Recently, Keyshawn Johnson gave reflections on his early NFL career as a developing wide receiver. He also shared a fascinating anecdote about hanging out with Kobe when he was a teenager. Johnson and Bryant joined their respective leagues in 1996 and were selected in the same draft class. Kobe chose the Lakers, and Keyshawn went first overall to the New York Jets. Since Kobe and Johnson were both young rookies on highly successful teams, it was only to be expected that the gifted players would have many of opportunities.
Johnson and Kobe collaborated for the first time on a Sports Center commercial. A humorous farce was the concept for the advertisement, and ESPN icon Stuart “Orlando” Scott made an appearance as well. Johnson discussed his experience shooting with Kobe and Stuart Scott on his podcast All Facts No Brakes.
“If you go back and think about it, Kobe and I both came into our respective leagues at the same time. The same year we both sign with the Adidas shoe company, same time, same year. Sonny Vaccaro brought us both to Adidas. Kobe was 18, or 19 at the time. He was just a young dude, I mean that’s all he was, a young Kobe…He was an NBA guy, I didn’t know no better, I was a college kid who graduated, went to USC, and was the No. 1 pick…He was just a kid.”
Kobe Bryant wasn’t shy to advice someone older
It wasn’t too much of a stretch for Keyshawn to refer to Kobe as a kid given the latter had forgone his chance to play college ball and instead immediately entered the league after high school. Kobe was a few years younger than Johnson, but the Black Mamba was no stranger to celebrity; in fact, Johnson learned a few things from the Black Mamba about what it meant to be a professional athlete. Speaking of the knowledge he gained from Kobe, Johnson continued,
“Actually Kobe was the person that taught me how to sign my autograph…because we were flying together on a private jet to Portland, Oregon to do something for Adidas, some sort of event. We had memorabilia we had to sign before we landed….he had started [signing] when I had started, but he finished way before me.”
Kobe Bryant statue unveiled recently
Johnson went on to say that Kobe taught him to limit his signature to just “Keyshawn” and his jersey number, rather than writing out his entire name. From an early age, Bryant appeared to have a knack for the business, having already achieved widespread recognition throughout his high school years.
