Kobe Bryant

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finger in his face. Tonight, however, Van Exel is having a hell of a game, hitting key jumpers from all over the floor. His hot hand has saved them in clutch situations before, but now the ball is about to go to someone else for the game-winning shot.
The 18-year-old rookie, . The Golden Child.
A lanky, charismatic, 6-6, 200-pound prodigy, Kobe had led little-known Lower Merion High School to the Pennsylvania state title the year before. This year, he was being asked to carry an NBA team to the Finals. No problem.
"Give me the ball, coach," Bryant says. "I'll drain it."
The clock ticks, and Bryant takes the ball down the court, two players to his left, two on the right. With a scant few seconds left, he stops-14 feet out-and takes what will henceforth be referred to as The Other Shot.
The ball sails through the air with a high arc and...never makes the rim. Airball.
Utah fans go crazy. Overtime. In OT, Bryant throws up three more long bombs-all airballs. The Lakers lose, ...

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possible when he was a high-school player. You still see that look of giddiness, the gee-whiz flair that has many people comparing him to Magic Johnson, but there's also cold determination, an undying competitive streak that's very reminiscent of Michael Jordan. Sure, Kobe Bryant still makes mistakes, but his overwhelming prowess makes them forgivable.
"It's amazing how smart this kid is-he's got a great personality and is very intelligent," says Horry. "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. He's gonna be one of the greats, probably the [NBA's] all-time leading scorer."
Because of his age ...

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