“Used to come to Villanova, wouldn’t pass to us” - Former Raptors guard on how a teenage Kobe Bryant used to torment collegiate players

While most NBA players typically excel against peers their own age when establishing their reputation, Kobe Bryant was an exception. At just 12-year-old KB24’s skill set was so advanced that he competed against high school players destined for Division I college teams. Even more remarkably, Alvin Williams recently recounted how, during his time at Villanova, Kobe, then just a high-schooler, would dominate their practice sessions.

During his appearance on Mark Jackson’s podcast, the former Toronto Raptors guard emphasized how Kobe was fearless and hellbent on being the best from an early age.

"He was different," Williams said . "So a young Kobe Bryant was definitely on the radar. He really took off when I was in college and he was in High School…but he used to come to Villanova and play with us, and act like he was the best player on our team, wouldn't pass to us."

Kobe was already playing pros in Italy at the age of 12

Alvin might’ve been surprised to see a teenage Kobe compete against players four to five years older, but this wasn’t unusual for the ‘Black Mamba.’ Kobe’s father, Joe Bryant, had long exposed him to the higher levels of competition. At the age of 12, Kobe was already competing against grown men in Italy .

Consequently, by the time he returned to the United States, the five-time NBA Champ was accustomed to facing taller and more physically developed players. Hence, he was hellbent on proving himself to be the best player.

Related: Michael Jordan opens up about his older brother Larry not making the NBA: "He has always been a good player, but he just didn't grow enough"

Bryant scored 63 points when he was only 8

While some players come up with unorthodox moves to trick their opponents from an early age, the 18-time All-Star focused on mastering the basics. That’s why he could score as many as 63 points when he was only eight years old.

"I scored my first 60-point game when I was eight ," Kobe said. "It was something very simple, I figured out at 8 years old is that other 8-year-olds can’t dribble with their left hand….So,I would just let them have a couple of dribbles with their right hand and then jump on their right hand and make them change over to their left. And they would bobble the ball and fumble the ball. I'd pick it up and go lay it up."

That being said, while undoubtedly Kobe was gifted, there is no denying that he used his basketball acumen from the moment he stepped onto the court to have an upper edge against his opponents. Safe to say, having scored 63 points at the age of eight, no wonder Bean needed a higher level of competition to face a real challenge.

Related: Kobe Bryant's former bodyguard compared working for him and other NBA stars: "Kobe was a sit outside-the-gate person"