“In late 1999 school officials banned 21 year old Bryant from coming near campus or attending any school events with the 16 year old Vanessa Laine,“
- Thread starter BigTyme Records
- Start date
It don't have to be it for you.
It's how it was back then. That same situation was the norm at every high school in America.
No response you can give will change the past.
1999 ain't 2025 chief.
Nor should it change the reaction to it now for people that weren't alive then.
Bigwhite2498
Superstar
Did you also know Savannah was a fresh 16 year old while LeBron was 18 is he a pedo too?
People can react however they want, but others don't have to accept that reaction and subsequent talking points as valid.
If the reaction is to try and retroactively depict someone as a pedo or morally repugnant for something that was accepted as a social norm at the time then that reaction can be justifiably dismissed.
This age gap issue with high schoolers and people of college age is a very recent development.
Last edited:
Which isn't in dispute.
Again just because it was socially acceptable to one generation doesn't mean that the others behind it should or obligated to feel the exact same way about it and they aren't wrong for their opinion.
If you see no issue with it then and now, then that's on you.
Erratic415
Superstar
The school banning Kobe from the school is probably the closest thing to a “controversy” that this caused. I don’t remember people really caring much at all about the age thing.
People in general didn’t care as much about it. Anthony Mason was in his 30s and pled guilty to statutory rape around this time, and the backlash to him was minor. Norm McDonald even made jokes about Mason on the opening monologue at the ESPYs when this happened. People Magazine did a cover story about Jerry Seinfeld dating a high schooler when he was close to 40 and how he was in love.
I think the attitude towards Karl Malone definitely would have been different since the girl was 12/13. But it took a long time for the story to really come out. I think it first hit the news in the late 90s, but it wasn’t covered a whole lot and most basketball fans didn’t know about it.
People in general didn’t care as much about it. Anthony Mason was in his 30s and pled guilty to statutory rape around this time, and the backlash to him was minor. Norm McDonald even made jokes about Mason on the opening monologue at the ESPYs when this happened. People Magazine did a cover story about Jerry Seinfeld dating a high schooler when he was close to 40 and how he was in love.
I think the attitude towards Karl Malone definitely would have been different since the girl was 12/13. But it took a long time for the story to really come out. I think it first hit the news in the late 90s, but it wasn’t covered a whole lot and most basketball fans didn’t know about it.
no one cared in this thread because we were all kids then anyway, but as an adult ya'll in here with the poms poms out not able to admit this was weird in retrospect is very concerning.
Kobe is a goat on the court, that doesn't mean you have to celebrate every facet of his existence.
Kobe is a goat on the court, that doesn't mean you have to celebrate every facet of his existence.
Last edited:
Fanservice
Bih call me senpai
Could’ve reworded this for the sake of quote mining
It's not too late to change it you know?yeah thats a bad snip on god
Excuses because it's a muthafuka you like
