Before leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 108–104 win last Wednesday against the Washington Wizards, star guard Kobe Bryant shared his high school dream of playing for the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Lakers and Bryant headed to his hometown, Philadelphia, last Tuesday to take on the 76ers in a game which they lost 103–91.
But before the defeat, Bryant shared his former ambition of playing for the 76ers, apart from his childhood dream of playing for Los Angeles.
"When I was in high school, I hoped to be a Sixer. I was always hoping that. But at the time, [Allen] Iverson was such a, such a force ... but it was always a dream of mine to play in Philadelphia," Bryant shared according to ESPN.
But the 37-year-old star guard added that when he became part of the Lakers organization, there was no looking back.
However, he also said, "But in high school, I was like, 'Philadelphia is struggling. There's a chance I could play for the Sixers.' But it never happened, so I had to settle for my childhood dream, which was to be a Laker."
Before entering the National Basketball Association (NBA), Bryant was a high school sensation while playing for Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Philadelphia.
Coming out of high school, Bryant was drafted 13th overall in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets and then was traded to the Lakers.
Aside from Bryant's connection with Philadelphia because it is his home town, one of his five championships was also won against the 76ers in 2001.
It was Bryant's second championship and featured the matchup of him and Iverson, who recently said Bryant brought out the best in him as a player.
Before the game against the 76ers, Bryant was cheered by the crowd inside the Wells Fargo Center and to honor him, he was presented a high school jersey.
During the game, he was still drawing cheers from the crowd and once it finished, fans again expressed their appreciation and applauded.
