It has become a mythical tale, one that grows in importance whenever the talk turns to Kobe Bryant's legendary workout for the Lakers in 1996 and exactly how long it took for Jerry West to know he was watching greatness on the court.
West, then the general manager of the Lakers, gathered his public relations staff of John Black and Raymond Ridder and headed over to Inglewood High to watch a 17-year-old from Lower Merion High work out for the second time.
Bryant went one-on-one against Michael Cooper, the retired Laker who had been named to NBA's All-Defensive team eight times during the 1980s.