After Bryant's death, the world fell into grief, and recently the Philadelphia Inquirer deliberately dug into Kobe's Philadelphia past, focusing on Kobe Bryant's first official date with his first love girlfriend, Brandy, at the high school prom. That dance became an unforgettable experience for Kobe and Brandi. Brandi declared that he had kept the dress bryant wore at the prom. At that time, Kobe Bryant was only 17 years old, so handsome and young, that Brandi, who was already a supernova in the music industry, could not help but agree to his invitation.
Fast forward to May 1996, when Bryant told his classmates that he was going to invite Brandy to be his prom partner, almost no one believed it. Although Kobe Bryant was already a basketball star at the time, preparing to participate in the NBA draft, and had Adidas offer him a $2 million sponsorship contract.
But it was Brandy Norwood, who rose to fame in 1995 as an American drama, then released her debut album, which reached number six on the R&B record chart and sold 1.3 million copies, becoming the nation's brightest rising star at the time.
Kobe Bryant's classmate at Raul Merion High School, Ashley, recalls the time when she and Bryant took An english class with Kobe, and Bryant grabbed a teen magazine, pointed to the brandi photo above, and said, "I want to take this girl to the prom." Ashley's reaction at the time was, "What? You are crazy. "However, Bryant's obsession is very deep, just like he later played basketball to embody the spirit of Mamba." Every day, he was saying ' I'm going to take this girl to the prom'. Ashley said.
The paranoid Kobe Bryant is still an activist, and he actually contacts Brandi and extends an invitation to her. "He asked if I could go to the prom with him, he was gentlemanly, I asked my mother and she said yes." Brandi said.
Brandi's mother, Sonya, recalled promising her daughter to Kobe's prom: "I said I didn't know the boy, I didn't know who he was. Sonia asked Brandy about Kobe Bryant and knew that this was an athlete with good academic performance and looked like a good child, so she agreed.
The news that Brandy agreed to Kobe's invitation caused a sensation among Kobe Bryant's classmates, and they all looked forward to the appearance of Kobe bryant and Brandi.
At 8:30 p.m. on May 25, 1996, it was supposed to be the time for Bryant and Brandi to appear at the prom, but they were late. Bryant went to pick up Brandy, then went to the home of former 76ers coach John Lucas to pick up Bryant's teammate Jermaine Griffin and his dance partner, the daughter of Coach Lucas.
Their appearance caused a sensation, with many media reporters rushing to take pictures and fanatical fans screaming at Kobe and Brandi. Brandi was super popular at the time, and Kobe Bryant was also a little famous rising star, and their graduation prom naturally became a hot topic.
Kobe Bryant and Brandy became the most dazzling couple at the graduation ball, and people looked for the golden boy and jade girl to take a group photo. Brandy is indeed charming, and Kobe's classmates quickly seized the opportunity to take a photo with Brandi.
"I asked Brandy if I could take a picture with her and she said yes, she was really kind." Kobe Bryant classmate Dan Gross said.
Bryant's female classmates chatted around Brandy, and Brandi shared her tips on dressing up and doing her hair. Brandy revealed a secret, her hairstyle took 8 hours, which surprised Bryant's classmates.
Kobe Bryant and Brandy had a great time at that dance, and they continued to date afterwards, which was their sweet first love.
But then the love affair between the two did not end. Brandy later said in an interview that he still kept the dress he had for the prom with Bryant. "It was a special night." Brandi said.
Brandi later wrote the song "That Boy Belongs to Me", for which he was nominated for a 1999 Grammy Award.
It's worth mentioning that Brandi has a soft spot for basketball players, having married NBA player Quentin Richardson but divorcing after 15 months. Quentin Richardson won the 2005 All-Star Contest and played for the Clippers, Suns, Knicks, and Magic.
Bryant didn't marry Brandy, but he waited for Vanessa, who married in 2001 and had a 19-year marriage, and although they experienced some twists and turns, they eventually became soul mates, especially in recent years.