Originally from Pennsylvania, it would have been fitting to see the Philadelphia 76ers draft Kobe Bryant —the legendary guard himself wanted that while he was in high school. However, the stars were not aligned for the Lower Merion standout to become a Sixer.
A lot of the blame for it was placed on his father, Joe, who was criticized for not trying to send his son to a Philadelphia college. Aside from that, " Jellybean " was also accused of manipulating the 1996 NBA Draft. However, Joe knew that if Kobe were to become successful in the NBA, he would have to move—that included quitting his job at La Salle.
As far as the criticism he got, Kobe's father, a former NBA player himself, responded strongly.
"Kobe should have had the key to the city. Instead, they tried to crucify him. No one saw how special he is," the former NBA player said in 1997 via the New York Times .
Kobe's Lakers workout
The Charlotte Hornets originally drafted Kobe with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 Draft. But even though he was a standout high-school player, teams overlooked the 6-foot-6 guard, claiming they did not see anything special .
However, thanks to good scouting by the Los Angeles Lakers, that "something special" was spotted by NBA great Jerry West. Bryant left "The Logo" and the Lakers in awe with his pre-draft workout, where he went up against Larry Drew and Michael Cooper.
"He's the best player we ever worked out, by far," Jerry said at the time.
The wait paid off
The Hornets got Vlade Divac in return for Bryant although the Serbian center was initially against it. However, thanks to his talk with West , Vlade eventually agreed.
It took time for Kobe to get acclimated to the NBA basketball. He had an underwhelming rookie year, mostly coming off the bench. However, that all changed in his second year as Bryant showed everyone just how good he was.
By 2000, "The Black Mamba" evolved into an NBA superstar player and, along with Shaquille O'Neal, led the Lakers to one of the greatest runs ever, with the L.A. squad winning three straight NBA championships.
Related: "I've seen him get whacked real good before, and he gets up with more fire" - Joe Bryant on the NBA readiness of a high school Kobe
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