S1E3: A Young Man in Lower Merion

had adapted both frames. On the morning of September seven, Labor Day, I got a text message from my father in law, who's a real estate Did you know He asked that Kobe Bryant's old house is up for sale. I did now. I was still in the midst of researching and writing my book on Kobe the Rise, and I thought there might be a chance, if I got lucky, that I could get in touch with the owners and arrange a time to see the house. Actually, I got even luckier than that. The owner's names were Richard and

Kate Bear. I looked up the name of their realtor. I called him, and he called them, and by eleven o'clock in the morning, I was standing inside the five bedroom colonial at twelve two Remington Road in Windwood, the house that Joe and Pam Bryant had bought it for eighty two thousand dollars on Christmas Eve. The house they kept while they spent eight years living mostly in Italy. The house where Kobe Bryant grew up. And I was going to go look inside. I'm Mike sealscup and from

Diversion Podcasts. This is I am Kobe. I quest to create myself. Exact, I'm self about to create yourself. Say nice and go on, create yourself. Gotta letter for the great minds. But we ain't selling nest gain Time episode three,

A young man in Lower Merit. However, the health does have a story, and I can I can remember clear the day that reach O the tour in the house hal I dodn't know who she was or anybody was this elegant woman, long long skirt on every day start and hair down to her shoulders, big hoop he shoulders. Around Philadelphia, the area where Kobe Bryant lived when his family moved back from Italy to the States is known as the main Line, and for most of its history,

old money Protestants have made up its upper class. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the main Line was a vacation haven for big wigs who lived in the city, especially for executives with the Pennsylvania rail route, which cut right through the region. Eventually they started moving

out there to live full time. By the nineteen thirties, black people clustered in particular neighborhoods and worked as bell hops, maids, laborers, and another collar jobs, and by the nineteen fifties, Jews relocated to the area from West Philadelphia, diversifying Lower Merion township even more. Over time, it became a melting pot, but it's affluent neighborhoods remained very Guy Stewart was a year ahead of Kobe at Lower Merion High School, and he was a teammate and friend of Kobe's. Two the

Bryant's lived in a suburb called Windwood. Guy grew up in another nearby township called Ardmore, So his experience as a kid was a little different from Kobe's. It was good and challenging, right, So, growing up in Laurer Marian you had the luxuries of being in in in the suburbs. You know, all the amenities that are that are available to you through lawer Marian school districts. Through being in

Armore and growing up near and near that area. We lived in an area in a section in our more where you know, you were still able to be around people that that looked like you and you guys had the same kind of goals and thoughts and experiences, so you were able to kind of relate to some things

um or actually to a lot of things right. But on the on the other side, it's like you're growing up in an area where it's predominantly you know, white, as you know, the main line is there's a lot of money out there, so you know, getting used to that, having friends that live in these big mansions, driving you know cars, especially in high school, you know, your your classmates are coming to school and in different types of cars than you are, And unfortunately there there were times

where you were just singled out or not included because you know, you were kind of different. But a lot of great people with Laura Maryan that I grew up with them with the school with um a lot of great relationships that I continue to have now with with a lot of those guys, whether it be you know, in my neighborhood or or outside, and like narbarous and Winwood and ballotim Wood areas, so you know, it's those are the kind of like the two sides of it.

But you still live close enough to Philadelphia where you were able to kind of drive in and play in those playgrounds and kind of get that different experience of playing with guys from the city. Joe and Pam Bryant moved out to Los Angeles with Kobe after he joined the Lakers in and apparently other members of a Bryant family would continue to use or stay in the house, but Joe and Pam didn't sell it to the Bears until two thousand eight, which got me thinking, why would

they hold onto it that long. I could only guess that the house meant a lot to them. It was where their children, especially their youngest child, had grown up, and if you've seen the house, you'd understand why they might have felt such affection, for it had colorful beds of flowers in the front, a driveway that wrapped around the entire property, and of course a basketball whop above

the two car garage. Still, by the standards of the main line, it was pretty modest, which is pretty incredible if you're standing inside it or walking around it, and you can imagine that they would sit here watch their basketball right there. I mean, which is so that's pretty cool. All this tap room, this is an interesting room to me, play room they had here a table of gorgeous would from Africa, And I didn't know, you know who Pa was, but I just said, oh my gosh, would you be

willing to sell that? She says, no, it all has you know, personale feniaminal value. Kate Bear remembered every detail of the way the Brian's house used to be, and she described all of it to me as she gave me a tour from room to room. In the family room, the brian It's had a giant television that covered the entire wall, not far from a set of sliding glass doors that led to their backyard. That tells you something about the people living in the house. Here was a

playroom for the kids. This wasn't the only player. I just want to say, I have my own bias about who these people were, and I saw this house as being very caring and warm and affecionate. So there are lots of little things and you piece them all together, like even the big TV, and don't maybe you just see them sitting around the TV. The walls top to ceiling were covered with wo She led me down a

hallway and opened a panel to a crawl space. Inside there was a heating pipe with something written on it in fat black marker. It looked like a label, so that you know what pipe led to what part of the house, second floor, Kobe's room. That's why when we had this all insulated, we had them cut that piece out. I don't blame you, so we know exactly which room was his, which I'll take you too, next man. To get to Kobe's old bedroom, we had to pass through

the living room and they're on the floor. Taking up half the space was the basketball hoop and backboard that had once hung above the garage and driveway. Right. It's right here in the living room. And that's because after them stopping by taking pictures, and this must have been madness for me over the last few days. It was we were standing guard like window still there, still there, oh man. So then we had to have it taken down. Somebody would steal to the front of the rim was

bent downward about an inch. It was impossible to look at the hoop and not think about Kobe and his father. How many games of one on one had they played on that basket? Was that rim bent because of all the times they had dumped on it? Had to be right, God, This basket represented all the thousands of hours that Kobe had spent honing his craft, learning the nuances and little

tricks of the game from Joe. So many hours a father and son together, and now there it was, up ended and askew on the living room floor, which I don't want to call it art, but you know, suspend right. Kate then turned to me and showed me a photo that she had kept on her phone. It was of a picture that Pam Bryant had hung above her son's bed, a representation of two guardian angels, both of them black. Between the angels were these words. God has given each of us an angel in our life, and if in

life we seek his way, he will surely guide us. Right, that would thinking here I was right above his bed, totally right above his bed. Pictures, pictures, pictures everywhere. I mean, little framed things like this. But this, you say, so sweet? Yes, I mean, of course we're just taking it, Georgia. That the I don't know who they are, and I'm thinking these are sweet. E Bay would be here, you know, these pictures something like that. They tell a story. Yeah,

TVs and all those things to tell a story. And I'll tell you the story is one of those calmness and comfort, it's just and sweetness and caring. It's a caring, loving house. That was my own Christian Well. I'm a career counsel from you know, with executives for one most of my life, and so I remember thinking, like you know, and I've noticed things, something bad. We moved on to the study. There were old magazines from the nineteen eighties and nineteen nineties on the shelves of a All You

and on Joe Bryant's old desk. It felt like we were walking through a museum, but there were no ropes to keep us from touching and examining the exhibits. One magazine stood out. Michael Jordan was on the cover wearing his white Chicago Bulls jersey, smiling brightly, a cigar in his left hand. This was a sports and then here's Kobe's. The dressed sticker is to Kobe, how old was he? He would have been fourteen? Is that sweet? Because he turned would turned thirteen years old. That was his idol

and you're a dressed to him. It was all set and that was my impression, and I always felt pretty acciment about that. Yeah, I was like, no, this is a whole family. This isn't just Kobe's house right. Without that family there would you know Kobe exactly? So who was Kobe Bryant back then? Right after he and his family returned from Europe in the fall of Hey. This is Mike Selsky, host and writer of I Am Kobe.

This podcast project came out of my work on a related book called The Rise Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality. If you want to explore other parts of Kobe's story, check out The Rise. It's not just a book version of the podcast. I dive deeper into some of the topics covered in this series and even some that we don't cover at all. Kobe's upbringing, his family, his identity, his effect on his friends and teammates, his journey into the n b A, and his earliest days

with the Lakers. The Rise Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality is out now. Just head over to the Rise of Kobe book dot Com and you can buy it from any of your favorite retailers. That's the rise of Kobe book dot Com. Thanks. Kobe wasn't quite flashing the Mamba mentality yet. He was thirteen years old and he was jumping into the middle of the school year

at ballykin Wood Middle School. Then after a few more months, boom, he was heading to Lower Marion, a public high school in the suburbs just outside Philadelphia, a school whereabout ten percent of the students were black. Joe got a job at a Cuba Hebrew Academy, a Jewish day school on the main Line. You might have heard of Akiba, or at least some of its alumni. Jake Tapper from CNN went there, and so did the best selling author and

media personality Mitch Album. Joe was the girls basketball coach there, but it wasn't like a Keeba's players were all ticketed to play for Yukon or Baylor someday. These girls were just learning the game, trying to master its fundamentals, and Joe was happy to teach them that and a few other things. He'd have the players practice dribbling behind their backs and between their legs, stuff that to him was just fun. That's kind of what the job was to Joe,

just fun. He'd even bring Kobe to practice from time to time, and it was there where both Joe and Kobe Bryant met Jeremy Treatment, the man who would become their friend and confident for the first time. First time I remember saying Kobe on a basketball court was at a Keyba Hebrew Academy on a side basket. I was coaching the jav boys and his father, Joe Brian was coaching the girls. It was a Sunday morning, and Kobe came in and he just started doing the mic and

drill on a side basket. Then he was taking some short john person and mind you, both both courts were being used at the time for practices, so he just he didn't have anywhere to really to go. But then I just started watching him elevate. It wasn't really dunking, but his but his both hands were over the room. I mean he was he was kind of laying him in and then I saw him hitting some side corner shots from on both rims, and that's when I started to ask Joe about him, and what did you say?

I said, how how could this Kobe? Is he going to be anything like you at twelve years old or two years old? If he's so much better than than I was, it's not even close. I said, really, I mean you were like you went to bart From you were like the number one player in the area. You went to the South, you were number one draft pick. Um. Are you are you employing that he's going to be better than you? He said, Jeremy, he's gonna be so much better than me. It's not even funny. I'm like, really,

he goes, you're six, so ten, you're Magic Johnson. It's Jeremy, it's not even close. And he's so much better than me. It's not close. Jeremy couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd grown up loving Philly basketball. He'd seen Joe Bryant play. He knew how good Joe was and Kobe was going to be better. And how did your relationship with Kobe

developed from there? It went kind of through Joe Bryant because me and Joe hit it off from the beginning, and we were very close for about nine years two thousand and one, and there wasn't a week that we went by. We didn't talk. So the more I got to be around Joe, the more I got to be around Kobe and been over the house a couple of times, and to see them at a Cuba many times, solo

mental sal a few times. It's a rare thing to have a genuine epithan, to be able to pinpoint then when you know you've uncovered something or come across someone who will be famous or special in some way. There's a story about a man named John Landau, who was a music critic and became an influential record producer. In nineteen seventy four, Landau went to a concert for an up and coming band at the Harvard Square Theater in Massachusetts. Afterward, he wrote this, I saw my rock and roll past

flash before my eyes. I saw something else. I saw rock and rolls future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen. Well, Jeremy Treatment had just had his Bruce Springsteen moment. He saw the future of basketball and its name was Kobe Bryant. I could never be a real nervous I'm going to shoot around. Didn't know what to expect playoff game, team abiss so young. I really don't know what to expect. I just came ready to play for myself, but I probably didn't want to shoot nor shooting hond. I was

just so nervous. But during a game, teammates came out but a lot of enthusiasm and started playing very hard, and I knew right from there that we can go a long way. And I was struggling a little bit. That game, I got my first technical foul. I was trash talking a little bit to go on the other team and the rest are as I was talking or something like that, So we getting a technical foul. Uh. But I didn't score like that game. And the same guy I was talking trash you said, uh that they

were locking me up or something. So I told that the next player was gonna dope in the whole team. He just kind of looked at me funny. And the next player I came down dont an old team. I told him. I said, I told you I could do what if I want out here. But before Kobe could take over American basketball, he had to adjust to America and that process wasn't quite so smooth. Here's Jeremy again.

He just come from it. He kind of used basketball too as a social life, like he would just played basketball, play bad, just like he did in Italy. Everybody was kind of different to him because he was from four to twelve. He grew up in Italy, so he was he was like a farmer. He was like a foreign student. You know, it was like he was. I mean, forget that he's born here and his dabaged a Priyan. He was more like an Italian kid coming to a versatile

neighborhood six miles from the city of Philadelphia. And so if you're going to be a basketball guy, you know soon you're gonna learned what West Philly was and where Philly was and South. He wasn't. I think he may have heard it all from his dad, but until you experienced it, you know, I think it was all. I think it was a little mind blowing. Kobe and his sisters didn't know much of anything about American pop culture.

What was cool, what wasn't, What to wear, what to watch, what music to listen to, the catchphrase, the slang, the shared language and experiences that are so important to making friendships and bonding with peers at that age, Cheers, the Cosby Show, the Arsenio Hall Show, Eat My Shorts. Kobe didn't know what any of those things were. He didn't have the same familiarity with that stuff that he's peers. I mean, I was a new student my freshman year of high school too, way back in the fall of

but at least I knew who Paula Abduel was. Here's guys Steward Again, I think it was a real culture shock for him and his family. They dressed different when they first came to Lawyer Marian, So you know, there was some teasing, there were some some people being a little bit standoffish um with them being new and and

and kind of looking different and dressing different. And I think being on the basketball team being as good as he was his freshman year kind of helped him, uh, integrate into the school a lot easier than it would be for somebody that wasn't playing a sport. I think so over time, you know, as they got used to the kind of the the way we dressed here, and and and and different things, they were quote unquote, and I'm doing air quotes, they were accepted a little bit more.

But you know, but I don't think it was it was that bad. They are a great family. The sisters are great, and obviously Kobe is great. It was an easier transition because of the character that they had, and it's just the way that they interacted with people. They didn't have their nose up or or anything like that. They just they were just super friendly. It just took them time to kind of get used to how we were back in the States. You mentioned that they dressed different.

How did they dress, Um, it was like a lot of European clothing and and you know, bigger clothing. I mean, obviously they dressed different in Italy than they did over here. So we were more into different fashions at that time and wearing our clothes differently. They just weren't used to that, but you know, they quickly were able to adapt and and kind of get rid of the Europe being closed and get with the fashions that that we're here at

that time. Plus he had basketball. Kobe joined the team at Ballykinwood Middle School right away and he was the best player on the team right away, which was great news to anyone who followed or cared about Lower Merion

High School basketball. Bala Fetti students and its student athletes into Lower Marian once they graduated eighth grade, and just a couple of years ero here, the high school had hired a new boys basketball coach, Gregg down And as soon as he got there, Downer knew that the program needed a shot in the army. I inherited kind of

like a sub five hundred type program. UM. They were struggling with academics, get back cleaned up, and you know, I didn't really have any long term goals other than probably working hard, infusing some energy into the program with the young person, and you know, trying to make basketball important. Uh, basketball had become probably unimportant when they were struggling before I got there, with some of those sub five hundred seasons. UM.

But there was there was no master plan. And then certainly any coach would be lucky to come across a town like Hersan Bryant. But the coach at Ballykin with Middle School, Dr. George Smith, had strict rules that he expected all his players to follow, including Kobe Balla played only zone defense and on offense. Dr Smith insisted that the team passed the ball three times before taking a shot. He was like Gene Hackman and Hoosiers. Kobe, of course,

didn't want to pass the ball so much. He didn't want to pass the ball at all, and he took Dr Smith's instructions as a slight as a sign of disrespect. In his mind, he was getting slighted a lot, and like many great athletes, he used those doubts to motivate himself. In a year after Kevin Garnett had gone straight to the NBA out of high school, Kobe talked with Jeremy about how long he'd been thinking about turning pro himself. And what was stunning was Kobe had been thinking about

it seriously since eighth and nine. Friend. I met a great friend I named Matman called He's always been there for me, and I could tell him anything, and I think that I don't know if people leave me. At first, he's gonna be just mat Hey, I can do this and this, and like two minutes, I can do this or whatever. He was really really gonna believe. And then when I started to achieve things I was going to do,

and he started believe me. He had no doubt. Whatever I said I was gonna do, I was gonna accomplish. And I came with Damn. I told him I was going I'm gonna have an option that you can go to the nba Um just split out of high school and he kind of looked at me said was doubting. He said, you know, he said, no, I can't. I can't doubt you anymore today till my DoD poffy wrong.

And now they they have come, I'm seeing him. Everybody started talking about, you know, I have the ability to go to the especially because Kevin had made the jump through kind of open doors, and people thought that that's why I was considering. But I never crossed my mind. Really, I had it. I had it all on all along. He's just beat good puns. He kind of wing Yeah, you know, actually I'm kind of happy that he didn't because take a little bit of the pressure off me.

I came back in the middle of the eight great year and I just played basketball and Mat just tell you body app would be a pro one day. Basically yeah, yeah, whatever whatever, and not even going that far. People she say, oh, he's not that good now. Yeah, I was about the FO points. That's because of coach. Don't let me shoot. That's another stories. It was a matter of fact, there was a three on three food but up tournament. I was in middle school and Bella kent with and just

doing on people. But up tourn the man at Mary in high school and it was me, Matt mccalf and Day laugh that's lost. No, we went they said, uh people were saying that and like uh yeah, you guys are not gonna win, and like yeah right, you back just going in this high school. Didn's not gonna win. It's like such a big deal like that, like it puts money with your mouth. So good. We went there, did that, So I come back. I'm like, guys, let's

start of busing next. Heybody started laughing like yeah right, you know what I'm saying, Like okay, yeah, Like I'm in high school scenes and my classmates, people in my in my green like yeah yeah, yeah whatever, and I'm starting leading score leading rebounded. It was funny, man, it was funny. But it's not a doubt. I said that thing. He's gonna be in the Vision one college player kid, right, kid, You're not gonna be Just not a doubt right there. Damn he said he's gonna be a pro. I even

go out of high school. He went into yeah. Right, So when one Day came out to other, everybody shut up, you're on him, get all that massage I'm not saying just to be saying. I'm telling him with him every days that good? Yeah, okay, because it is day now it's money. He comes up to musical people are starting to dodge with him. I don't understand why people were

dodging because the dybody wrong. Now the same people are starting to down you because I listened to Kobe here and I can't get over the chip that he carried on his shoulder back then. He cared so much about what people thought about him when he was fourteen years old. You want an insight into the mamba ment Hallardy, that's it. That's a fourteen year old who doesn't believe he's going

to play in the NBA. He knows it, and he's going to do whatever he has to do, work harder, practice more, shoot more, anything to make his dream a reality. And he's gonna do it because so few people think that he can do. I mean who believed in him then his family obviously, but beyond that, his friend Matt, Matt Cooff, Jeremy Treatment and himself. That really was it. But that was all going to change very very quickly.

What if exposed? All right? That was a good exposure on the Bat That's next week on I Am Kobe. I Am Kobe is a production of the Version podcasts in association with I Heart Radio. This season is written and hosted by me Mike Sealsky. It's produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman, Editing, mixing and sound design by Mark Francis. Stephen Tompkins is our production assistant.

Our theme music is Create Yourself by Grover Brown featuring Justin Starling. Find Create Yourself wherever you stream music. Music supervisor is Scott Velasquez for Fressan Sink. Executive producers are Mark Francis and Scott Waxman. Join the conversation about I Am Kobe on social media on Twitter and Instagram. It's at Diversion Pods thanks to Orin Rosenbaum, Susan Cannavan and Jeremy Treatm love our Rise before the Sun. They don't understand when I say the grind is fun. Never clock

you out even when my work is done. If they're trying to block me, I might hurt someone through the blood sweat and says we perseverit, stay tilling it, let it keep the horses, and then if they don't believe in themselves, they revert to find that the champon's head. So I'm telling them, ask my am, this the reason why my work so damn different to the negatives. I can listen see me at the time. You can't listen where I'm amote to play like cash is see. I

pay my dudes because taxes gotta work. I think you grind ahead of his time. So I'm saying that they made you. Don't tell them you create yourself the best Finn watch us by it's that time. You gotta stay clock then break clock break we create ourselves. Watch me quick watch Steve create myself. Exact signs up and create yourself. Say nicey names are create yourself. You gotta learn from the great minds. No, we ain't lying to tell them next game time. This time wasn't giving. It was made

the future. Any time I can change better tell them that I made it back home. As I walked through the hearts of the fact, I can't from the valley of the Shadow with death waiting for some spoons, don't hold your breath, Sat Town, sat Train but I did it with less I know on them that the being so there's nothing to guess. Yeah, there's nothing the yes, it's our times. Tell them we up next. We don't got any regrets. I did it with my soon hands, and we never forgets my bit. The reason why my

work so damn different to the negatives. I can't listen to see me at the time. You can't listen for where rebuild, reach shape, give me your you got to risk take do it now. When I'm saying why breaks, I'm wonna saying that they mayn't. You don't tell them you create yourself the besh you finn watch us, but it's by that time you gotta sneak clack then break black break we create yourself, Watch wee quest me, watch the create myself exact like that. Signs up and create yourself.

He say, nice, ain't go on create yourself. Gotta line for the great minds. But we ain't lying telling next any time. Ye Diversion Podcasts