Long before the NBA spotlight, Kobe Bryant made the defining choice of his young life at a seemingly ordinary high school prom, revealing to a friend his plan to bypass college and enter the NBA directly.
On May 25, 1996, at Lower Merion High School, Bryant quietly told classmate Stacy Moscotti that he wasn’t following the expected path to college basketball, despite her assumption he might choose Duke and the Blue Devils.
“I went to Duke,” said Moscotti. “Kobe actually told me in the hallway that he was going to Duke when he found out I was going to Duke. And then I said, really? And he said, ‘Nah, I’m just playing.’ He said he didn’t know where he was going yet.”
Tasked with photographing the event for the school newspaper, Moscotti captured Kobe with his date, R&B star Brandy, noting the moment stood out because she never expected him to skip college, a choice unusual for top-tier prospects in the 1990s.
The prom came just a month before the June 26, 1996 NBA Draft, when the Los Angeles Lakers planned to secure Bryant despite lacking a lottery pick. His All-American accolades and a reported $2 million Adidas deal made his decision especially complex at age 17.
Ultimately, Bryant chose to forgo college and enter the NBA immediately, a bold move that would transform modern basketball and cement his path to becoming a global icon.
“It’s a tough decision,” Kobe said. “Because you have the option of going to college and getting a great education and play some basketball or go to the NBA, play some basketball day and night and get paid for doing so. But that’s a job and you have to realize that you’re going to be missing out on a big part of your life.”
How did Kobe Bryant die?
Bryant tragically passed away on January 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others, including friends and family members.
Kobe and Gianna were traveling to Mamba Sports Academy for a youth basketball game when the aircraft encountered foggy conditions in the hills, and investigations concluded that poor visibility led the pilot to lose spatial awareness, resulting in the fatal crash.
Authorities confirmed that there were no mechanical failures; the National Transportation Safety Board concluded human error played a major role.
The crash shocked the world and devastated the basketball community but also highlighted Kobe’s dedication to family and his support of Gianna’s basketball ambitions.
Fans across the globe mourned Bryant’s death, commemorating his legacy on social media, at arenas, and through tributes worldwide, reflecting the profound impact he had both on and off the court.
Even years after his passing, Bryant’s choices, starting with skipping college, are remembered as pivotal moments that shaped his remarkable career, in which he was a five-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist.
