Kevin Winter/Getty Images/Powelton Digital for Compass
The hoop that helped make the late Kobe Bryant a basketball legend can be yours—if you buy the home it’s attached to, where the star-to-be spent his teenage years.
The cost of the home is $899,900.
Powelton Digital for Compass
The Colonial-style house is on Remington Road in the Philadelphia suburb of Wynnewood, PA. Bryant first displayed his phenomenal skills there as a teenager, when he led his high school team to a state championship—and perfected his craft at this very hoop.
“I not only took a shot, I did a little dunk. I had fun with that,” says the co-listing agent, TJ Sokso with Compass, who was also playing Pennsylvania high school basketball at the time Kobe was. “It’s very nostalgic to be there. It’s a surreal feeling, actually.”
Powelton Digital for Compass
Powelton Digital for Compass
Kobe and his family moved into the 3,400-square-foot home in 1991, when they returned to the United States after living in Italy. His father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, had played professional basketball there.
Kobe was 13 at the time, and attended eighth grade and high school in the area. He showed up for his high school prom with the singer and actress Brandy Norwood, who was also 17 and was appearing in the TV show “Moesha.” Bryant, whose promise had already attracted attention, was bold enough to ask her to be his date, and she accepted.
The home was built in 1957, and the current owners bought it from the Bryants in 2008 for $510,000, not knowing that Bryant had grown up there.
“When they bought it, I don’t think they really had a clue until settlement, when they met Pamela, Kobe’s mom,” Sokso explains with a laugh. “I guess the Realtor® who initially sold it maybe undersold it.”
Powelton Digital for Compass
Powelton Digital for Compass
The house has five bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. Two of the bedrooms, including the master, have en suite bathrooms. Kobe’s bedroom was the first one on the left at the top of the stairs.
“Kobe probably wouldn’t like this, but it’s the one with the teddy bear on the bed” in the listing photos, Sokso says.
Powelton Digital for Compass
Powelton Digital for Compass
The home has many traditional finishes and colorful carpeting. There is a formal living room that flows into the dining room and an open-concept lower floor. A den has a fireplace for cool nights and the office has plenty of workspace.
Powelton Digital for Compass
Powelton Digital for Compass
Powelton Digital for Compass
The laundry room has lots of storage, and a recreation room off the laundry has a wet bar and entertaining space. The kitchen has been upgraded with granite countertops, updated appliances, and custom maple cabinetry.
Powelton Digital for Compass
Powelton Digital for Compass
Powelton Digital for Compass
A circular driveway has plenty of parking and is lined with flowerbeds and mature trees. The backyard has low-maintenance turf, instead of grass.
“It’s really well-kept, and the exterior and landscaping are absolutely gorgeous,” Sokso says. “It’s an amazing place to be, and it gives you a really good feeling.”
When Sokso met with the owner to go through items that the Bryants left behind when they moved, they found something exciting while perusing a shelf of magazines.
“Lo and behold, in the middle of all these magazines, is a Michael Jordan [cover] Sports Illustrated addressed to Kobe Bryant in 1992,” Sosko says. “That right there gave me chills.”
Sokso suggests that shooting a basket in Kobe’s old hoop may be part of any showing.
“I brought in an NBA ball, so maybe we will do that. I’ll put a ball off to the side, that would be fun,” he says.
“It would be great if it was somebody who was a huge Kobe fan who wanted to purchase the property,” Sokso adds.
Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other people died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 this year. He was 41. For his entire career, the NBA superstar played with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The post Kobe Bryant’s Childhood Home Hits the Market for $900K—Basketball Hoop Included! appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
source https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/kobe-bryants-childhood-home-hits-the-market-for-900k-basketball-hoop-included/
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