Kobe Bryant first started turning heads on the basketball court when he was in middle school. His talents dominated the game so much that high schools from all over the Philadelphia area watched him grow up. The almost six-foot tall seventh grader definitely had the make-up and genes for the game, as his dad was former NBA forward, Joe Bryant. Kobe developed his basketball skills under the watchful eye of his father, helping his mission to become a professional basketball player. He worked daily on his game, watching video, playing in the playgrounds and listening to his father.

grader：小学生；小科比中学时进入篮球场，七年级就长成了六英尺的大个子，在篮球场上呼风唤雨。
watchful：关注的，注意的；科比的爸爸曾经在NBA征战数年，他非常希望儿子也像自己一样进入NBA。

When he entered high school at Lower Marion in Philadelphia, Kobe was a highly touted recruit. He proved that he had the skills and work ethic to be a star at the next level and the scouts noticed this. Kobe didn't let anybody down either, as he played on the varsity basketball team his freshman year. He wouldn't immediately be a superstar, though. Rather it was the countless hours of early morning workouts by himself in the gymnasium that escalated Kobe's talents.

scout：球探；科比刚刚进入高中就被NBA的球探看中。
varsity：学校代表队。
workout：测试，测验。
gymnasium：健身房；科比每天早晨都在健身房里度过，练就了一附好体魄，为将来在NBA征战打下了良好的基础。

Kobe became a better player every year he played at Lower Marion and soon enough, he had developed into one of the premier talents at the high school level. He sold out the games everywhere he played during his junior and senior years and he didn't disappoint anyone. He once packed the school gym so much that it caused a traffic jam on the main highway just outside the school.

gym：体育馆；科比凭借惊人的球技征服了所有观众，只要有他的比赛，学校的体育馆都座无虚席。
highway：高速公路；每逢科比的比赛，观众都要蜂拥而来，有一次把校外的高速公路都堵塞了。

He went on to finish his high school career as the all-time leading point scorer in Pennsylvania history with a total of 2, 883 points. Kobe's highly decorated high school career made him the 13th overall choice by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 NBA draft.

all-time：空前的，创纪录的；科比以惊人的2883分创造了宾州高校的得分纪录。
decorated：充满荣誉的。
NBA draft：NBA选秀；1996年，科比在第13位被夏洛特黄蜂队挑中，从高中直接进入了NBA