1 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:14,920 Speaker 1: Diversion podcasts. This is all I ever want to uh. 2 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:17,319 Speaker 1: When I first came to high school, I knew I 3 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 1: was a pretty good player. I'm just gonna work hard 4 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:24,279 Speaker 1: trying to accomplish all the individuals. But I went forward 5 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 1: twenty say any man, I hate you. There's no way 6 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 1: how I want to go to this again, and then 7 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:34,159 Speaker 1: you will benna fool. You're asking me and food. Throughout 8 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:35,920 Speaker 1: the whole time, I could just remember saying that I 9 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:37,480 Speaker 1: want to stay changed and I want to be knowing 10 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: at the best I only have the best player or 11 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: the guys guy will playing the best, and that meant 12 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:45,519 Speaker 1: so much. I just wanted to do with everybody that 13 00:00:45,600 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: I can carry Temple State Championship m H. In the 14 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: weeks just before his final season of high school basketball began, 15 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:08,399 Speaker 1: Kobe Bryant would wake up each morning before dawn. It 16 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: would still be dark and chilly outside when he'd hop 17 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: into his SUV and drive himself at two and a 18 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: quarter miles from his house to Lower Merion High School. 19 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 1: He got there before the principal, before the teachers, before 20 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: the other students. He'd parked in a prize spot near 21 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: the entrance to one of the school's gymnasiums. A janitor 22 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: would let him into the building and for an hour 23 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 1: before his first class of the day, Kobe would shoot 24 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:37,880 Speaker 1: and work on his footwork and his handle and dunk 25 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: for an hour. Sometimes on his way to school, Kobe 26 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: would stop and pick up Robbie Schwartz, one of his teammates. 27 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: Robbie wasn't one of the Lower Marion Aces star players. 28 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: He was a year younger than Kobe, five ft seven, 29 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: a guy who was just happy to be on the 30 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 1: roster and along for the ride, and he was happy 31 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: as hell did join Kobe for a few of those 32 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: early more workouts. Robbie still lives in the Philly area. 33 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: He's not a short, stumpy kid anymore. He's a personal trainer. 34 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: Really got into Waitland and when it comes to this podcast. 35 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: In my book, the best part about Robbie was that 36 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:17,639 Speaker 1: he remembered a ton of details about his time in 37 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 1: high school with Kobe, and he loved to talk about 38 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 1: I called him up one day to do just that. 39 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:31,239 Speaker 1: Here's rob My role on the team was a practice player. 40 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 1: I was I was the last guy on the bench, 41 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:35,519 Speaker 1: Like I had to fight to get on the team. 42 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: I had to fight to stay on the team, and 43 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 1: so I would do anything to be a part of it. 44 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,360 Speaker 1: And I think in the back of my mind, I 45 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 1: always sort of knew he was something bigger than what 46 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: was going on just in high school, and I always 47 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: wanted to be around it. I mean, I can tell 48 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:55,240 Speaker 1: you that honestly because it's the truth. You know. It's 49 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 1: It's like, dude, it's not a coincidence. I'm in all 50 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:00,919 Speaker 1: of these pictures that are all over the place, Like 51 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,800 Speaker 1: I think in my mind, I was like, I gotta 52 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 1: get in this picture. I asked Robbie what those early 53 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: mornings that lower marrying with Kobe were like, just the 54 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 1: two of them playing ball in the gym together. And 55 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,079 Speaker 1: I remember a couple of things about those mornings. Number One, 56 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: I've never been so cold. I am not I don't 57 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: do well in the cold as is. It was so 58 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:24,520 Speaker 1: cold in that gym. The janitor opened it up for us. 59 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: It took five minutes for lights to come on, about 60 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:28,919 Speaker 1: a half hour for the heat to couple O. I 61 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:32,960 Speaker 1: was like literally freezing, and I remember thinking, like, you know, 62 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: I wonder what we're gonna do. Like in my mind, 63 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 1: I had all of these thoughts of like we're gonna 64 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: develop this great chemistry and like, you know, somehow it 65 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 1: would lead to me playing more and we're playing at all. 66 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: And I just ended up rebounding for him for an hour. 67 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: And I never said anything because I was like, I 68 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: was like, you know, he's my teammate, he's a year 69 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: older than me. But like there was I I look, 70 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: I I was a very small person in high school, 71 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 1: and I was not going to speak out of turn. 72 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: And again, like I just wanted to be a part 73 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: of whatever his journey was. And so I was like, Okay, 74 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: I'll rebound for him for a couple of minutes, we'll 75 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: do some drills that it just was like an hour 76 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: of me or after he passed away, like people would 77 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: It was such a weird time where I was getting 78 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 1: all these phone calls from people I've talked to in 79 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: a long time. They would have done anything to been 80 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: in my position, just to rebud you know what I mean. 81 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: It's like you don't think like I. I didn't think 82 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:37,599 Speaker 1: about it like that at the time, but now I 83 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: have such an I have such a high level of 84 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:43,039 Speaker 1: appreciation for every single second that was spent with with 85 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: him and spent with the team like that was just 86 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: like the best year ever, like every moment the bus rides, pregame, 87 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 1: post game practices, just like you you know, I mean 88 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:56,720 Speaker 1: being our age. I would kill to go back and 89 00:04:56,760 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 1: do any one of those activities. I don't think there's 90 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: a single member of that high school team who would 91 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: disagree with Robbie. They would all look back at that 92 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 1: time of their lives and see it with a kind 93 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: of golden hue, and I think Kobe would too. Of 94 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 1: all the subplots of his early life, there's one in 95 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:26,600 Speaker 1: particular that when I talked to people about Kobe always 96 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: seem to get overlooked or ignored, and it shouldn't be. 97 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: It's not that the other aspects of Kobe's adolescens aren't fascinating. 98 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 1: As I've talked about on episode two, his time in 99 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: Italy shaped him, and those infamous pickup games with the 100 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: Sixers in the summer proved to him beyond any doubt 101 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:46,840 Speaker 1: that he could and should turn pro right out of 102 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,839 Speaker 1: high school. But to me, the most dramatic storyline of 103 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 1: that period doesn't have anything to do with the NBA 104 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: or Jerry Stackhouse or Kobe's appreciation for different cultures. Or 105 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:01,800 Speaker 1: any of those things. It has to do with the 106 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: community in which he grew up, the pressure that a 107 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:08,280 Speaker 1: young athlete feels to perform, and the joy that accompanies 108 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: the achievement of a goal. You've been chasing for years, 109 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:16,239 Speaker 1: but seems you're superstar. Kobe Bryant aboard for the ninety 110 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:18,839 Speaker 1: six season. The Lower Marine coaching staff knew that there 111 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:20,840 Speaker 1: would be no team in the area that would attract 112 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:23,760 Speaker 1: more attention than the asient. The pressure would be high 113 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 1: from the start, and so would the expectations. Alright, alright 114 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:33,320 Speaker 1: to me, the most important Kobe Bryant's story of that 115 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:38,919 Speaker 1: time is the story of the season of the Lower 116 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 1: Marian Aces. I'm Mike Sealsky and from Diversion Podcasts, this 117 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 1: is I am Kobe. The brat steps to create myself 118 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:09,160 Speaker 1: said create Yoself. They nice, create Yoself. Got a letter 119 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: for any great minds getting time, Episode seven, The Mind 120 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: of a Champion. There wasn't a whole lot of drama 121 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: for most of Kobe's senior season at Lower Merion. After 122 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: that crushing loss and Myrtle Beach I told you about 123 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 1: in the last episode and Greg Downer's speech chewing out 124 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:40,600 Speaker 1: the entire team. The Aces were so inspired and so 125 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:44,120 Speaker 1: together that they started rolling and seemed like they couldn't 126 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: be stopped. They won their final sixteen regular season games, 127 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 1: and they won them by an average of more than 128 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 1: twenty points a game. Kobe's numbers were just nuts. Here 129 00:07:55,080 --> 00:08:01,200 Speaker 1: were his point totals in one five game stretcht thirty two, fifty, 130 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 1: thirty two and four. Then in the second game of 131 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 1: the district playoffs, Lower Marion faced Academy Park High School. 132 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:13,480 Speaker 1: Academy Park didn't have the Aces overall talent, but it 133 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: was a tough team. It's players weren't going to be 134 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 1: intimidated by Kobe, but he was ready for them. He 135 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:22,520 Speaker 1: talked to Jeremy Treatment about that game and his preparation 136 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: with that. Then next practice, I was taking a lot 137 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:28,480 Speaker 1: of jump shots getting ready for the Academy Park game 138 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 1: because I knew that I'm gonna be a tough talent 139 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: for especially if we didn't come ready to play. I 140 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: came to school early at six o'clock, shooting consistently looking 141 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 1: on my jump shot, trying to find a groove. We 142 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 1: came up with Academy Pardcam. I just knew I just 143 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 1: had to take over early. It's in the message saying, hey, 144 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: we're ready to play, and if you're gonna be this, 145 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:51,560 Speaker 1: you wanted to play a perfect game. I only doing it. 146 00:08:51,559 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 1: Didn't expected his seventh three pointers. I was in the 147 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:56,640 Speaker 1: groove and I just kept running for the three point 148 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: line and I started handing him. I remember when I 149 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:02,839 Speaker 1: was shooting a round, Oh oh, the academy party came 150 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:07,240 Speaker 1: in and saying there is like by saying all this 151 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: other stuff, and I kind of listen to it real 152 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:12,320 Speaker 1: way in my memory bank. When I came on the court, 153 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:16,079 Speaker 1: I was ready to play. Ready would be an understatement. 154 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:26,680 Speaker 1: He hit those seven three pointers and matched his career 155 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 1: high with fifty points lower Merriyan one. The aces next 156 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: game against Norristown was a different story. It was a 157 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: struggle for the Aces and for Kobe. Norristown was exactly 158 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:43,240 Speaker 1: the kind of team that was built to give him trouble, 159 00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:48,160 Speaker 1: lots of tall, quick, athletic wing players who could harass him, 160 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:51,800 Speaker 1: and they did. Kobe was whipsawed by two emotions after 161 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: the game, joy and annoyance. Joy because lower Merriyan one five, 162 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:01,160 Speaker 1: which meant the Aces were heading to the Palesti for 163 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:05,080 Speaker 1: the district semifinals. Kobe was so joyful, in fact, that 164 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 1: he couldn't contain his emotions. But after the game in 165 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:11,439 Speaker 1: the locker room out crying because the road to the 166 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:13,839 Speaker 1: Palestia seeing a little cloudy at the beginning of the year. 167 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:16,800 Speaker 1: I had no clue what to expect at the beginning 168 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 1: of a year. Our chemistry wasn't there, said me and 169 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:22,560 Speaker 1: Jermaine both was just like, I wish we had Evan, 170 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,800 Speaker 1: I wish we had guys, but to see them come 171 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:29,959 Speaker 1: through the way they did, just like one of the 172 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:32,000 Speaker 1: best fingers in the world to know that we're going 173 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:34,840 Speaker 1: to get back to the Palestia. But then there was 174 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:38,440 Speaker 1: the annoyance or maybe something more than that, because he 175 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 1: had his worst game of the season. He scored only 176 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:45,480 Speaker 1: twenty points, he missed nineteen of his twenty four shots, 177 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 1: and he pictured those Norris Town kids strutting around full 178 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:53,280 Speaker 1: of themselves. Well, we may have lost, but at least 179 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:56,960 Speaker 1: we played awesome defense and the great Kobe Bryant. Yeah, 180 00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:59,559 Speaker 1: he hated that thought, and it was kind of aggravating 181 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:03,880 Speaker 1: because I didn't want Northtown to think that they held 182 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:07,120 Speaker 1: me because they've been it was me and I was 183 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 1: just missing. I then want them to say that, yeah, 184 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:12,960 Speaker 1: we shut down clude Ryan. When the state tournament started, 185 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 1: I wanted them to win and keep winning so we 186 00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:16,679 Speaker 1: could play him again. I can get him fifty sixty 187 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 1: or something like that, just to show him, hey, you 188 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: didn't do what I did. Yes, it had to be 189 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:24,959 Speaker 1: that Kobe had a bad game, not that the Norristown 190 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:27,480 Speaker 1: players were capable of guarding him well enough to shut 191 00:11:27,559 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: him down. In his mind, with his ego, there were 192 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:34,160 Speaker 1: no high school players who were capable of shutting him down. 193 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:36,640 Speaker 1: It was like he couldn't conceive of such a thing. 194 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:40,319 Speaker 1: It also sounded like Kobe was looking ahead a little 195 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:43,800 Speaker 1: bit there, anticipating a rematch in the state tournament with 196 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:47,200 Speaker 1: Norristown before he and the Aces had actually finished the 197 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:50,600 Speaker 1: district tournament. So much for the cliche take him one 198 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,959 Speaker 1: game at a time, but actually there was no way 199 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:56,520 Speaker 1: Kobe was going to look past either of the teams 200 00:11:56,920 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 1: that Lower Marion ended up playing in the district final four. 201 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:03,240 Speaker 1: These were the sorts of games that Kobe always loved, 202 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 1: whether he was playing for the Lower Marion Aces or 203 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:09,600 Speaker 1: the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. They were the 204 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:13,480 Speaker 1: games against the league's best teams and best players Tim 205 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:17,440 Speaker 1: Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs, Alan Iverson and the Sixers, 206 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 1: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and the Celtics, and 207 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:26,800 Speaker 1: the district semifinal game against Coatesville marked Kobe's third game 208 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:33,920 Speaker 1: against one of his earliest NBA rivals, Hambleton Final semence 209 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:41,160 Speaker 1: handed his face two quarters. Just shut it up. There 210 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:43,679 Speaker 1: they get it to Hamilton's. He get it to clean 211 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:49,240 Speaker 1: looking Cary. If it weren't for Kobe Richard Rip, Hamilton's 212 00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:51,959 Speaker 1: would have been considered the best player in the Philadelphia 213 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 1: area in He was thin as a blade, quick as hell, 214 00:12:56,920 --> 00:12:58,720 Speaker 1: able to shoot off the dribble or get to the 215 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 1: basket against any He was heading off to play for 216 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:06,120 Speaker 1: Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun at the University of Connecticut, 217 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 1: where he lead the Huskies to victory in the National 218 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:13,000 Speaker 1: Championship game. Here's a clip of him hitting a buzzer 219 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:16,640 Speaker 1: beater during that n c A tournament. Brother was going 220 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 1: prell mead ten seconds remaining. Yeah. During his junior season, 221 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 1: Kobe had played against Rip and Coatesville twice and had 222 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:45,880 Speaker 1: beaten them twice, once on a buzzer beater in a 223 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,720 Speaker 1: great game at Coatesville won in the district semis. Now 224 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:52,800 Speaker 1: was the rematch, and Kobe knew the game would define 225 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:56,240 Speaker 1: their rival. I was excited because it was a personal, 226 00:13:56,480 --> 00:14:00,640 Speaker 1: personal dual type thing we're to have with People would 227 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:04,360 Speaker 1: say how he can compete with me and he can 228 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:06,680 Speaker 1: give me some word. When people say that, I just 229 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:09,600 Speaker 1: kind of laugh and smile, but think, in the back 230 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 1: of my mind, now I can kill it this guy. 231 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 1: If you had a big game, that he would possibly lose. 232 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:16,560 Speaker 1: But I also knew that I could have a big game. 233 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 1: Eight years later, in two thousand four, Rip would finally 234 00:14:32,200 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 1: get the better of Kobe when his Detroit Pistons wiped 235 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,880 Speaker 1: out the Lakers in five games in the NBA Finals. 236 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:40,880 Speaker 1: Rip even out played Kobe for most of that series, 237 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:46,360 Speaker 1: but not this night, back, not at the palestri Kobe 238 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 1: scored twenty nine points and let a fourth quarter come back, 239 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:53,560 Speaker 1: and the Aces won seventy sixty five. The two of 240 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:56,200 Speaker 1: them talked after the game, and the vibe you get 241 00:14:56,240 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 1: from Kobe is obvious. He likes Rip, He's friends with Rip. 242 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:03,800 Speaker 1: He wishes the best for Rick, but he also wants 243 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:07,320 Speaker 1: to kick rips it to say that one of us 244 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 1: always have to lose, like, yeah, I go yeah, and 245 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:14,120 Speaker 1: uh he said, Uh, how come any time I played 246 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:17,840 Speaker 1: always he would love. I kind of laughed, Well, I 247 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 1: have no clue. I guess I'm more competitive. I guess 248 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:24,000 Speaker 1: I don't. I don't know. I just do whatever it 249 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:29,280 Speaker 1: takes to win. Personally, Yeah, that kind of wished he 250 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 1: was another bracket so he could he could play and 251 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:34,680 Speaker 1: I get to the Bische Championship. I know that's what 252 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:38,760 Speaker 1: he wanted the most, but A should have been another bracket. 253 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:40,400 Speaker 1: I mean, we're in another bracket. We're gonna be in 254 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:43,000 Speaker 1: the championship anyway. Somebody has to take it, and it 255 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: might as well be me. The winnever coachs Fill and 256 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:48,960 Speaker 1: Rip Hamilton's set up another rematch for the Aces, this 257 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:52,440 Speaker 1: time for the district championship, and one more time against 258 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 1: their nemesis, the Chester Clippers. The defending Chaps, the team 259 00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:00,080 Speaker 1: that had destroyed Lower Merian by twenty seven point to 260 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:04,080 Speaker 1: the year before. That loss remained a bitter memory and 261 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 1: had become a motivating factor for Kobe and the entire 262 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:11,760 Speaker 1: Lower Marian program. For Kobe, for all of Lower Marian's 263 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:14,840 Speaker 1: coaches and players, for anyone who paid attention to high 264 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:19,040 Speaker 1: school basketball, Beating Chester would mean that the Aces matter, 265 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:22,720 Speaker 1: that they had earned their championship by knocking off the 266 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:26,480 Speaker 1: district juggernaut. Greg Downer even had warm up shirts made 267 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:29,200 Speaker 1: up with the number twenty seven on them to remind 268 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: everyone on the team that they had lost by twenty 269 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:36,240 Speaker 1: seven points the last time they played Chester. This time, though, 270 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:39,920 Speaker 1: Kobe's teammates entered the game with just as much confidence 271 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 1: as he had. Here's Emery Dabney, who is the Aces 272 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:46,680 Speaker 1: starting point guard. So we haven't building up this big 273 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 1: rivalry for years. And it's funny because it lasted his 274 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:54,080 Speaker 1: day with Chester. So they were kind of like, you know, 275 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:58,280 Speaker 1: Chester kids, kind of intimidating, and um, it was kind 276 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:00,680 Speaker 1: of like, uh, we're sick. We don't care who they 277 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:03,640 Speaker 1: where they're from. We don't care. And at that time 278 00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:05,320 Speaker 1: when I got in there, they were just sticking up 279 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 1: when we didn't care how where they were from. We 280 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:10,640 Speaker 1: didn't care the Chester talk. Whatever that meant. That meant 281 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:13,280 Speaker 1: nothing to us, It made a lot to everyone else. Then, 282 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:21,800 Speaker 1: Kobe spent the days before the game reading through the 283 00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:26,040 Speaker 1: local newspapers searching for motivation, and he found some In 284 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:30,400 Speaker 1: a quote from Chester's head coach Fred Pickett, I knew 285 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:32,159 Speaker 1: that everybody was pumping it up at the end. The 286 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:35,159 Speaker 1: daily was it the daily news at Kobe where his 287 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:38,800 Speaker 1: goods that I was fighting? I mean, but there was 288 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:41,560 Speaker 1: a total inspect to my team because they didn't even 289 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:44,800 Speaker 1: mentioned them, And I can't. I can't take that to heart. 290 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,960 Speaker 1: I know my teammates did. But the whole week was great. 291 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:49,720 Speaker 1: A lot of people come up to me saying, do 292 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:52,200 Speaker 1: you think you're ready for Chester? You think you guys 293 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:53,959 Speaker 1: can be dumb? I think they're better than you want. 294 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:56,439 Speaker 1: A lot of trash on them been going on, especially 295 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,240 Speaker 1: from them, from them in the paper. But I really 296 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:00,840 Speaker 1: didn't expect that was would come out and say what 297 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,720 Speaker 1: he said. I mean, he actually when people say what 298 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:05,359 Speaker 1: you gonna do about Kobe Bryant will say, well, I 299 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:08,640 Speaker 1: won't try to contain him, and you know, things like that. 300 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:11,480 Speaker 1: But hey, but the picket just came out and said 301 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 1: we're gonna shut him down. Period. When did you see that, David? 302 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:18,880 Speaker 1: I said, uh, I saw the day came out. I'm 303 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:20,880 Speaker 1: not swing that when it came out, but I think 304 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:23,000 Speaker 1: it was a couple of days before the game. I 305 00:18:23,119 --> 00:18:24,840 Speaker 1: just kind of looked at it. I was like, a shot, 306 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:27,440 Speaker 1: Why would you give me something like that too? It's 307 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:29,800 Speaker 1: a look forward to, you know. For the first half 308 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:32,119 Speaker 1: of the game, it looked like Pickett was right. The 309 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:34,760 Speaker 1: Clippers led by eight points at the bridge, just like 310 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:37,240 Speaker 1: they had the year before when they blew Lower Marian 311 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:39,920 Speaker 1: out of the building. But Greg Downer made a couple 312 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:43,520 Speaker 1: of coaching adjustments at halftime and Kobe got going offensively. 313 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:46,439 Speaker 1: He sparked a fourteen to one run that put the 314 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:49,919 Speaker 1: Aces in front, and even as a youngster, the Mamba 315 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:53,119 Speaker 1: wasn't above taunting his opponents in a big game. But 316 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:56,080 Speaker 1: the one guy, I think he's twenty one, I think 317 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:58,560 Speaker 1: some las kid. He came in the game and he 318 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:00,679 Speaker 1: I think his coach put on put him on me, 319 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:03,640 Speaker 1: just to provoke me or something. As soon a detecting 320 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:05,520 Speaker 1: the game, ran right to me and started talking to 321 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:08,720 Speaker 1: all this trash. Yeah, col Yeah, you're a pomp, You're 322 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,000 Speaker 1: a punk. I will shut you down saying all this stuff. 323 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:14,120 Speaker 1: I'm just looking at my just smile said, man, I'm 324 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:19,200 Speaker 1: a hundred and temper unguardable. That was so funny because 325 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:21,359 Speaker 1: he just looked at me like yeah right, you ain't, 326 00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 1: you ain't shoot and all this other stuff before Yeah, 327 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:28,800 Speaker 1: I started killing him. Man. I drew like three pounds 328 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:31,159 Speaker 1: on him and uh like the next second you just 329 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:33,880 Speaker 1: heard he was going out of the game. Hey, come 330 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:36,320 Speaker 1: back and the rest of the game. That was funny. 331 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:40,480 Speaker 1: Lower Marian won the game and the district championship comfortable 332 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:45,919 Speaker 1: with three and Kobe stat line was just insane thirty 333 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 1: four points, eleven rebounds, six assists, and nine block shots. 334 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:56,400 Speaker 1: It was great because nobody expected us to win. Were 335 00:19:56,440 --> 00:20:01,480 Speaker 1: the underdogs. I wasn't gonna get a championship, and the 336 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:06,560 Speaker 1: championship with just vote really really good. Who anybody going 337 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 1: the way? That's one of the best films ever. Somebody 338 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:12,439 Speaker 1: says you can't do something, didn't do it. I'm not 339 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:15,000 Speaker 1: sure it's right to say that no one expected lower 340 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:18,160 Speaker 1: Marian to win. I mean, the Aces were seated third 341 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:20,439 Speaker 1: in the district and they had the best player in 342 00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:24,240 Speaker 1: the freaking country. But there was a caveat to that championship, 343 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:26,720 Speaker 1: a reason for Kobe and the Aces to be a 344 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:31,200 Speaker 1: little reserved in how much they celebrated it. Lower Marian 345 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:34,400 Speaker 1: still had the state tournament to play. It wasn't enough 346 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: for Kobe and his teammates just to win a district championship. 347 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 1: Remember what he said in the tape I played at 348 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:43,040 Speaker 1: the beginning of this episode. Throughout the whole time, I 349 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:45,119 Speaker 1: could umer stand now on the state champie, and I 350 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:46,639 Speaker 1: want to be known that the best I only had 351 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:53,600 Speaker 1: the best player the best I want to be known 352 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:57,359 Speaker 1: as the best player on the best team. He and 353 00:20:57,400 --> 00:20:59,640 Speaker 1: the rest of the Aces wanted a state title. Two. 354 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:03,400 Speaker 1: They needed a state title, and it was still possible, 355 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 1: maybe even likely, that they would have to play Chester 356 00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:10,199 Speaker 1: again and have to beat Chester again to win that 357 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:13,720 Speaker 1: state title. And if they couldn't do that, if they 358 00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:17,240 Speaker 1: lost their final game that season, if Kobe lost the 359 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:20,600 Speaker 1: final game of his high school career, he would consider 360 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:38,000 Speaker 1: himself a failure. Hey, this is Mike Selsky, host and 361 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:41,760 Speaker 1: writer of I Am Kobe. This podcast project came out 362 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:44,639 Speaker 1: of my work on a related book called The Rise 363 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:48,360 Speaker 1: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality. If you want 364 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:51,720 Speaker 1: to explore other parts of Kobe's story, check out The Rise. 365 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:54,959 Speaker 1: It's not just a book version of the podcast. I 366 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:57,879 Speaker 1: dive deeper into some of the topics covered in this series, 367 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:01,360 Speaker 1: and even some that we don't cover at all. Kobe's upbringing, 368 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:05,640 Speaker 1: his family, his identity, his effect on his friends and teammates, 369 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:08,200 Speaker 1: his journey into the n b A, and his earliest 370 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:11,879 Speaker 1: days with the Lakers. The Rise Kobe Bryant and the 371 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:15,280 Speaker 1: Pursuit of Immortality is out now. Just head over to 372 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:19,200 Speaker 1: the Rise of Kobe book dot com and you can 373 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:22,679 Speaker 1: buy it from any of your favorite retailers. That's the 374 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:49,679 Speaker 1: Rise of Kobe Book dot Com. Thanks so now. The 375 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:52,600 Speaker 1: Aces are in the state tournament. They coasted through their 376 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:55,359 Speaker 1: first three games, which were so one sided that they 377 00:22:55,359 --> 00:22:58,560 Speaker 1: were worth In fact, the most interesting thing about them 378 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:01,960 Speaker 1: was the hoop blow that surrounded Kobe. People around the 379 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:05,160 Speaker 1: country knew who he was. They'd heard about it, read 380 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:08,240 Speaker 1: about it, and wanted to see him. They packed every 381 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:11,120 Speaker 1: gym he was in. Here's a good example of how 382 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:14,720 Speaker 1: crazy he's got. In the second round, Lower Marian played 383 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:17,840 Speaker 1: Scranton High School. Scranton was happy just to be in 384 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:19,920 Speaker 1: the second round of the tournament. They'd beat in the 385 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,560 Speaker 1: higher seeded team in the first round, but even they 386 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:24,879 Speaker 1: didn't expect themselves to hang with the likes of Lower 387 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:28,399 Speaker 1: Marian or Chester. During one of his interviews with Jeremy Treaty. 388 00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:31,119 Speaker 1: Kobe talked about how he approached such an a poem 389 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 1: right down the bus. I kind of thought that this 390 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:35,479 Speaker 1: team might be easily in tim and simply because they 391 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:37,760 Speaker 1: came over a big upset and I knew that they 392 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:40,159 Speaker 1: were gonna be very excited about that and come in 393 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:43,119 Speaker 1: visiting team like us. I knew that they could be 394 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:46,560 Speaker 1: in SIMD. Plus they're very young, and when I loved 395 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 1: at Exam and it's around their way amy a nice 396 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:53,879 Speaker 1: little partible and I had to start playing talking about 397 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:56,960 Speaker 1: how he dreamed about the day that he could call 398 00:23:57,080 --> 00:23:59,160 Speaker 1: me and come out and play against me and things 399 00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:01,520 Speaker 1: like that, and they said, just a dream come true. 400 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:03,399 Speaker 1: And he said, well, I really looked up to him. 401 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:05,320 Speaker 1: I know I can't spout a little thing like that. 402 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,359 Speaker 1: And I said, oh my god, I got you. I said, 403 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:11,160 Speaker 1: I said, man like a shot. When he smells blood 404 00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:13,680 Speaker 1: the war, he's gonna he's gonna laughing. We're gonna attack it. 405 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:17,240 Speaker 1: I knew that he was looked up to me like that. 406 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:19,800 Speaker 1: I knew he was open. I just went a half 407 00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:22,240 Speaker 1: so that of my whole time team because they knew 408 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 1: and they won't that's an understanding the Aces scored the 409 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:29,640 Speaker 1: first twenty two points of the game. Kobe threw down 410 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:31,840 Speaker 1: a few dunks and blocked a few shots. It was 411 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:36,320 Speaker 1: complete domination. The final score was seventy nine thirty nine. 412 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:40,040 Speaker 1: But that wasn't the strange part. This was the strange part. 413 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:44,920 Speaker 1: After the game, every single Scranton player lined up on 414 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:49,240 Speaker 1: the court and asked Kobe for his autograph. It's pretty 415 00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 1: cool so that the course he's compete all you were 416 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:54,399 Speaker 1: up the court. His life at the basketball, you know. 417 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:56,840 Speaker 1: But it was good. I kind of weird at first. 418 00:24:57,480 --> 00:24:59,880 Speaker 1: My god, he just blowing you out out. I'm saying 419 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,719 Speaker 1: nothing to be upset at this smile. And it's not exactly, 420 00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:08,160 Speaker 1: but Julia, does that sound like a high school basketball 421 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,000 Speaker 1: player to you? To me, it sounds like a polished 422 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:15,240 Speaker 1: performer who's already accustomed to dealing with the public, an actor, 423 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:18,960 Speaker 1: a talk show host, a professional athlete. It sounds like 424 00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 1: Kobe at seven or thirty seven. It doesn't sound like 425 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 1: a seventeen year old kid, which is what Kobe was. 426 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:29,840 Speaker 1: Just like they expected. Kobe and his teammates got their 427 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:34,080 Speaker 1: rematch with Chester in the state semifinals at the Palestra 428 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:37,640 Speaker 1: the day before that game. They were having a lousy, 429 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:42,240 Speaker 1: sluggish practice. Greg Downer was ticked, so was Kobe. He 430 00:25:42,359 --> 00:25:44,640 Speaker 1: figured if anybody could light a fire under the team. 431 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:49,560 Speaker 1: But he's just kind of going through the motions, right shots, 432 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:53,040 Speaker 1: not conscience rating, not running these greens hard, and not 433 00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:55,919 Speaker 1: satting a man. You can tell you that course down 434 00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:58,480 Speaker 1: it was getting little agivated, and I was getting agivated too. 435 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:01,360 Speaker 1: I tried to this team, um, getting this team going, 436 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:04,680 Speaker 1: I'm start getting going out of me a while, and uh, 437 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:08,280 Speaker 1: we're going to drill. I've been the bar up against Leo. 438 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 1: The Leo Kobe was referring to. There was Leo Stacey, 439 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:14,840 Speaker 1: one of the shortest kids on the team, one of 440 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:17,320 Speaker 1: the last kids on the bench. I try to pull 441 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:20,440 Speaker 1: back and cross over, and he reached them and his 442 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 1: head came in with his head and buttons here, bumping 443 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:26,520 Speaker 1: right on my nose. And uh, at first I thought 444 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:28,240 Speaker 1: it was in the groove. Now you get bumping your 445 00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:31,720 Speaker 1: nose and to y'all, I started ordering, Oh well, I thought, 446 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:35,160 Speaker 1: my nose, get up, start playing some more. I bought 447 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:38,040 Speaker 1: my nose. I go to my end up just blast, 448 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:39,960 Speaker 1: I'm coming out. I'm like, oh my god, he going 449 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:42,959 Speaker 1: on and had I never broke my nose before. Are 450 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:45,359 Speaker 1: the blood he started gusting. I just laid on the 451 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:47,440 Speaker 1: floor and I just changed to myself. God, man, I 452 00:26:47,520 --> 00:27:10,600 Speaker 1: hope I can play this game. Let's take a moment 453 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 1: and understand what happened here. The day before the biggest 454 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:17,680 Speaker 1: game of his team season, the biggest game of his 455 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:21,960 Speaker 1: life to this point, Kobe Bryant collided with a teammate 456 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:26,040 Speaker 1: and broke his notes. Consider the panic that must have 457 00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:29,359 Speaker 1: run through every coach and every player on the team, 458 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:34,040 Speaker 1: And consider the pressure that those coaches and players already 459 00:27:34,119 --> 00:27:37,920 Speaker 1: felt before Kobe got hurt. Greg Down or the team's 460 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:41,560 Speaker 1: head coach, was definitely feeling. You know, I don't know 461 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:46,920 Speaker 1: what people's exterior expectations were, but you know, I knew 462 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:50,159 Speaker 1: that we wanted to go out with the gold medal, 463 00:27:50,359 --> 00:27:52,600 Speaker 1: and you know, I knew that's what the kids wanted, 464 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:57,600 Speaker 1: that's what Kobe wanted. Um. And there's two pressures there. 465 00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:00,280 Speaker 1: There's a pressure of trying to figure out, which I 466 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:02,760 Speaker 1: spent my whole career doing, how to get through very 467 00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:08,119 Speaker 1: difficult Chester teams, and um, you know, the pressure of 468 00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:13,080 Speaker 1: kind of leading Kobe Bryant. So it was kind of 469 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:17,159 Speaker 1: like a mix of those two pressures. And I mean, 470 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:20,000 Speaker 1: I think I think I handled it okay. And you know, 471 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:25,920 Speaker 1: in retrospect, I'm probably glad there wasn't the craziness of 472 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:30,280 Speaker 1: the internet and social media that would have just put 473 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:37,440 Speaker 1: another magnifying layer on this, probably similar to the to 474 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:43,480 Speaker 1: the career that that you saw Lemron James have. That 475 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:46,400 Speaker 1: practice was the only one that Mike Egan missed over 476 00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:49,080 Speaker 1: the two years that he coached Kobe at Lower Merian. 477 00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:52,120 Speaker 1: He was in Dallas on a business trip. He called 478 00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:54,720 Speaker 1: down Her for an update, and Downer told him about 479 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:58,080 Speaker 1: Kobe's injury ago. It was supposed to be a fairly light, 480 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:02,600 Speaker 1: easy on our workout, almost a you know, a step 481 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:05,120 Speaker 1: a bubble walk through to get ready for Chester. And 482 00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:10,480 Speaker 1: he told me they Leo Stacy broke Kobe's nose. And 483 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:15,160 Speaker 1: I I just said what? Three times? I think I 484 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 1: said what. Leo Stacy was the smallest guy on the 485 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:19,960 Speaker 1: team to broke his nose. They want to hear it 486 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:21,360 Speaker 1: broke his nose. I feel like they got in a 487 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:35,160 Speaker 1: fight or something. But if Egan thought Kobe's injury might 488 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:38,720 Speaker 1: ruin the Aces season, he also missed the sign that 489 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:41,720 Speaker 1: should have told everyone in the lower Marian program that 490 00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:45,280 Speaker 1: they had nothing to worry about. Kobe was still standing 491 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:47,560 Speaker 1: at mid court, and the trainer told him that he 492 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:50,920 Speaker 1: had to leave practice to get checked out. Jeremy Treaton 493 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 1: was standing there next to Kobe, and what happened next 494 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:57,000 Speaker 1: is a story that still gets told among Kobe's coaches 495 00:29:57,400 --> 00:30:01,240 Speaker 1: and teammates. It's almost like a myth, except it's true. 496 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:04,600 Speaker 1: Kobe was holding a towel to his face with his 497 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:10,240 Speaker 1: right hand. He said, ball. Someone bounced past a basketball team. 498 00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:13,320 Speaker 1: He caught it and held it with his left hand. 499 00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:17,120 Speaker 1: Then he turned to treat I remember I got up. 500 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:20,640 Speaker 1: I say that I bet you I can leave this shot. 501 00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 1: I left hand. Truth, I had a town, a town. 502 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,680 Speaker 1: My right hand. I hold no blood coming down on 503 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:32,640 Speaker 1: my nose, I told her, Jeremy John, I bet you 504 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:37,600 Speaker 1: fought out shot. My left hand shot it one handed, 505 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:43,719 Speaker 1: left handed from half court with a broken nose. Kobe 506 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:49,520 Speaker 1: swished the shot was still. I never doubted, you said, 507 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:53,320 Speaker 1: I never clacked your own. It's cool. It's cool. It's cool. 508 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:56,760 Speaker 1: I knew it was. But I want to get out 509 00:30:56,760 --> 00:31:01,400 Speaker 1: there back some more. Uh ohays my cups. I haven't father, 510 00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:04,040 Speaker 1: I want to get out there and working my game 511 00:31:04,080 --> 00:31:06,160 Speaker 1: a little bit, but I don't want to let me coach. 512 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:08,800 Speaker 1: You want to let me. I was kind of set 513 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 1: the whole night. I could work in my game, but 514 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:19,000 Speaker 1: I didn't get a mad Man's kids, right, Bob, nothing 515 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:24,800 Speaker 1: raise about a hundred and nothing parents. Uh. But he 516 00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:26,920 Speaker 1: has tremendous heart, but he's just like the little skit 517 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: on the team. And him to break my nose, it's 518 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,600 Speaker 1: not so funny when people see me in school. Oh 519 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:36,000 Speaker 1: cool rapp who woke nose? I see Leo got laughing 520 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:40,400 Speaker 1: by right. The shot was amazing, but it didn't change 521 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:43,920 Speaker 1: the fact that Kobe's nose was still broken. The thinking 522 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:46,360 Speaker 1: was that he would have to wear a mask during 523 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:53,760 Speaker 1: the game against Chester to protect his face, but Mike 524 00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:56,920 Speaker 1: Egan told me that presented its own set of potential problems. 525 00:31:57,320 --> 00:32:00,240 Speaker 1: By wearing a mask, Kobe would be telegraphing he was 526 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:04,200 Speaker 1: hurt and he wasn't a UM. And then we talked about, 527 00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:08,000 Speaker 1: you know how dangerous that could be against um. You know, 528 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:11,480 Speaker 1: a team like like Chester because they smell blood in 529 00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:13,200 Speaker 1: the water that you know they were coming after you. 530 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:15,040 Speaker 1: Not that they would be dirty about it, but it's just, 531 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:18,720 Speaker 1: you know, psychologically, it would make us look weak. So 532 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:21,920 Speaker 1: Kobe had a solution to that conundrum. In the locker 533 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:24,600 Speaker 1: room before the game. He took off the mask and 534 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:28,560 Speaker 1: chucked it against the wall. He would play without. I 535 00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:30,880 Speaker 1: think he didn't want to give up any edge. He 536 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 1: was such an advanced kid psychologically, but you didn't wear it. 537 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:47,760 Speaker 1: They never know about Chester. The polesto was passed. Nearly 538 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:50,760 Speaker 1: nine thousand people were to see the best high school 539 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:54,800 Speaker 1: basketball player in Pennsylvania against what most people believe was 540 00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:58,880 Speaker 1: the best high school basketball program in Pennsylvania, and the 541 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:02,200 Speaker 1: game lived up to its billing as the most anticipated 542 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:05,480 Speaker 1: of the year, type most of the way. Chester up 543 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:08,920 Speaker 1: by two at halftime, lower Marian taking a late leave, 544 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:11,920 Speaker 1: Chester coming back to tie it at the end of regulation, 545 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:15,480 Speaker 1: Back and forth, back and forth. It was as good 546 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:19,080 Speaker 1: as basketball gets at any level. The game went to 547 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:23,800 Speaker 1: overtime and Kobe went to another level. He finished with 548 00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:27,080 Speaker 1: thirty nine points, scoring twenty of them in the fourth 549 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:30,560 Speaker 1: quarter and the extra five minutes of play. With lower 550 00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:34,040 Speaker 1: Marian up by seven. In the closing seconds, he dribbled 551 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:36,360 Speaker 1: from one end of the court to the other, through 552 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:40,560 Speaker 1: all five Chester players and hammered down a tomahawk dunk 553 00:33:40,960 --> 00:33:44,320 Speaker 1: as he was found. Greg Downer called it the defining 554 00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:47,800 Speaker 1: moment of Kobe's high school career and in the entire 555 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:52,040 Speaker 1: history of Lower Marian's program. Robbie Schwartz watched it from 556 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:55,680 Speaker 1: the bench and marveled at his friend and teammate. When 557 00:33:55,720 --> 00:33:58,840 Speaker 1: he went coast to coast and Dunctin got fouled. It 558 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:01,880 Speaker 1: was like in a rumption. I mean, like the sound, 559 00:34:02,120 --> 00:34:04,760 Speaker 1: like those sounds, I can I can close my eyes 560 00:34:05,160 --> 00:34:08,800 Speaker 1: and I can heal the the energy in the Palestia. 561 00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:16,760 Speaker 1: Twenty five years and Robbie still hangs onto that memory. 562 00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:19,680 Speaker 1: He can still see it crystal clear in his mind. 563 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:23,160 Speaker 1: That was the effect that Kobe had on his teammates. 564 00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:43,440 Speaker 1: Kobe and the ace Is now viewed a state championship 565 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:46,920 Speaker 1: as their destiny. They thought they were unstoppable, and they 566 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:58,920 Speaker 1: said so. The game would be held in Hershey, the 567 00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:02,720 Speaker 1: same small city, the same arena, even where Wilt Chamberlain 568 00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:06,760 Speaker 1: had once cemented his basketball legend by scoring one points 569 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:10,239 Speaker 1: in a game for the Philadelphia Warriors. Kobe stood up 570 00:35:10,239 --> 00:35:12,960 Speaker 1: at a pep rally and all but guaranteed that the 571 00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:17,040 Speaker 1: Aces would come home with a Trophy. The task wasn't 572 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:19,880 Speaker 1: going to be quite that simple, though. Lower Marian had 573 00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:23,879 Speaker 1: to play Erie Cathedral Prep from the northwest side of Pennsylvania. 574 00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:27,840 Speaker 1: Erie Prepp was a strong, sound team with a good tradition, 575 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:31,240 Speaker 1: and it was unlike any team Kobe and the Aces 576 00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:35,080 Speaker 1: had faced that season. Here's Mike Egan, he played Erie 577 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:38,800 Speaker 1: Cathedral UM. That was the first team we played that 578 00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:44,799 Speaker 1: had like an old school type of basketball program where 579 00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:49,719 Speaker 1: they played great defense, they moved the ball on offense, 580 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:53,880 Speaker 1: they didn't do what we wanted them to do offensively. 581 00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:57,960 Speaker 1: Big part of our system at Law Marian was trying 582 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:00,880 Speaker 1: to speed up. We had an athletic team with with 583 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:03,760 Speaker 1: a great shop blocker and Kobe you know under the basket. 584 00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:06,320 Speaker 1: We wanted to speed teams up, force him to a side, 585 00:36:06,920 --> 00:36:08,880 Speaker 1: make them do something more quickly than they wanted to. 586 00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:13,279 Speaker 1: And they were the first team that didn't do what 587 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:15,480 Speaker 1: we wanted them to do, which is a really well coached, 588 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:19,879 Speaker 1: good team. And I think UM just that slowness kind 589 00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:24,000 Speaker 1: of the game, not UM. It's like a boxing match 590 00:36:24,080 --> 00:36:26,400 Speaker 1: where one guy wants to dictate the pace and the 591 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:29,280 Speaker 1: other boxer won't let them. They wouldn't let us dictate 592 00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:31,719 Speaker 1: the pace and we weren't used to that. Cathedral Prep 593 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:34,759 Speaker 1: meets Laura Marian in the State Quad A Final. The 594 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:37,200 Speaker 1: Ramblers are making their third appearance in Hershey in the 595 00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:40,440 Speaker 1: past four years. Laura Marian beach her six six senior 596 00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:42,840 Speaker 1: Kobe Bryant, considered by many to be in the nation's 597 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:46,799 Speaker 1: top high school player. It's eat versus wet. One team 598 00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:49,480 Speaker 1: will leave Chocolate Collin with the title. And you'll see 599 00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:51,640 Speaker 1: here he Prepp got out to a seven nothing lead 600 00:36:51,719 --> 00:36:53,960 Speaker 1: in the game, and Kobe and the Aces had a 601 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:58,360 Speaker 1: bigger problem than the game's pace. The basketball was incredibly 602 00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:02,040 Speaker 1: slipper over code. He had trouble gripping it, dribbling it, 603 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:05,520 Speaker 1: shooting it. He didn't score a single point in the 604 00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:10,680 Speaker 1: first The bow is so so slimply, man, I mean 605 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:13,239 Speaker 1: it really was. Be thick at the bulls is a 606 00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:16,960 Speaker 1: little bit slippery. Uh plays to deal with it. Lay 607 00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:23,040 Speaker 1: start that we played live when we did myself, Oh, 608 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:26,560 Speaker 1: we had a little bow like going between our legs, 609 00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:28,400 Speaker 1: coming around our back and doing little things like got 610 00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:31,719 Speaker 1: crossing over, pulling up in the dome. It was like 611 00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:35,920 Speaker 1: a hard pool, that little slippery ball like that. Guys poundball, 612 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:40,560 Speaker 1: counterball pass pound pound pass able. They sucking point shots, 613 00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:42,760 Speaker 1: the scoop the bus don't want to be a factor 614 00:37:43,360 --> 00:37:48,040 Speaker 1: for us, and slipping everywhere now very very pissed off, 615 00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:51,200 Speaker 1: very good which was a very bigger game. And I 616 00:37:51,239 --> 00:37:54,320 Speaker 1: totally referee. He do stick, he said, I wipe it 617 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:59,480 Speaker 1: off the tip resolute phillis slip tell us stick. I 618 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:08,400 Speaker 1: can't do it. So Kobe got creative. Lower Marian's trainer 619 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:11,239 Speaker 1: had a can of adhesive spray that she would apply 620 00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:16,759 Speaker 1: to a player's ankle before taping him up. Kobe took 621 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:20,279 Speaker 1: the can and sprayed the stuff on his hands. He 622 00:38:20,440 --> 00:38:22,919 Speaker 1: was like Spiderman. Now he could catch the ball without 623 00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:27,399 Speaker 1: even closing his hands. First time he touched the ball 624 00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:30,560 Speaker 1: in the second quarter, Bang, he had a turnaround jumper 625 00:38:30,640 --> 00:38:33,480 Speaker 1: on the baseline. Check Out this clip from W I 626 00:38:33,680 --> 00:38:38,120 Speaker 1: T F in Harris Ball. Emory Dappy has the basketball 627 00:38:38,200 --> 00:38:44,359 Speaker 1: dapple halt that's black springs from the baseline by girl 628 00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:46,920 Speaker 1: family and filling it right over top of you and 629 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:49,759 Speaker 1: look it in your face. Bryant practices, as we said, 630 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:52,320 Speaker 1: with the Sixers, and they said when he practiced the Sixers, 631 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:55,400 Speaker 1: there wasn't a noticeable difference the way he played compared 632 00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:59,000 Speaker 1: to the pro still lower Marin trailed Eerie Prep by six. 633 00:38:59,080 --> 00:39:02,320 Speaker 1: At halftime. The Aces confidence was shaking a bit, so 634 00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:04,920 Speaker 1: Greg Downer pulled out all the stops to try to 635 00:39:05,040 --> 00:39:08,680 Speaker 1: inspire his players. Let's listen to Kobe describe what happened 636 00:39:08,719 --> 00:39:12,680 Speaker 1: in the locker a half time. Anybody's day down because 637 00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:15,440 Speaker 1: the style, the start that they were playing with very 638 00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:18,560 Speaker 1: questions because we're pressure and we're up in the time 639 00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:21,759 Speaker 1: doing everything right, but the pressure wasn't getting to you. 640 00:39:22,719 --> 00:39:26,640 Speaker 1: And I remember, man, they're gonna crack. There's no way ahead. 641 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:29,880 Speaker 1: Everything understand our question for the whole time. Game he's 642 00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:32,719 Speaker 1: got and I knew that the main new list of 643 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:35,279 Speaker 1: the players understood that the coach got it. Came to 644 00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:39,600 Speaker 1: the locker room game, Uh, took off his shoes and 645 00:39:39,680 --> 00:39:42,560 Speaker 1: put the sleepers. I said, we're going to war. I did, 646 00:39:43,040 --> 00:39:45,759 Speaker 1: you got better be ready? I said, I when the 647 00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:48,480 Speaker 1: big game, I was run out on the court and 648 00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:50,239 Speaker 1: I'm gonna jump around there like a man man with 649 00:39:50,360 --> 00:39:53,200 Speaker 1: my das And he did, and he did, and that 650 00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:55,200 Speaker 1: he did. But that kind of kind of sad that 651 00:39:55,280 --> 00:39:58,040 Speaker 1: the message, so hey, man, are we in a championship games. 652 00:39:58,600 --> 00:40:00,759 Speaker 1: How could we play like this? I gotta stepping up 653 00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:06,160 Speaker 1: another back. We knew that every big game you stepping 654 00:40:06,239 --> 00:40:14,560 Speaker 1: up in the quarter. It came out that the requarter right, 655 00:40:15,880 --> 00:40:18,759 Speaker 1: and that was all right. So I knew that you 656 00:40:18,840 --> 00:40:22,040 Speaker 1: got a full point. We're not going to turn back 657 00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:27,200 Speaker 1: the time. It wasn't really all, she wrote. Erie Prepp 658 00:40:27,280 --> 00:40:29,360 Speaker 1: actually came back to take a two point lead in 659 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:32,160 Speaker 1: the fourth quarter and Kobe had to sink too late 660 00:40:32,239 --> 00:40:35,719 Speaker 1: foul shots to tie the game. If he missed one 661 00:40:35,880 --> 00:40:39,120 Speaker 1: or both, Lower Marion would probably have lost the game. 662 00:40:40,040 --> 00:40:43,040 Speaker 1: Here's another clip from w I t F of him 663 00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:47,560 Speaker 1: taking and making those shots. Well be Bryant six foot 664 00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:51,920 Speaker 1: six senior right out of the one ball team took 665 00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:54,160 Speaker 1: bought us the rest of the way. The shot around 666 00:40:54,440 --> 00:40:58,239 Speaker 1: and drops him up about a shooter's wall. You get 667 00:40:58,320 --> 00:41:00,640 Speaker 1: that facts been on good action as you look at 668 00:41:00,680 --> 00:41:03,480 Speaker 1: the other side, the best break downer. He has a 669 00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:06,640 Speaker 1: note of concern at this point, but believes brothers sitting 670 00:41:06,680 --> 00:41:09,200 Speaker 1: to his level. There the growth the hydration earlier, and 671 00:41:09,280 --> 00:41:12,040 Speaker 1: he is bad back from the hospital, did say Bryan 672 00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:17,440 Speaker 1: Swish at forty womagap. In the end, Kobe helped quench 673 00:41:17,480 --> 00:41:20,320 Speaker 1: the victory for the Aces. But what was ironic was 674 00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:23,839 Speaker 1: he didn't do it by score. Instead, he grabbed an 675 00:41:23,880 --> 00:41:27,200 Speaker 1: important defensive rebound and through a long pass up court 676 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:31,080 Speaker 1: to his teammate Omar Hatcher for a layer. Lex Drives 677 00:41:31,120 --> 00:41:33,960 Speaker 1: at thirty seconds left left the chart rebound battle for 678 00:41:34,560 --> 00:41:38,040 Speaker 1: still on the deck, backing away by comby Bryant right 679 00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:41,080 Speaker 1: out of the open floor. It off all my all, 680 00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:46,960 Speaker 1: that made Felix profession game. But here comes Beast seconds 681 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:49,839 Speaker 1: to go. He carried it over. That was it. They 682 00:41:49,880 --> 00:41:52,560 Speaker 1: had done it. It had been a tough game, an 683 00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:56,920 Speaker 1: ugly game, a low scoring game, Lower Marrying forty ere 684 00:41:56,960 --> 00:42:00,080 Speaker 1: hee Prept. Three, but it was a win. Just the 685 00:42:00,160 --> 00:42:03,880 Speaker 1: scene there. Twenty six in a row, Kobe Bryant and 686 00:42:03,960 --> 00:42:08,200 Speaker 1: the Lower Marian Aces were state champions. Here's a clip 687 00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:11,520 Speaker 1: of the game's immediate aftermath from w I t A 688 00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:14,040 Speaker 1: what a tremendous game at Urshey Park and ran up 689 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:16,840 Speaker 1: the Lower Marian bands of already under the banner that 690 00:42:16,880 --> 00:42:21,319 Speaker 1: says Lower Marian eight six state champs and that ends 691 00:42:21,560 --> 00:42:25,000 Speaker 1: a fifty three year grout for Lower Marion. Their last 692 00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:28,320 Speaker 1: state basketball title game in nineteen forty three. But the 693 00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:30,960 Speaker 1: grout is over as Kobe Bryant and the Lower Marion 694 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:34,839 Speaker 1: Aces defeat every cathedral breath forty eight, forty three when 695 00:42:34,920 --> 00:42:37,879 Speaker 1: the FADA state title, Jenn Garrett just saw Great Blind 696 00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:42,000 Speaker 1: and Mama Father Jelly being Joel Bryant son Koby embracing 697 00:42:42,239 --> 00:42:48,520 Speaker 1: on the side pleasant the game was over. I couldn't 698 00:42:48,560 --> 00:42:54,879 Speaker 1: believe it. I turned around, running up in the air 699 00:42:54,920 --> 00:42:57,120 Speaker 1: and number one over the age crazy. I'm like, oh 700 00:42:57,200 --> 00:43:03,200 Speaker 1: my god. When the State I remember going around my 701 00:43:03,320 --> 00:43:05,600 Speaker 1: dad came out of nowhere. I was up but they 702 00:43:05,640 --> 00:43:08,320 Speaker 1: had only ride there. I couldn't get up there my family. 703 00:43:09,560 --> 00:43:11,200 Speaker 1: I turned around this thing. I know my dad was 704 00:43:11,239 --> 00:43:13,560 Speaker 1: down there. I was like, oh man, I gave m 705 00:43:13,560 --> 00:43:16,280 Speaker 1: a night lub and was like, man, I probably didn't. 706 00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:22,400 Speaker 1: He knew that I wanted to do. Mike Egan watched 707 00:43:22,480 --> 00:43:25,560 Speaker 1: Kobe and Joe share that hug, and he told me 708 00:43:25,640 --> 00:43:27,880 Speaker 1: it seemed to last a full minute with it, that 709 00:43:28,000 --> 00:43:30,480 Speaker 1: it seemed like they'd never let each other go where 710 00:43:31,200 --> 00:43:34,359 Speaker 1: um where they had such an incredible bond and they've 711 00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:37,400 Speaker 1: been through so much together. The other time they spent Italy. 712 00:43:37,640 --> 00:43:40,840 Speaker 1: The whole journey here helping Kobe get to this level 713 00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:43,719 Speaker 1: and to win a state championship, which is the you know, 714 00:43:43,840 --> 00:43:47,239 Speaker 1: the ultimate for a high school basketball player. Um, it 715 00:43:47,360 --> 00:43:50,560 Speaker 1: was just a great, great moment there. I remember Kobe 716 00:43:50,719 --> 00:43:54,840 Speaker 1: giving me a hug and embracing me and saying, you know, 717 00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:57,320 Speaker 1: he's kept saying thank you. He was such an amazing 718 00:43:57,680 --> 00:44:00,960 Speaker 1: guy in the sense that he he allies like you 719 00:44:01,040 --> 00:44:05,400 Speaker 1: can get individual greatness on your own, but it's not 720 00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:08,920 Speaker 1: nearly as fun or rewarding, and it's impossible to get 721 00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:11,920 Speaker 1: team greatness without contributions from a lot of different people. 722 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:15,920 Speaker 1: So his graciousness and his thankfulness to me and I'm 723 00:44:15,920 --> 00:44:19,319 Speaker 1: sure all the other teammates and coaches was really something 724 00:44:19,560 --> 00:44:40,439 Speaker 1: something cool from him. Kobe Bryant's four years at Lower 725 00:44:40,480 --> 00:44:42,960 Speaker 1: Merion High School marked the start of a new era 726 00:44:43,160 --> 00:44:46,239 Speaker 1: for the school's basketball program. The sport had been an 727 00:44:46,280 --> 00:44:49,400 Speaker 1: afterthought at the school before he got there. It has 728 00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:54,920 Speaker 1: been a point of pride ever since. In the twenty 729 00:44:55,200 --> 00:44:58,880 Speaker 1: years since Kobe left, the Aces had just two losing seasons, 730 00:44:59,239 --> 00:45:02,920 Speaker 1: and they've won two more state championships. Greg Danner likes 731 00:45:02,960 --> 00:45:04,839 Speaker 1: to say that Kobe taught them all how to win, 732 00:45:05,400 --> 00:45:08,640 Speaker 1: that he established a standard that every coach and player 733 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:12,040 Speaker 1: has been trying to match ever since. The one thing 734 00:45:12,120 --> 00:45:15,360 Speaker 1: that the Aces hadn't done since Kobe graduated, though, was 735 00:45:15,440 --> 00:45:20,880 Speaker 1: win another district championship, not until this year, one year 736 00:45:20,920 --> 00:45:26,960 Speaker 1: after his death, twenty five years after Kobe had years. 737 00:45:27,239 --> 00:45:29,200 Speaker 1: And there were some neat things about it, you know, 738 00:45:29,360 --> 00:45:32,759 Speaker 1: the due to COVID. The district final was in our gym, 739 00:45:33,880 --> 00:45:37,799 Speaker 1: which is very unusual. Um, but it it was good. 740 00:45:37,840 --> 00:45:42,200 Speaker 1: And I think, um, you know, coming off of Kobe's passing, 741 00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:45,719 Speaker 1: you know, for us to get ourselves together and play 742 00:45:45,840 --> 00:45:50,719 Speaker 1: good basketball and have that connection with his ball club 743 00:45:50,920 --> 00:45:53,200 Speaker 1: is good. And I said to the kids, like, you 744 00:45:53,280 --> 00:45:55,080 Speaker 1: look around this gym like it's it's it must be 745 00:45:55,280 --> 00:45:59,000 Speaker 1: very difficult, daunting to say to yourself, like how do 746 00:45:59,080 --> 00:46:02,200 Speaker 1: how do you get up onto this wall? Like as 747 00:46:02,239 --> 00:46:04,399 Speaker 1: a player, like, you know, do you have to score 748 00:46:04,480 --> 00:46:06,680 Speaker 1: thousand points? You have to be a state champion, you 749 00:46:06,760 --> 00:46:09,440 Speaker 1: have to be a district champion. And we told the 750 00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:11,839 Speaker 1: kids like, if you win that district championship, like you're 751 00:46:11,880 --> 00:46:15,239 Speaker 1: you're going up onto the wall. And that's kind of 752 00:46:15,400 --> 00:46:19,359 Speaker 1: becoming a very special thing to to get yourself up 753 00:46:19,440 --> 00:46:23,279 Speaker 1: onto that wall, which is just you know, flooded with 754 00:46:23,520 --> 00:46:40,440 Speaker 1: amazing players. And iconic memories. Kobe Bryant was that wall's 755 00:46:40,520 --> 00:46:44,239 Speaker 1: first brick. That's true as a metaphor, and that's true 756 00:46:44,280 --> 00:46:48,600 Speaker 1: in reality. He helped fund its construction. It's called Kobe 757 00:46:48,680 --> 00:46:52,239 Speaker 1: Bryant Gymnasium. His name will be on it forever and 758 00:46:52,400 --> 00:46:56,600 Speaker 1: connected to Lower Merion forever. That's his basketball legacy at 759 00:46:56,640 --> 00:46:59,680 Speaker 1: his high school. That was the public side of Kobe 760 00:46:59,760 --> 00:47:02,880 Speaker 1: as a young maid. He was starting to become a celebrity, 761 00:47:03,360 --> 00:47:06,040 Speaker 1: and he was starting to learn how to handle the 762 00:47:06,160 --> 00:47:09,920 Speaker 1: fame that would only grow as his career progressed. In 763 00:47:09,960 --> 00:47:13,200 Speaker 1: the next episode, I'll explore that side of Kobe Bryant, 764 00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:18,160 Speaker 1: the young man thrust into extremely rarefied circumstances, the kind 765 00:47:18,239 --> 00:47:21,520 Speaker 1: that can change a person forever for the better and 766 00:47:21,680 --> 00:47:25,279 Speaker 1: sometimes for the worst. A side of Kobe that only 767 00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:29,440 Speaker 1: so many people got to see. And all the classmates 768 00:47:29,480 --> 00:47:32,160 Speaker 1: who are they're bad mouth and the whole thing get 769 00:47:32,200 --> 00:47:34,640 Speaker 1: in there and like, oh, can we have a picture 770 00:47:34,680 --> 00:47:36,640 Speaker 1: with you? You know, can we get caught? And we 771 00:47:36,760 --> 00:47:40,080 Speaker 1: talked to you? And I'm like, you know, bottom of face, 772 00:47:43,239 --> 00:47:49,320 Speaker 1: I don't, I don't know. That's next week on I 773 00:47:49,440 --> 00:48:17,520 Speaker 1: Am Kobe. I Am Kobe is a production of the 774 00:48:17,640 --> 00:48:21,920 Speaker 1: Version podcasts in association with I Heart Radio. This season 775 00:48:22,080 --> 00:48:25,560 Speaker 1: is written and hosted by me Mike Sealsky. It's produced 776 00:48:25,600 --> 00:48:29,680 Speaker 1: by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Story editing 777 00:48:29,719 --> 00:48:34,440 Speaker 1: by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman, Editing, 778 00:48:34,560 --> 00:48:38,320 Speaker 1: mixing and sound design by Mark Francis. Stephen Tompkins is 779 00:48:38,320 --> 00:48:42,440 Speaker 1: our production assistant. Our theme music is Create Yourself by 780 00:48:42,520 --> 00:48:47,320 Speaker 1: Grover Brown featuring Justin Starling Find create Yourself wherever you 781 00:48:47,440 --> 00:48:52,680 Speaker 1: stream of music. Music supervisor is Scott Velasquez for Fresan Sinc. 782 00:48:53,640 --> 00:48:58,000 Speaker 1: Executive producers are Mark Francis and Scott Waxman. Join the 783 00:48:58,040 --> 00:49:01,520 Speaker 1: conversation about I Am Kobe on social media on Twitter 784 00:49:01,600 --> 00:49:06,440 Speaker 1: and Instagram. It's at diversion Pots thanks to Rain Rosenbaum, 785 00:49:06,600 --> 00:49:11,440 Speaker 1: Susan Canavan and Jeremy Treatment. I Love I Rise before 786 00:49:11,560 --> 00:49:13,920 Speaker 1: the Sun. They don't understand when I said the grind 787 00:49:14,040 --> 00:49:16,239 Speaker 1: is fun. Never clock you out, even when my work 788 00:49:16,400 --> 00:49:18,200 Speaker 1: is done. If they're trying to block me, I might 789 00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:21,360 Speaker 1: hurt someone through the blood sweat and says we persefit, 790 00:49:21,520 --> 00:49:23,680 Speaker 1: stay killing and let it keep the horses. And then 791 00:49:23,760 --> 00:49:26,160 Speaker 1: if they don't believe in themselves gave revert to find 792 00:49:26,280 --> 00:49:29,160 Speaker 1: that the Tampa's heads. So I'm telling them, ask my am, 793 00:49:29,480 --> 00:49:32,440 Speaker 1: this the reason why my work so damn different to 794 00:49:32,640 --> 00:49:35,600 Speaker 1: the negatives. I can't listen see me at the time. 795 00:49:35,719 --> 00:49:39,320 Speaker 1: You can't listen where I'm a vote to play like 796 00:49:39,520 --> 00:49:43,279 Speaker 1: cash is see I pay my dudes because taxes gotta work. 797 00:49:43,320 --> 00:49:45,680 Speaker 1: I thinking grind ahead of his time. So I'm saying 798 00:49:45,719 --> 00:49:48,040 Speaker 1: that they made you. Don't tell them you create yourself, 799 00:49:49,520 --> 00:49:54,440 Speaker 1: Finn watch us, but it's bad that so you gotta 800 00:49:54,480 --> 00:49:59,120 Speaker 1: stay clock then break black break we create ourselves. Watch 801 00:49:59,200 --> 00:50:04,120 Speaker 1: me question right sweeping right to create myself? Exac client 802 00:50:04,760 --> 00:50:11,480 Speaker 1: signs up, create yourself? Say nice, ain't no hard create yourself. 803 00:50:12,040 --> 00:50:14,719 Speaker 1: You gotta learn from the great minds though we ain't lying. 804 00:50:14,800 --> 00:50:18,120 Speaker 1: Tell them next game time. This time wasn't giving. It 805 00:50:18,280 --> 00:50:21,719 Speaker 1: was made the future. Any time I could change better, 806 00:50:21,840 --> 00:50:24,120 Speaker 1: tell them that I made it back home. As I 807 00:50:24,239 --> 00:50:26,440 Speaker 1: walked through the hearts of the fame, I can't from 808 00:50:26,440 --> 00:50:28,600 Speaker 1: the valley of the shadow with death waiting for us. 809 00:50:28,600 --> 00:50:31,520 Speaker 1: Some spoons don't hold your breath, sat Town, sat Train. 810 00:50:31,600 --> 00:50:33,440 Speaker 1: But I did it with less. I know one that 811 00:50:33,520 --> 00:50:36,879 Speaker 1: to be so there's nothing to guess yeah, there's nothing 812 00:50:36,920 --> 00:50:40,120 Speaker 1: to guess. It's our times. Something we up next. We 813 00:50:40,200 --> 00:50:42,359 Speaker 1: don't got any regrets. I did it with my soon 814 00:50:42,480 --> 00:50:45,600 Speaker 1: hands and we never forgets my a. This the reason 815 00:50:45,640 --> 00:50:48,640 Speaker 1: why my I'm working so damn different to the negatives. 816 00:50:48,719 --> 00:50:51,040 Speaker 1: I can't listen to see me at the time. You 817 00:50:51,320 --> 00:50:56,880 Speaker 1: can't listen for where, rebuild, reshape, give me your you 818 00:50:57,000 --> 00:50:59,719 Speaker 1: got to risk take do it now. When I'm saying 819 00:50:59,760 --> 00:51:01,839 Speaker 1: why braves, I'm gonna saying that they mayn't. You don't 820 00:51:01,880 --> 00:51:05,080 Speaker 1: tell them you create yourself around the best you finn 821 00:51:05,200 --> 00:51:09,719 Speaker 1: or watch us by. It's by that time you've gotta 822 00:51:09,719 --> 00:51:14,399 Speaker 1: snake clack, then break black, break we create yourself, watch 823 00:51:14,520 --> 00:51:20,360 Speaker 1: me question, watch the create myself sack click cline, signs 824 00:51:20,480 --> 00:51:25,120 Speaker 1: up and create yourself. May nice and ain't go on 825 00:51:25,800 --> 00:51:29,440 Speaker 1: create yourself. Gotta line for the great minds, so we 826 00:51:29,520 --> 00:51:58,360 Speaker 1: ain't lying. Tell them next anytime. Diversion Podcasts