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A conversation
with Joe Bryant
ESPN Radio
Kobe Bryant became the second player in two years to jump directly from high school to the
pros when he declared himself
eligible for the NBA draft Monday. On Tuesday, his father Joe Bryant, an assistant coach
at LaSalle and former NBA player,
spoke with ESPN Radio's Fabulous Sports Babe.
Babe: Was there a time when you knew a long time ago, or was it up in the air right until
the very end, about Kobe's
decision?
Bryant: Well, I think when children are small, they all have dreams, and they say things
to you that you say, "Sure, we're going
to help you achieve that goal." That's just like if your child wanted to be a tennis
player, ice skater, and says, "I'm going to skate
in the Ice Capades." And you say, "You're going to do it one day with hard
work." But I never thought it would come to this.
Also, when he was in ninth grade, he told one of his classmates, "I'm going right to
the NBA." And I said, "Hey, you have to go
through college." At that time, four or five years ago, but he has worked hard to
achieve his goals, and we're very proud of him
because he made a manly decision.
Babe: Last year it was, "Kevin Garnett, he's once in a decade or once in a
generation." (ESPN basketball analyst)
Dr. Jack (Ramsay) told me earlier today that Kobe is very talented. I talked to (UMass
coach) John Calipari and he
said the very same thing. But he's 17 years old, and he's going to be playing and having
the pro life, and you know
better than anybody, Joe. What's that like?
Bryant: No doubt about it. That's why we felt comfortable with it. We gave him the
foundation of life that any family would
love to give its children. He's aware of the physical play. There's no doubt about his
skills; his skills are there to play. Physically,
he has to get bigger and stronger. As I said to one reporter, I said, "Hey, all these
guys are going to the clubs. Kobe will be
back at the hotel reading a book or playing Nintendo." Maybe he'll have a couple of
guys stay with him.
Basketball will speak for itself. But it's no doubt about it that he has the personality
and there's something about him that's going
to attract a lot of people in a positive manner. That's what the NBA needs today.
Babe: It's not farfetched that he could be drafted by the hometown Sixers. They have a
lottery pick. Would that be
the best of all worlds for him?
Bryant: Well, I think as parents and family, oh yes, we would love it. For him, it's
really not important where he plays. You
hear some players saying, "I'm not coming out unless I'm in the top four or five
picks." Kobe says, "Listen, it doesn't matter.
This is what I want to do."
If the Sixers draft Kobe, as a family we would be so happy. And also, we'd be able to
really still nurture him which is
important. And that's continuing. He's only 17, and kids are still growing; we still grow
at 25, 30 years old. We're still learning
everyday. So, it's a learning process for him. That's where his heart is. Playing for the
Sixers, for the family, that would be great.
Babe: Did he come to you a month ago or two weeks ago or three days ago and say,
"This is it, and I'm definitely
going"?
Bryant: Not really. We really didn't know until Saturday when he said, "I made my
decision." And I said, "And?" And that was
it. So I said, "OK." I'm not a dictator. I listen to my children. I think as a
parent, you have to be a good listener. When he feels
comfortable, he says it.
When he said it Saturday, I was like, "Oh my goodness." So I had to call all
these people. "When do you want to do it?" He
said, "Monday." And this is Saturday. I said, "How am I going to get in
touch with everyone?"
Everyone was great, from the school to the people around him. The coaching staff was
super, and everybody is excited about
it. No doubt about it, it is a major, major jump. There has never been a player his size
to make this. We're so used to seeing
6-foot-10, 6-foot-11, big people, who they say could potentially be great. There's one
thing Kobe has being small -- he has the
intelligence to play the game. And nobody ever comments on that. He understands how to
play. That's probably the biggest
upside on him. He really understands the game. That's because he has been around
professional athletes.
Babe: As your son, is he more mature about understanding the professional game and its
rigors because you were
always on the road?
Bryant: That is perfect. He has been there. He has seen it. You know the commercial: Been
there. Done that. It is what he
wants to do. He has grades good enough to go to Harvard for four years. As parents, that's
what we'd like to see him do,
honestly.
As parents, we want to make sure that Kobe's going to be well off for years to come. At
the worst scenario, play three years,
have $10 million in the bank, and can go study at 21. He can go back to Harvard at 21
years old -- and that's the worst
scenario.
We're trying to do our job as parents, try to guide and not dictate. We'll try to support
him and let him know that we're there to
support him.
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