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"I'm 110% confident that this is what I want to do": When 17-year-old Kobe Bryant opened up about skipping college offers and entering the NBA draft
An iconic NBC10 interview with 17-year-old Kobe Bryant gave us a snapshot of the mindset of young Kobe before superstardom. The interview, which originally aired in May 1996, featured Bryant, a then-teenage basketball prodigy, who had just declared for the NBA draft.
Bryant sat down with Vai Sikahema to discuss his decision to forgo college and make the leap directly from High School to the NBA. A highlight of the conversation was Bryant's confidence in his choice and ability as an athlete. When asked if he would eventually consider college if he wasn't selected by any team in the NBA draft, Bryant answered:
"You never say never, but right now, I'm 110% confident that this is what I want to do, no matter who ask me or where. I just want to play in the NBA." (2.40)
The host also probed Bryant about the reasoning behind his decision to skip college, given he didn't come from a financially struggling background.
"Well, I love the competition. College is great competition, but in the NBA it's the best players in the world. And I love… I love the players. You can go in there and you can learn from them. Michael can give you forty, fifty, or however, but you can learn." (1.35)
Kobe Bryant was also asked whether he believed he could immediately compete at an NBA level:
"I hope so. I don't know. I haven't played a regular season game, there were just pickup games, but I know that I'm gonna work extremely hard. Whatever happens, happens. If I'm not a success, then I have to work harder." (2.00)
Despite being young, Bryant was quite confident in his ability and decision, which started an illustrious 20-year career that registered him as one of the greatest to ever play the game.
How good was Kobe Bryant in high school?
The fact that Kobe Bryant skipped college and went directly to the NBA already says a lot about his talent and ability as a high school prospect. Bryant's high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School was nothing short of spectacular, filled with accolades and, of course, a championship, which was the first in 53 years for the Lower Merion Aces at the time.
As a freshman, Kobe Bryant was already on the varsity team, and he wasted no time in establishing himself as a standout player. By his junior year, he was averaging a staggering 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, which won him the Pennsylvania Player of the Year award and obviously caught the attention of different top college programs.
By the time Bryant graduated, he had scored a total of 2,883 points, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain to become southeastern Pennsylvania's all-time leading scorer. In his senior year, he won the Naismith High School Player of the Year, the McDonald's All-American, and the Gatorade Men's National Player of the Year.
With Kobe Bryant's incredible high school career, the whole basketball world naturally expected him to eventually get picked up by one of the finest college programs in the country, but he had other plans. Maybe it was his hunger to compete with the best, or he believed that he was already better than most people had realized. Whatever it was, looking back, it's safe to say he was right.
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