Kobe Bryant’s high school career at Lower Merion High in Philadelphia was the stuff of legends. From the moment he made and started on the varsity team as a freshman to finishing it as Southeastern Pennsylvania’s all-time leading scorer with 2,883 points, it was evident that the 6’6″ wingman was destined to do stellar things in the NBA.
This was also clear early on to John Lucas II, the former NBA guard who served as the Philadelphia 76ers’ head coach, vice president, and general manager from 1994 to 1996. So much so that he began asking prospects he was interested in picking in the NBA Draft to compete against the youngster in one-on-one games.
Former North Carolina Tar Heel Jerry Stackhouse was one player who went through this drill. Highly touted after a spectacular final year at Chapel Hill, where he averaged 19.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, “Stack” took on Kobe and came away mightily impressed with the 18-year-old’s skillset and competitiveness.
Intriguing pre-draft practice
NBA teams use different pre-draft workouts and evaluations to assess potential picks. Prospects are often put through their paces with rigorous drills and one-on-one matches with former NBA players. However, on this occasion, Jerry faced off against someone he had never seen or heard of before.
Stackhouse felt a wave of relief as the workout finally ended. He came away from it with admiration for the talent that Kobe possessed and quizzed Lucas about him. The answer he got surprised him.
“Everybody that I drafted that year had to play Kobe one-on-one, and that year, I had the third pick in the draft, a guy named Jerry Stackhouse,” Lucas shared. “And Jerry said to me, ‘What position does he play on the team?’ I said, ‘Stack, he is a junior in high school.'”