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Kobe Bryant always had the same passion, drive and competitiveness from high school until the final game of his NBA career. Bryant hated losing so much that he once berated a teammate when they lost a 3-on-3 drill.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated back in 2008, Rob Schwartz recalled the time he received a death stare from the future LA Lakers legend. They were playing 3-on-3 in practice when he missed the game-winning shot, allowing their opponents to get the victory.
"Ever get the feeling someone is staring at you?" Schwartz said. "You don't have to look at them, but you know it? I felt his eyes on me for the next 20 minutes. It was like, by losing that drill, I'd lost us the state championship."
Schwartz also told the story of how he would play one-on-one against Bryant in practice. He recalled how Kobe Bryant would manage to score 100 points and got mad that Schwartz was able to score double digits on him.
"We'd play games of one-on-one to 100," Schwartz said. "Sometimes he'd score 80 points before I got one basket. I think the best I ever did was to lose 100-12."
Kobe Bryant's high school career
Kobe Bryant made headlines in Pennsylvania during his freshman season at Lower Merion High School. Bryant was the first freshman to start for the Aces in decades, but the team was terrible that year.
Top college programs started scouting Bryant during his third year when he averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.3 steals and 3.8 blocks per game. However, he wanted to follow the path of Kevin Garnett, who was drafted out of high school in 1995.
In his senior season, Bryant averaged 30.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals, and 3.8 blocks per game. He led Lower Merion to their first state championship in 53 years. He was also named the 1996 Naismith High School Player of the Year and the 1996 Gatorade Men's National Basketball Player of the Year.
Kobe Bryant was not drafted by the LA Lakers
Kobe Bryant spent his entire NBA career with the LA Lakers. However, he was not drafted by the Lakers in 1996. It was the Charlotte Hornets who picked Bryant up as the No. 13 pick and then traded him to the Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac.
Bryant would go on to win five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs and one league MVP with the Lakers. He played 20 seasons for the Lakers, retiring in 2016 by scoring 60 points in the final game of his career.
