ATLANTA — Kobe Bryant never wore a basketball jersey associated with Georgia. He never even lived in the state, but he touched the lives of many here.
An assistant coach for the Georgia Bulldogs knew the NBA legend from before his stardom -- from their high school days in Pennsylvania.
John Linehan played against Bryant in high school in suburban Philadelphia.
"He actually ended my high school career," he said. "We lost to them in the game to get to the state finals, you know in Pennsylvania."
"They beat us in overtime. He ended up having about 39 points... 27 from the free throw line though," Linehan said with a smile.
A day after the 41-year-old's death, Linehan said Bryant "was an incredible person and a giant in this world."
"I can only thank him for what he's done for me in my life, and the friendship that we have," he said.
During the 2001 NBA playoffs, Bryant was asked who was the toughest defender he'd ever faced.
His answer: "You guys may laugh, but it's a guy named John Linehan."
"It's an extreme honor for someone like that to say something like that about me," Linehan said.
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