Whenever basketball circles bring up Kobe Bryant, there’s always an added layer of intrigue in the conversation. The late Hall of Famer had a unique personality that helped him achieve a Hall of Fame CV in the sport. But before he became the Black Mamba, Bryant was just a kid trying out for the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Purple and Gold legend Michael Cooper, a legend of the Showtime Lakers team, was one of the coaches who got to workout with an 18-year-old Bryant. He shared a story of that workout during a recent interview with VladTV.
Cooper admitted that he had never heard of Bryant at that point in his life, but there was something about the player that raised his eyebrows before he even got to the gym. It was the feedback that others gave him.
“I didn’t know anything about Kobe,” Cooper stated. “All I was told was, ‘Coop come early. We got this kid named Kobe Bryant coming in. We want you to work him out.'”
Regardless of his lack of knowledge, Cooper would become familiar with the future baller on the spot. He was instantly taken aback by Bryant’s physical accomplishments for someone his age. “First thing I was impressed with is his height. To be that you, usually you don’t see kids that height. And a nice little build to him.”
Bryant did have more size than people give him credit for. He stood at 6’6″ as a shooting guard. But he could bang into the paint like a small forward and snatch rebounds from centers due to his vertical leap. Cooper didn’t know any of that. He told VladTV that his job during the workout was just to defend him.
“My job was to defend him, bang on him a little bit. I remember after that workout, and it was a workout, I was drenched. I remember going over to Jerry and they go, ‘Coop what you think?’ I said, ‘He pretty good.'”
“So we all look at Jerry, and Jerry goes, ‘He’s the one.’ Just by the way he was moving on the court,” added the five-time NBA champ. That was it. Once you get Jerry West‘s approval, it was a stamp of greatness for life. And obviously, it all worked out for them.
Cooper later mentioned that even if there was someone there that day that didn’t see the Mamba’s potential greatness, their doubts were taken away once the drills were over. “Kobe, being so young, just had a trickle of sweat down there. I was drenched. Full sweat. He was ready to go. Once we went through that workout, everybody was pretty much convinced.”
Moments like that are a reminder how some stars announce themselves even before playing a real NBA minute. Bryant walked into that gym as an unknown teenager and walked out with West, the man in the NBA logo and GM of the Lakers, calling his shot.
