Before he was a five-time NBA Champion, before a professional career that spanned 19 seasons and a personal life marked with a sexual assault charge, and before the Los Angeles Lakers retire both his No. 24 and No. 8 jerseys, Kobe Bryant was a Philadelphia-area high school star. Bryant is a noted Eagles fan and had soft pretzels and mustard waiting for him in the visiting locker room when he came back to his hometown to play (and quite often beat) the 76ers.
But, throughout the years, Bryant grew from a star at local Lower Merion High School to a heel that Philly sports fans loved to hate.