Before Kobe Bryant was a five-time NBA champion and a sure-fire Hall of Famer, he was just a 13-year old kid with a chip on his shoulder. A chip on his shoulder and a "Kill List."
This list consisted of kids in Kobe's age group that were ranked higher than him - and there were plenty to choose from considering the mini mamba barely cracked the Top 200 heading into his sophomore year at Lower Merion. During a recent appearance on the "All The Smoke" podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Kobe shared some of the names that made his list way back when.
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As seen in the video embedded above, 13-year old Kobe's list included Tim Thomas, Jermaine O'Neal, Mike Bibby, Lester Earl, Shaheen Holloway, and Corey Benjamin. He also noted fellow Pennsylvania-native and NBA champion Rip Hamilton didn't make his "Kill List" because "Rip and I were both nobodies" at the time.
Needless to say, Kobe successfully crossed off every name on that list, and then some. Says Bryant with a smile, "It was fun getting to know everybody and then seeing where we have all gone since then."
