Image via WikipediaLOS ANGELES -- It was about 16 years ago in Saint Joseph's gym in Philadelphia, where a talented high school player first met an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers.
"He was crucial. He was with me when I was 16 or 17 years old," Bryant said Sunday night at Staples Center, after leading the Lakers to a 117-89 win over the Golden State Warriors. "Just doing drills and just working on ballhandling and just teaching me the game. He was there from Day 1."
Bryant generated a national buzz while at Lower Merion High School in a Philadelphia suburb. He scrimmaged against NBA players at the invitation of former 76ers coach John Lucas, who was friends with Kobe's father Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, a former player and coach. The Charlotte Hornets drafted Bryant out of high school in 1996 and traded him to the Lakers for Vlade Divac.
"You could just tell [that Bryant was special]. The way he would study everything. [It was] amazing for a high school kid."
The pair grew close fairly quickly. Thibodeau spent extra time drilling Bryant whenever he could, and he could tell almost from the outset that Bryant had the chance to be special. Bryant had a quality that most players his age don't exhibit.
"His drive," Thibodeau said. "He was so driven.
"He was a high school kid, and if he had a day off from school he'd be in the gym from eight in the morning till eight at night. And he was trying to play against the pros and watch everything and lift weights."
Having been around basketball most of his life, Thibodeau knew what he was seeing.
"You knew his talent," Thibodeau continued. "In high school, when he was playing against pros he looked like he belonged with them. You knew he was going to be special. But I think his drive is what really separates him when you combine that drive and intelligence with his talent. It's the top of the line."
Bryant was too young to know anything about Thibodeau's future head coaching prospects. He was just happy a man in Thibodeau's position took a liking to his game and his ability.
"When I was in high school I really didn't know what the hell was going on," Bryant said. "I just knew he was this really nice man who was very knowledgeable about the game and was willing to teach me things. Seeing him [as an assistant with the Boston Celtics], and in Houston before that, you knew that his time was going to come."
http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nba/news/story?id=5839022&campaign=rss&source=NBAHeadlines
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