“I’m Very Disappointed”: Kobe Bryant Apology in High School Proved He’s the Next Michael Jordan, Says Marketing Legend

If there are two greats who are constantly mentioned in the same conversation, it might be Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. For the Mamba, His Airness was his inspiration. The Los Angeles Lakers icon fell in love with basketball watching Jordan play. He tried to emulate MJ’s game in every way possible. Analysts and pundits would be in shock watching the minute details Bryant was able to adapt from the six-time champion. However, it wasn’t just the physical gifts that the late NBA great represented. Like Jordan, Bryant was an ‘assassin’. Sharing a similar obsession, marketing legend Sonny Vaccaro remembers the moment he saw greatness within the basketball legend.

Speaking to Rich Eisen, the former Nike employee detailed seeing the next Michael Jordan in Kobe Bryant back when he was only in high school.

The moment Vaccaro knew he had the next Michael Jordan

Vaccaro wasn’t just responsible for the booming success of the Air Jordan brand. The marketing executive cracked many iconic deals in his time. Bryant was among the players he worked closely with. His first experience with the Black Mamba came during a high school camp. In his first vert stint, the two-time Finals MVP made the underclassman All-Star team. Watching his progress, Vaccaro claims it was a huge achievement.

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But he wouldn’t be prepared for what’s to come. At the end of the camp. Bryant met with the marketing executive to thank him. However, he also said ‘I’m very disappointed’. Understandably, the 83-year-old admits to being confused. The NBA legend would attach a promise alongside his apology. Vowing to come back the next year, a high school student told Vaccaro, ‘I’m going to be the best player at this camp’.

That was the very moment, Sonny Vaccaro knew he had something special. He told Eisen, “He apologized. Only two people ever did that. There is a story of Michael Jordan very similar to that. But Kobe Bryant comes over. Well, now I know in my mind psychologically. I saw he was good, obviously, he made the All-Star team. Now he’s in my thing.”

From that moment, he took Bryant under his wing. Working for Adidas at the time, Vaccaro landed the Hall of Famer a deal even before stepping foot in the NBA. For the entirety of Mamba’s tenure with Adidas, he was with him. There was just something about Kobe Bryant that made him great. It wasn’t just the hunger to be great. But it was his obsession with one day surpassing his idol, Michael Jordan.

How good was Kobe Bryant in high school?

Bryant was one of the rare talents to have stepped foot into the biggest basketball league straight from high school. Playing for Lower Merion in Philadelphia. It didn’t take long for the late NBA great to jump into the spotlight. Starring at the high school for four seasons, Kobe Bryant would become a McDonald’s All-American and even with Naismith Player of The Year honors.

Instead of taking the traditional college route, he chose to declare for the NBA draft in 1996. Despite being a high schooler, his talent was recognized by the league. He became the legendary 13th pick who would go on to change the NBA landscape forever.

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Without the Black Mamba, the story of the NBA would be incomplete. His passing left the entire basketball world in heartbreak. Bryant was more than just a basketball phenom. And his legacy will live on through the iconic ‘Mamba Mentality’.