Kobe in high school, former Lakers player Brian Shaw talked about Kobe's childhood on the podcast show Byron Scott 's Fast Break.

Shaw said: "I went to Italy for a year in the 98-99 season and played with Kobe's father Joe Bryant. Kobe was about nine or ten years old. The boy had already started challenging everyone to fight for one-on-one or play the HORSE shooting game. Fast forward a few years later, it was my 94-95 season in Orlando, and Kobe was as tall as me. He walked up to me with great confidence and asked me if I still remember him. I said, "I can't believe you're as tall as me now." He said, "I'm considering applying to enter the NBA early to skip senior year." I thought to myself, "Is this guy OK?" ”, he did finish high school and announced his draft.

Kobe was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.