Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players to ever grace the NBA hardwood. But his NBA dream was already a decade in the making, by the time he was drafted in 1996. But once high school was over, Kobe had to make an important decision. Join the NBA or go to college. For Bryant the decision was tough, but he had already made his mind up.
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In a packed High School gymnasium, Kobe Bryant, at the age of 17, would declare for the NBA draft. In the book Three Ring Circus, author Jeff Pearlman recalls Kobe’s announcement, telling readers,
“With two dozen (or so) reporters crammed inside, the curiously named Kobe Bean Bryant—aged seventeen—walked to a table at the front of the room, unfolded into his seat, rubbed the scruff along his chin, leaned into a microphone, smiled somewhat apprehensively, and said, “Kobe Bryant has decided . . . to skip college and take his talents to the NBA.”
In the book, Jeff Pearlman paints a very vivid picture of a young Kobe. Given the way the writer described him, the decision to skip college for a bigger challenge was very Kobe-esque. To many reporters and sports analysts alike, Kobe was seen as showoffish and arrogant.
Further talking about Bryant’s persona, Pearlman observed,
“He wore sunglasses. Sunglasses! And they may well have been drugstore shades, but they looked Armani on him. It was hard to accept the total lack of humility and the sort of Hollywood quality to it. I’d been around Michael Jordan, I’d been around Charles Barkley, but I’d never seen anything so show-offish.”
The comparisons to Michael seem to have begun early for a young Kobe. Being compared to his idol was something that Kobe was always proud of. This style and swagger that Kobe had on full display, continued to accompany him throughout his career.
Kobe goes 13th in 1996
The 1996 draft class was stacked. The class was headlined by Philadelphia legend, Allen Iverson. Though Kobe was coming straight out of high school he always eyed his draft class as his peers as he revealed in his book ” Mamba Mentality “.
Kobe would be selected 13th overall by The Charlotte Hornets. But soon after, Kobe would be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Ironically enough, Kobe’s favorite team was the Lakers, and being a Laker meant everything to him. But unlike a lot of High School prospects, Kobe was league-ready when he was drafted. While Kobe mostly played as a role player his first three years, he was starter material from almost the get-go. By the end of his illustrious career, Bryant would go on to win five Championships with the Lakers, emphatically fulfilling his dream of being an NBA Champion.
