Bryant was named Pennsylvania's Player of the Year in 1995, averaging 31 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game as a junior. And, just as he was breaking into the NBA, Bryant improved himself and his draft stock as a high school senior. Bryant won every National Player of the Year award available, from USA Today to Parade Magazine. He was also named All-American by The Sporting News and SuperCoach. Bryant originally planned to forgo college and enter the 1995 NBA Draft. However, after hearing that several teams were interested in picking him up with the last pick in the first round, he changed his mind and attended Carnegie Mellon for one final season. As it turned out, the last pick in the first round was the New Jersey Nets, who took him with the 28th overall selection. In his only season at CMU, Bryant averaged 26 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. He led the Pirates to their first 20-win season since 1990 and was named First Team All-America by CBS Sportsline.com. After the season, he entered the 1996 NBA Draft and was selected second by the Philadelphia 76ers. Bryant spent two seasons with Philadelphia before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1998. He played three seasons in L.A., winning an NBA Championship in 2000, before being dealt to the Chicago Bulls in 2003.