Kobe Bryant Says He Would Have Picked North Carolina, Not Duke

It has long been believed that had Kobe Bryant attended college, he would have gone to Duke and played under his coach with Team USA, Mike Krzyzewski. But in a conversation with Jimmy Kimmel during Kobe Up Close on Thursday night, Kobe said he would have instead joined Vince Carter and the North Carolina Tar Heels (reported by the L.A. Times, via PBT): “Defying urban legend that he was Duke-bound, had he gone to college instead of the NBA straight out of high school, Bryant said he was leaning toward North Carolina. ‘I love [Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski],’ Bryant said. ‘The truth has to come out.’ Why North Carolina? Vince Carter, a Tar Heel, was one of the top guards in the country at the time. ‘I want to play against him, every single day,’ Bryant said.”