Kobe Bryant was not just an enigma for his history of winning and ubiquitous scoring. He was once the youngest player in the league, trying to navigate the shark-infested waters of the NBA in 1996.
He was just out of high school in a time where only a handful of people took that leap of faith. Bryant went to the Lakers after Charlotte traded him on draft night and went on to retire for the franchise 20 years later.
He won 5 Championships and left the league as the third-highest scorer. LeBron James has since passed him.
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Former Lakers teammate Nick Van Exel was a veteran when Kobe was drafted into the league. Exel appeared on a podcast with former NBA players Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson on ‘The Knuckleheads Podcast’.
The trio spoke about Kobe, with Exel discussing how he had a killer mentality from day one.
"Kobe wanted to be a winner. He wanted to be one of the best. And he did it."@vanexel31 knows the Mamba was a man of his words.
🔊 with @QRich and @21Blackking on Knuckleheads: https://t.co/ZyWXxhSVbO
In partnership with @ATT 5G. pic.twitter.com/zSeEif5pOa
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) July 28, 2020
“I see the young Kobe, 18-19-year-old Kobe. The things he said he was going to do, he did it.”
Nick would then go on to narrate a story about how a young Kobe Bryant announced his intentions to dunk on Ben Wallace and then proceeded to do it.
“Kobe told us coming out of the time out. Del (Harris) drew up a play to give him an ISO at the top of the key. Kobe told us ‘im about to cross this fool up and dunk on him’. Our reaction’s like, ‘this dude said he would do it and did it’ at 18 years old.”
Kobe Bryant and his legacy with the Lakers
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It isn’t easy to be looked at as one of the greatest Lakers players ever. However, Kobe has occupied that very spot and all the glory that comes with it. He spent 20 years with the franchise.
Even when they were losing, Kobe was out on the court trying to hustle the players into form. His legacy with this franchise is undoubtedly irreplaceable.
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Bryant stands tall with the likes of Kareem-Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson in the pantheon of Lakers’ greats. He dedicated his entire career to excel at the highest level, and he did so every year he stepped on the court.
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