"HE'S GONNA BE ONE OF THE GREATS, PROBABLY THE (NBA'S) LEADING SCORER OF ALL-TIME" - ROBERT HORRY ON KOBE'S POTENTIAL IN 1998

Even when the iconic Kobe Bryant shot airballs in his first go-round in the NBA Playoffs, it didn’t stop his teammates from believing in his inherent potential for greatness. Even though his performances on the floor were shaky at times, what the other Los Angeles Lakers players saw behind the scenes, the near-maniacal approach to practice, fearlessness of failure, and tantalizing talent, were enough to convince them that Bryant was destined for stardom.

These early glimpses of Kobe’s drive and determination would eventually come to define his legacy in the NBA. The youngster wasn’t afraid to fail and determined to soak in as much basketball knowledge as possible, leading his then-teammate Robert Horry to predict that he would become one of the greatest players in NBA history. And Horry’s prediction proved to be spot on.

Kobe could do anything he set his mind to

From his early days as a spark plug off the bench (he finished second in the race for Sixth Man of the Year in 1998), Kobe quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the most dominant players in the league. Endowed with remarkable athleticism and agility, “The Black Mamba” gradually infused intelligence and savvy into his game over the years.

By his second season, Kobe was already averaging 15.4 points per game in 26 minutes. At that point, Horry felt the 19-year-old wingman had already attained a solid grasp of the pro game. And the best part? He was barely scratching the surface of his potential.

“It's amazing how smart this kid is. He's got a great personality and is very intelligent,” Horry said in Slam Magazine. “He's got the whole world in his hands with this game, he can do everything and he's still learning,which is bad news for his opponents.”

Robert was so impressed by the native of Philadelphia that he pegged Kobe to one day become the league’s all-time leading scorer.

“He's gonna be one of the greats, probably the [NBA's] all-time leading scorer,” Horry added. “Because of how talented he is.”

Fell short

“The Black Mamba” was on a nice trajectory to at least contend for the league’s all-time scoring mark previously held by fellow Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. However, he tore his Achilles on April 12, 2013, in a game against the Golden State Warriors and was never the same after that incident.

When Kobe felt something snap at the back of his foot, he immediately knew it was serious to the point where he felt that could be the end of his illustrious career.

“I remember feeling the silence, feeling the fear. I am 35 years old. 18 years in the league, like, alright, this could be a wrap, and that was what the silence was. It was like this could really be a wrap,” Kobe shared in the documentary titled 'Muse.'

Even though Bryant returned the following season, he only played in six games. He labored through 35 games the season after that before hanging up his sneakers for good in 2016. He finished his career with 33,643 points.

Related: Robert Horry speaks about the most underrated part of Kobe's excellence: "His thirst for knowledge, he had a thirst for everything"

2024-04-25T15:28:25Z dg43tfdfdgfd