5 Greatest NBA players that came directly from High School

#2 Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant

Career Averages: 25 Points, 5.2 Rebounds, 4.7 Assists

Honors: 5x NBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, 18x All-Star, 15x All NBA selections, 12x NBA All-Defensive selections

The Black Mamba is second only to Michael Jordan when it comes to shooting guards. He was drafted by the Hornets who traded him to the Lakers for Vlade Divac and boy do they regret it now. Bryant is one of the greatest scorers of all time and he torched defenses throughout his career en route to finishing 3rd in the scoring charts. Incredibly clutch, Bryant was also a superb defender for much of his career. While he has often been mocked for not passing the ball, Bryant is the only player in NBA history to total over 30,000 points and 6,000 assists.

Bryant won 3 titles in a row from 2000-02 but Shaquille O'Neal took most of the credit and rightly so, but Bryant's importance to the team, especially in late-game situations kept growing. After a disgruntled Shaq was traded away in 2004, the Lakers suffered a few years of mediocrity thanks to a sub-par supporting cast around Bryant. He would win 2 scoring titles during that stretch but had no playoff success.

Then, the Lakers made some key roster changes in 2008, and Bryant led them to 3 straight Finals from 2008-2010. After losing in 2008 to the Celtics, he would win the next two against the Magic and the Celtics to establish himself as perhaps the best player of his generation.