Kobe Bryant’s legend endures in the form of inspiration for many across Temple basketball

When La Salle alum and former 76ers forward Joe “Jelly Bean” Bryant finished his playing career in Italy, he and his family settled down in Lower Merion.

In 1993, Bryant’s daughter, Sharia, enrolled at Temple and played for its volleyball team until she graduated in 1997, earning a first-team All-Atlantic 10 nod and helping the Owls win a conference championship as a senior.

However, Sharia wasn’t the only Bryant spending days inside McGonigle Hall.

“I heard about him,” said Temple basketball coach Aaron McKie. “They were like, ‘Jelly Bean’s son is going to be good.’”

“Him” was future Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.

McKie played at Temple from 1991-94 with Kobe’s future Lakers teammate and 1994 Atlantic 10 player of the year Eddie Jones. During his professional career, McKie played against Bryant in the 2001 NBA Finals and spent two seasons as Bryant’s teammate with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2005-07.

From 1992-96, Bryant was making his mark as an All-State player at Lower Merion High School. On days that Lower Merion and Temple didn’t have games, Bryant would make his way to Broad Street to play pickup ball with the Owls after practices.

“He would come up and he would have to sit out until we were pretty much finished,” McKie said. “When he got out there, he was electric. Just flying all around the court. He was as athletic as anybody out there. He was quick, he was fast, he could shoot the ball. And at that time, he was playing above the rim. When he went to the rim, he was just trying to pound it in there. So just watching that, I said, ‘This kid is going to be pretty good.’ Not as good as he turned out, but I always knew he was going to be good.”

In the case of Bryant, the adjective ‘good’ to define his game, turned out to be an understatement.

A sampling of his accomplishments: Five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, a regular-season MVP, 15 All-NBA selections, 12 All-Defensive selections, two scoring titles, two Olympic gold medals, and he retired in 2016 as the third-leading scorer in NBA history.

For all the accolades that Bryant earned, fans and peers preferred Bryant’s “Mamba Mentality” the most. His dedication to the craft became an inspiration for people from all walks of life trying to reach their goals.

“He just loved the game of basketball,” McKie said. ”I’ve never seen anyone who was more passionate about the game than he was, who took it as seriously as he did. It was his craft and he treated it as such. The respect I have for him is how he loved the game so much.”

“When people are just so locked into their craft — that could be a singer, actor, actress, whatever — sometimes they come across as socially awkward when their central focus is what they do, and how to be the best at what they do. And that’s just how he was and how his focus was. Everything was about basketball. He could tell you about every player that was in the league, what they can do and what they can’t. That’s how he studied the game.”

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At Temple, more than a few players have looked to Bryant for inspiration.

Zach Hicks and Caranda Perea, sharpshooting forwards on Temple’s men’s and women’s teams, both pay tribute to Bryant by sporting his signature No. 24. Hicks wears the No. 24 jersey, but Perea has Bryant’s purple No. 24 Lakers jersey tattooed on her left arm.

“Kobe Bryant was the reason I started playing basketball,” Perea said. " I didn’t really have anyone in my family that played basketball or played sports. So, when they put on ESPN, I saw him and I taught myself how to shoot. My form was me trying to emulate Kobe, so he means the world to me.”

Hicks’ teammate, All-American Athletic Conference guard Damian Dunn, idolized Bryant in a similar fashion.

When Dunn was in middle school in Kinston, N.C., he was given his first Bryant jersey in the Lakers’ purple and gold. Dunn would wear the jersey to school several times a week, despite being teased about it.

Dunn, who became a first-time father in December, drew off-the-court inspiration from his idol, too.

“Watching a guy like that who dedicated all his time to basketball and how hard he worked is something you really want to emulate,” Dunn said. “As I got older, just knowing his backstory of being a father as well and how he really just found that balance. When to be a dad and when to be a competitor. It was something that amazed me and I just wish he was here so we can watch him play more basketball.”

Jan. 26 marked the three-year anniversary of Bryant’s death, and this year’s NBA All-Star Game was the fourth to feature the 24-point rule to end in the game, along with the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP trophy in honor of the player who won the award four times.

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“I argue with these guys every day because I feel like Kobe is the best player to ever walk this earth,” said Temple guard Khalif Battle. “When Kobe died, it felt like a family member died for me. It really hurts still to this day. Kobe is everything to me; he’s one of the reasons why I play basketball.”

“I used to be No. 24 growing up because of him. And it just so happens that I was born on the 24th of June, so I feel like it’s tied together. He’s been an inspiration for me since I probably was like 5 years old. Growing up watching him play inspired me to want to work hard every day.”