SteemSports Presenter:@mateonav53
SteemSports Editor:@scottybuckets
Kobe Bryant was the first guard to jump from high school to the NBA. Imagine how much of a question mark he must have been to NBA front offices. Kevin Garnett made the leap before him but he did it as a big man. People thought Kobe was too small and slight to compete with the grown men of the NBA. If you were going to take a risk on a young player, big men were viewed as more of a safe bet even though GM's made the mistakes of taking bigs over transformational guards/forwards like Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan and Greg Oden over Kevin Durant (sorry Portland fans). These days the league is more guard and shooting-centric so it's not as risky to pick them at higher placements.
In high school, he was the first freshman to start for Lower Merion High School's varsity team in several decades. He averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists as a junior while winning the Player Of The Year Award over every other basketball player in the state of Pennsylvania. He juiced those stats up even more as a senior by averaging 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4 steals and 3.8 blocks. These accolades put him on the radars of Duke and North Carolina. When Kobe looks back at it, he would've chosen Duke. His hypothetical answer changes through the years, but if he went to UNC he would've been on the same college team as Vince Carter!
Kobe hit the jackpot on his life-or-death gamble of foregoing college. If he didn't fall to 13th in the draft, it would've been way more difficult for Jerry West to trade Vlade Divac for him after Kobe blew Jerry's mind in the infamous pre-draft workout. Jerry saw Kobe give Micael Cooper the business in a one-on-one game and declared that he had to draft the young baller, as a kid out of high school he was better than anyone they already had. There was even another pre-draft workout where a teenage Kobe absolutely destroyed a 3 year, Final Four college player named Dontae Jones from Mississippi State! If Jerry West didn't see him excel in those workouts, he would not have ended up pairing Kobe with Shaq to start his career three-peating with an all-time great.
It takes more than just technical prowess to convince an all-time-great player and executive like Jerry West. Young Kobe with the afro walked around 24-7 with the brash confidence of a teenager who just lost his virginity. It was confidence, but combined with an innate desire to destroy and bury his opponents and leave no doubt who was the superior player. Jerry West remarks that's what it takes to lead your team as a top tier player in this league. It's the trait that defined Michael Jordan who is largely viewed as the ideal NBA superstar.
Jerry West wasn't the only one who saw Kobe's potential though. The current coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, John Calipari, was coaching the New Jersey Nets who had the number 8 pick. He saw Kobe work out and felt he was a next level talent, but his upper management thought it was too much of a risk to take him. Instead, they took a guy named Kerry Kettles at number 8. His name is most likely brought up to this day only in reference to Kobe and the Net's situation. Funnily enough, if the Nets drafted Kobe he threatened to skip the NBA and begin his career playing in Italy.
These days you aren't allowed to go straight to the NBA after high school. For the kids who feel they are ready like Kobe, college is just a one year formality especially at major programs like John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats. Laker fans are fortunate that there was a small window of time where the rule was still in place when Kobe was ready to lay waste on the NBA with Shaq, and later on for the franchise in 2009-2010.
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When I saw video of Kobe working out for the Celts I was hyped. A girl can dream. Instead we got shimmering - Employee number 8...Antoine Walker. I'm OK with it now. Talent wise....that draft was insane.
For fun....since we are on the subject of high school to NBA stars. Here is Layla's ALL-High School to NBA- Bust Team.
LEON SMITH- 1990 - 29th overall Spurs [After swallowing a ton of asprins, throwing rocks through car windows and before being sent to the psych ward, famously exclaimed "I am an Indian fighting Columbus!!"
KWAME BROWN - 2001 - 1st overall Wizards
SEBASTIAN TELFAIR - 2004 - 13th overall Portland (was a huge fan)
JONATHAN BENDER - 1999 - 5th overall Raptors
SUNTINO KORLEONE YOUNG - 1998 - 40th overall Pistons
Hahaha I haven't even heard of half those guys😂😂. I love making All-NBA lists like that. My starting point guard for the ALL-NBA "Keep It Real" team is Allen Iverson. Rasheed Wallace (Ball Don't Lie!) and Charles Barkley are on there too
Haha. I’m glad you liked the list. You need to finish your squad. I’d add Charles Oakley to that team. Not sure of the last spot. Ben Wallace? (X-Man) Xavier McDaniel? Bill Lambeer? That’s one tough group of dudes. Lol
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Charles Oakley is a real one too! Might have to slot him in at pf, but he and Rasheed should probably come off the bench because I think Chuck should start. The Knicks did Oakley so dirty when they kicked him out of that game recently! OK so shooting guard we are gonna put kobe because he kept it real with teammates, to the detriment of the relationship a lot of times. And at center we are gonna put Z-bo because he doesn't take any shit. Small forward I think we are gonna give it to Larry Bird his shit talking was so legendary and he always backed it up too! You have your ALL-NBA Keep it Real starting lineup of Iverson, kobe, Larry bird, Charles Barkley, and Z-bo.
Through The Fire with Sebastian Telfair changed my life. Everyone wanted to be like Bassy. Unfortunately he is the classic example of why the one and done rule was put in place. He needed college in the worst way, just wasn't mature enough as a human being.
Maybe I shoulda kept Sebastian off the list. I’ll take him off and put Ricky Sanchez in his place. Lol
I totally agree. And loved the film. It totally changed my opinion of Steph too. I was a Starbury fan and the way Bassy and his mom were treated was kind of grimy.
Unfortunately Bassy never grew up. Had those arrests for driving with loaded guns and weed in the car. The latest one (just last year)he had a bullet proof vest. A shame because he had skills and was lightning quick.
How about a guy like Lenny Cooke who was a high school star, entered the draft and not selected? Shame.
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I wonder if ASM Sports could have "encouraged" him to go to college haha
Probably not as much as the NBA would've encouraged with a rookie contract haha
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nice post