Kobe Bryant, Who Was Born in Philly, Vowed to “Cut the Hearts” Out of 76ers Fans

Published 02/26/2022, 4:30 PM EST

Kobe Bryant had an influence and impact like no one else. He spent all 20 years of his playing career at the Lakers. In the process, Kobe absolutely revolutionized the way the world looked at basketball. Only a few people have been able to do something like that. And one of those few names is Michael Jordan.

During his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant won 5 championships with 2 NBA Finals MVPs. Along with multiple broken records and countless achievements, he showed the world a playing career most players can only dream of having. His fearless shooting and unpredictable style of play made him a legend. He held the capabilities to produce what many can only wish to have.

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Kobe Bryant loved the Lakers

There is no doubt in the fact that Kobe absolutely loved the Lakers. Mamba played there for 20 long years and never had a lapse of dedication or passion. He proved time and again how much he loved playing for LA.

Although Kobe was born in Philadelphia, he did not want to play for the 76ers anytime in his career. Mike Sielski, author of “The Rise: Kobe Bryant & the Pursuit of Immortality” recently featured on the YouTube talk show The Philly Factor and talked with the host Paul Perrello.

The two talked about the book and the early life of the NBA legend.

“He didn’t really want to play for the Sixers, he didn’t grow up dreaming playing for the Sixers. He grew up dreaming of playing for the Lakers… being the next Michael Jordan and I think that that goes to the heart of why his relationship with the Philadelphia area was so fraught for so long,” said Mike.

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According to Mike, Mamba, despite being from Philly, famously warned the 76ers team before they met in the 2001 NBA finals.

Mike continued, “It wasn’t just that when the Lakers play the Sixers in the NBA 2001 finals, Kobe says I’m gonna cut the hearts of the Sixers and their fans and people around the Philadelphia area went apoplectic over that.”

The book by Mike talks about Kobe’s early life, his family, and who he was before being an NBA Superstar. Mike Sielski paints an inspiring tale of the origin of the “superhero” before his time in Los Angeles Lakers. The Rise: Kobe Bryant & the Pursuit of Immortality is an amazingly written story of the NBA legend before Mamba inspired the world.

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Watch This Story: 5 Times Kobe Bryant Copied Michael Jordan and His Style

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Chaitanya is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He completed his engineering from SRM University. Having determined an interest in football and basketball, he was inclined towards having a job in the sports industry.

Kobe Bryant, Who Was Born in Philly, Vowed to “Cut the Hearts” Out of 76ers Fans

Kobe Bryant loved the Lakers

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