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View Full Version : Kobe Says He Would Have gone to UNC



-bdbd
08-16-2013, 12:04 PM
Kobe is now saying he was leaning towards UNC coming out of High School north of Philly. In the interview he talks up his admiration for El Deano, and interest in "playing every day (in practice) against Jerry Stackhouse." Of course, in the past he's said things about having wanted to play for K at Duke. Sorta 'whatever.' I kinda feel like his story will change again next month too....



http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/heel-turn-kobe-bryant-says-d-gone-college-152703698.html

CameronBornAndBred
08-16-2013, 12:07 PM
Kobe is now saying he was leaning towards UNC coming out of High School north of Philly. In the interview he talks up his admiration for El Deano, and interest in "playing every day (in practice) against Jerry Stackhouse." Of course, in the past he's said things about having wanted to play for K at Duke. Sorta 'whatever.' I kinda feel like his story will change again next month too....



http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/heel-turn-kobe-bryant-says-d-gone-college-152703698.html
I'm glad he didn't come to Duke; I didn't like the idea of a one and done back then and I don't now. But I am glad that he has still played for K and that each has a great mutual respect for each other.

TKG
08-16-2013, 12:30 PM
Kobe is now saying he was leaning towards UNC coming out of High School north of Philly. In the interview he talks up his admiration for El Deano, and interest in "playing every day (in practice) against Jerry Stackhouse." Of course, in the past he's said things about having wanted to play for K at Duke. Sorta 'whatever.' I kinda feel like his story will change again next month too....



http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/heel-turn-kobe-bryant-says-d-gone-college-152703698.html


Well, this should be sufficient to get his jersey in the rafters -- right next to the Helms banner..........

PDDuke85
08-16-2013, 12:45 PM
I'm glad he didn't come to Duke; I didn't like the idea of a one and done back then and I don't now. But I am glad that he has still played for K and that each has a great mutual respect for each other.

at Duke, he would have had to walk to real classes.

BlueDevilBrowns
08-16-2013, 12:55 PM
Kobe is now saying he was leaning towards UNC coming out of High School north of Philly. In the interview he talks up his admiration for El Deano, and interest in "playing every day (in practice) against Jerry Stackhouse." Of course, in the past he's said things about having wanted to play for K at Duke. Sorta 'whatever.' I kinda feel like his story will change again next month too....



http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/heel-turn-kobe-bryant-says-d-gone-college-152703698.html

I'm a little embarassed to admit it but I'm a kinda bummed that Kobe says now he would have been a Heel.

Kobe and I are about the same age so through the years I've always followed his game and admired his singular desire to crush every opponent and best MJ's records. He's always said his final two choices were La Salle and Duke so this is somewhat surprising to me, too.

I thought of him as an adopted "Devil", but I guess not now.

killerleft
08-16-2013, 01:06 PM
I'm glad Kobe played for Coach K and the Olympic Team. But where he might have gone to college is so immaterial I can't even work up a yawn.

luvdahops
08-16-2013, 01:10 PM
I'm a little embarassed to admit it but I'm a kinda bummed that Kobe says now he would have been a Heel.

Kobe and I are about the same age so through the years I've always followed his game and admired his singular desire to crush every opponent and best MJ's records. He's always said his final two choices were La Salle and Duke so this is somewhat surprising to me, too.

I thought of him as an adopted "Devil", but I guess not now.

Just a hunch, but I have to wonder if this is at least partially a reflection of K's effusive praise for Lebron ("basketball genius", "queen on the chessboard", etc.), as well as Kobe's Olympic hoops career likely being over. Given that Kobe is nothing if not incredibly competitive in general, and ultra-protective about what he sees ad his "proper legacy" as a player.

subzero02
08-16-2013, 01:37 PM
Just a hunch, but I have to wonder if this is at least partially a reflection of K's effusive praise for Lebron ("basketball genius", "queen on the chessboard", etc.), as well as Kobe's Olympic hoops career likely being over. Given that Kobe is nothing if not incredibly competitive in general, and ultra-protective about what he sees ad his "proper legacy" as a player.

I could see this being true

Atlanta Duke
08-16-2013, 01:44 PM
Kobe is now saying he was leaning towards UNC coming out of High School north of Philly. In the interview he talks up his admiration for El Deano, and interest in "playing every day (in practice) against Jerry Stackhouse." Of course, in the past he's said things about having wanted to play for K at Duke. Sorta 'whatever.' I kinda feel like his story will change again next month too....

Yep

This was Kobe in 2007

Often times Duke fans wonder if Kobe Bryant had not gone directly to the NBA out of high school if he “maybe” would have attended Duke and been a part of that team.

“There’s no maybe about it,” Bryant says.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=1153901

But OTOH this post prompted a 19 post thread on DBR in 2010

03-19-2010, 02:27 AM #1
Kewlswim

Guess Kobe would have gone to Carolina

Hi,

I was under the impression Kobe wanted to come to Duke, if he was going to attend college that is, I stand corrected.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mul...ontent.12.html

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?20257-Guess-Kobe-would-have-gone-to-Carolina

:confused:

Since Kobe went straight to the pros he can make up whatever story suits him best for today

plimnko
08-16-2013, 01:54 PM
who cares?

Billy Dat
08-16-2013, 01:54 PM
The Heels can use some good news after this summer. Let them have Kobe. They can talk about how great Vince Carter might have been if he'd had Kobe to practice against.

roywhite
08-16-2013, 02:48 PM
The Heels can use some good news after this summer. Let them have Kobe. They can talk about how great Vince Carter might have been if he'd had Kobe to practice against.

Yeah, this "woulda been" Tarheel recruiting news may be the most positive "news" about UNC athletics to come out this summer.

dukelifer
08-16-2013, 04:31 PM
Kobe is now saying he was leaning towards UNC coming out of High School north of Philly. In the interview he talks up his admiration for El Deano, and interest in "playing every day (in practice) against Jerry Stackhouse." Of course, in the past he's said things about having wanted to play for K at Duke. Sorta 'whatever.' I kinda feel like his story will change again next month too....



http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/heel-turn-kobe-bryant-says-d-gone-college-152703698.html

I heard Coach K say at his basketball camp (a month or so ago) that he believed Kobe would have come to Duke. So Kobe has his story and K has his. Like many kids going through the process- Kobe probably waffled in his own mind. I am sure at one point UNC was on top and at another Duke was on top and so on. In the end- he made a decision- to go to neither.

rthomas
08-16-2013, 06:30 PM
I can't even believe this thread exists. Where might have Kobe gone to college? Duke or UNC? Really? A thread?

Ima Facultiwyfe
08-16-2013, 07:55 PM
who cares?

Can I get an amen?
Love, Ima

77devil
08-16-2013, 09:30 PM
Can I get an amen?
Love, Ima

Double amen. It's clearly the dog days of summer.

Jderf
08-17-2013, 08:35 AM
I can't even believe this thread exists. Where might have Kobe gone to college? Duke or UNC? Really? A thread?

The only thing this thread illustrates is what a crap-shoot recruiting really is. If an adult man can't reliably say where he would have gone to school twenty years after the fact, how can we possibly expect some 18-year-old kid to figure out a story and stick to it?

... although that never stops people from parsing tweets and dissecting apparel choices.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
08-17-2013, 10:56 AM
I can't even believe this thread exists. Where might have Kobe gone to college? Duke or UNC? Really? A thread?

I think the more important question is:

If Wilt Chamberlain were a high school junior today, would he choose to go to school at Duke, how on earth could Wojo develop him, and would he be able to dispel the perception that Duke can't produce NBA stars? Oh, and how would he match up against a Bill Russell of today playing for the Tarheels, if he didn't have PJ Hairston available to lob him passes?

chaosmage
08-17-2013, 10:59 AM
to see people desperate for some news, put on your waders and bulletproof vest and venture over to IC. The posters there were raving about this and how "K must have turned him off during the Olympics."

Delusional much?

FerryFor50
08-17-2013, 11:54 AM
to see people desperate for some news, put on your waders and bulletproof vest and venture over to IC. The posters there were raving about this and how "K must have turned him off during the Olympics."

Delusional much?

Maybe when K said, "Kobe, you have to let others shoot, too."

plimnko
08-17-2013, 12:04 PM
he just wanted to get in on those "no show" classes.

brevity
08-17-2013, 03:48 PM
I can't even believe this thread exists. Where might have Kobe gone to college? Duke or UNC? Really? A thread?

Multiple threads. This is only the most recent one. I guess the rivalry extends to bragging rights to an NBA superstar of questionable character.

Not that it matters, but this might be the kind of thing he says to get on Mitch Kupchak's good side in order to continue making $30 million a year despite a clear deterioration of physical ability and a poor performance so far as an elder Laker ambassador. He wants to remain a Laker and win another title, but not take a pay cut. Any GM can tell you that the Lakers are better off getting two free agents at max contracts than one free agent and an albatross.

Also, with near-zero chance of playing in the 2016 Olympics, it costs him nothing to turn away from Coach K and Duke fans. Such a statement can help if it works, and has no effect if it doesn't. Personally, I prefer this revisionist history.

subzero02
08-17-2013, 04:59 PM
The Heels can use some good news after this summer. Let them have Kobe. They can talk about how great Vince Carter might have been if he'd had Kobe to practice against.

Ok, that's funny...

Class of '94
08-18-2013, 12:02 PM
to see people desperate for some news, put on your waders and bulletproof vest and venture over to IC. The posters there were raving about this and how "K must have turned him off during the Olympics."

Delusional much?

As many posters have noted, this is really a non-issue regardless because Kobe didn't go to college. IMO, there are many people in the sports media that are questioning how sincere and truthful Kobe is being with this new revelation. That said, I tend to believe Kobe would've gone to Duke when you have multiple people including Kobe's HS coach (who said back then that K and Kobe had an unbelievable connection and bond during Kobe's HS days and that Kobe wanted to play for K), K and Kobe himself say that he would've gone to Duke had he attended college. And if IC posters want to believe that a rift happened between K and Kobe at the Olympics, God bless them; but all one has to do is look at the end of gold medal game in London to see the heartfelt hugs between K and Kobe to know that a rift developed simply isn't true.

If anything, maybe Kobe is jealous of all the attention that the media has made between Lebron and K; and K now saying that Lebron is the best player in the NBA now. For a prideful player like Kobe (and I don't mean that in a bad way), hearing that would be the equivalent of HB (or Kobe) choosing to go to UNC over Duke for Duke fans, especially when many thought HB was going to Duke.

I believe K and Kobe still maintain a strong relationship; and for all we know this could still be another way of Kobe needling K.