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Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant made headlines when he decided to enter the 1996 NBA Draft straight from high school.
Although it would be a move that would become popular towards the end of the decade, Bryant was among a select group of individuals that went from preps to the pros without any collegiate experience.
Kobe spoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson about the regret he experienced immediately following the decision. Via the “All The Smoke” podcast (via The Basketball Network):
“I saw my peers playing 30-35 minutes per game doing their thing, and I am sitting here glued to the bench. I was getting really pissed off and ticketed off, thinking I should have just go to college. That was the hardest part.”
Indeed, Bryant struggled to get a foothold with then-Lakers coach Dell Demps in his rookie year. Kobe played in 71 games that season. But he averaged only 15 minutes per game despite putting up some decent numbers as an 18-year-old.
The 1997-98 season would be quite a bit different, however. Bryant still came off the bench, but he averaged 26 minutes per game. The 19-year-old Bryant became the youngest All-Star starter in NBA history.
Kobe's career would begin to accelerate in a hurry. The Lakers were defeated in the playoffs during a lockout-shortened 1998-99 season. But “The Black Mamba” made huge strides in each of the next two seasons as the Purple and Gold would go on to capture three consecutive championships.
It is certainly hard to envision what Kobe's career might have been like had he decided to go to college. Heck, even Bryant experienced early doubts. Luckily for NBA fans, he also developed one of the best killer instincts in the history of the game. Bryant would go on to set the league on fire for the better part of two decades.
