The basketball legend of Kobe Bryant did not start with the Los Angeles Lakers, but as a Philadelphia high school basketball phenom at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Bryant led the Aces to the 1996 PIAA State Championship as the Naismith Prep Player of the Year immediately preceding his selection in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft. Bryant’s chief rival in Philly hoops was his future NBA rival Richard “Rip” Hamilton, an incandescent star for Coatesville Area High School outside of Philadelphia. Bryant and Hamilton met three times, including twice in the PIAA District 1 Class AAAA playoffs, with Bryant and the underdog Aces maintaining a perfect 3-0 record against Hamilton’s Red Raiders.

Offered in this lot is a one-of-a-kind dual signed photograph of Bryant and Hamilton competing during their high school days. Bryant, donning the famous maroon of Lower Merion, is guarding Hamilton, the ball carrier in Coatesville white. Both men have signed this photograph in black marker, with Bryant inscribing his high school number of “33” and Hamilton adding “#32”. This historic photograph is framed to the dimensions of 30.5 x 35 inches. A plaque on the bottom of the frame reads “Kobe Bryant vs Rip Hamilton / Philadelphia High School Championship / Lower Merion vs Coatesville”. This historic item comes with a LOA from JSA (Y47011).

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