Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, but he's far from a native son of the City of Brotherly Love.
He spent his formative years in Italy as his father, former 76er Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant, finished his professional basketball career overseas. Philadelphia took Allen Iverson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft while Kobe, who entered the annual selection straight out of suburban Lower Merion (Pa.) High School, went 13th. Kobe's relationship with the town that birthed him is rocky at best, but his father's former team paid tribute to the future Hall of Famer two days after he announced he would retire at the end of this season.
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The video, which played inside Wells Fargo Center before the winless Sixers faced the woeful Lakers, was an epic ode to the second-greatest shooting guard to ever lace up a pair of sneakers. It painted Kobe as "that kid from Philly." Mixing his high school highlights with those from his career in purple and gold, the video was affectionally titled "Dear Kobe." It even mentioned his destruction of the Sixers alongside Shaquille O'Neal in the 2001 NBA Finals.
It was the type of homage that would give anyone the warm fuzzies, if they didn't know the real. But most sports fans do. Those who were born and raised in the 215 definitely know what's up.
Flash back to 2002.
That's when the NBA All-Star Game and all its festivities landed on Philly. How the city, known for keeping it real if nothing else, would receive Kobe was the topic of discussion leading into the weekend's main event. Kobe, who was entering the peak of his dominant prime, sparkled on Sunday, scoring a game-high 31 points to go with five rebounds and five assists to lead the West to a 135-120 victory. But he was booed throughout the contest by the locals.
"Yeah, my feelings are hurt," said a then-23-year-old Kobe to interviewer Jim Gray during the game. "I mean, I'm just out there trying to play and have a good time. My feelings are hurt being from Philadelphia."
The boos continued as Kobe hoisted the MVP trophy.
Coming back to Philly wasn't a homecoming for Kobe then, and, if we're keeping it all the way 100, it isn't now.
Maybe it's because he's played his entire career as a member of a team that was a rival of the 76ers during the '80s. Maybe, it's because he grew up idolizing Magic Johnson and the Lakers and not his pops' former team.
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Maybe it's something a lot simpler. The year Kobe returned to Philly for the All-Star Game also happened to be my freshman year of college at Florida A&M University. It was the first time I had the opportunity to socialize with kids from all over the country. After watching the game in the TV room in Gibbs Hall, I asked my guy James from Philly why the city didn't receive, nor respect, Kobe at the All-Star Game.
His answer was simple.
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He said, "Kobe ain't from the within the city limits. In Philly, we don't claim much."
That's all I needed to know.
A Philly Magazine writer implored fans to boo Kobe on Tuesday night . Others took a more mild approach , suggesting the city not heap praise upon him.
I get it.
The Sixers were in a tough spot. It was Kobe's first game since announcing he was calling it quits at the end of this season. If they didn't pay their respects, they'd look classless. It's about the game of basketball, and Kobe has given so much quality to it, the least they could do was show him some love on the way out. Couple that with their city's distaste for him, and they'd look petty if they didn't recognize. Every other team in the league is sure to follow suit when Kobe comes to town. Why not start things off the right way?
Why not trot Dr. J out to midcourt for a photo opportunity, and give Kobe a framed replica of his high school jersey? (Note to whomever put this together: Kobe wore 33, not 24, in high school, but I'll give you a pass. This had to be thrown together quickly.)
The 76ers paid tribute to Kobe Bryant before they faced off w/ the Lakers tonight: https://t.co/0OgVgRV3jk pic.twitter.com/lFQ6B6lWCD
— Complex Sports (@Complex_Sports) December 2, 2015 It was a great show, but that's all it was.
Kobe will never be "that kid from Philly." Save that for the likes of Wilt Chamberlain (Overbrook) or Simon Gratz graduate Rasheed Wallace.
And Kobe doesn't have to be.
The truth is, Kobe won't miss Philly. He'll retire to his mansion in California. Philly won't miss him, either.