. I'd had those dreams," said Bryant in the Muse documentary. "And so, 100 percent of the time when I imagined these things, I had on a Lakers uniform."