Monday marked the 18th anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s NBA debut. I posted an instagram photo mentioning that Dawson’s Creek had not even debuted yet when a young Kobe first put on the purple and gold. It made me realize two things:
1. I think of time as B.D. (Before Dawson’s) and A.D. (After Dawson’s).
2.The world was a very different place eighteen years ago.
Love him, hate him or love to hate him, you have to admit eighteen years is an amazing accomplishment. Here are eighteen ways the world was different on Nov. 3, 1996 when Kobe stepped on the court.
1. I think of time as B.D. (Before Dawson’s) and A.D. (After Dawson’s).
2.The world was a very different place eighteen years ago.
Love him, hate him or love to hate him, you have to admit eighteen years is an amazing accomplishment. Here are eighteen ways the world was different on Nov. 3, 1996 when Kobe stepped on the court.
- First thing, it was a completely different court that Kobe first swaggered onto on Nov. 3, 1996. It would be another three years before the Lakers would explode into the Staples Center with a championship season. In 1996, 18-year-old Kobe debuts in the 1980’s epicenter, The Forum.
- LeBron James and I are both awkward 6th graders. OK, maybe King James wasn’t as awkward as my poorly chosen bob cut, but still the dude is eleven.
- Bill Clinton is president and no one has heard of Monica Lewinsky. America also has clearer understanding of sexual relations and blue dresses aren’t forever stained in all our memories.
- Princess Diana is still alive and rocks a haircut that sends ladies to salons in droves begging for the “the Lady Di.” While her son, William, still has hair, making him a teen icon.
- Ross and Rachel are happily together and the words “We were on a break” have yet to be uttered. Oh and Monica and Chandler are just friends.
- The real Titanic might had already sunk, but Kate and Leo have yet to step foot on the ill fated ship and fan girls only see movies once in the theaters.
- WCW is still a wrestling company and not a Wednesday Twitter trend. World Wildlife Foundation hasn’t beaten WWF into submission yet, so the WWE name change is still years away. And in about two weeks a grinning baby face, Rocky Maivia (better known as The Rock), debuts to lack luster reviews. That guy won’t make any money….
- One thing that remains the same is that Kim Kardashian is not a virgin. Apparently, she has already traded that card in two years ago. We still have eleven blissful years until her sex tape drops and she forever enters our lives.
- Text Messaging actually does exist, but no one uses it, because it will be another year before Nokia launches the first mobile phone with keyboard 9000i Communicator. You probably don’t even have a cellphone yet because it will be another two years until the Nokia 5100 arrives. That was the bulky cellphone with Snake and changeable face plates that you would sell your soul to have or at least ask for it for Christmas.
- Napster is still three years away, so you have to buy the whole Los del Río album if you want to dance the Macarena in the comfort of your own home.
- Facebook is an actual book given to college freshman to help identify each other. Having an attractive Facebook profile picture is still very important.
- Peyton Manning is not in the NFL yet. He is finishing up his junior season at the University of Tennessee, which most people presume will be his last. He will shock the world by staying for his senior year and forever solifidies himself as Knoxville’s favorite son.
- The real weapon of mass destruction for middle school girls in the late 90's, AOL Instant Messenger, is still six months away and the world is a bit nicer.
- Hogwarts, Muggles and Voldemort mean nothing to us because it will be another eight months before Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is released and somehow makes wizards cool.
- Lou Pearlman is creepily crafting NSYNC, but unless you were a Mickey Mouse Club diehard fan, you have never heard of Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake. Although, they are big fans of each other at this time.
- Shopping at Sephora, H&M, Tory Burch, Lululemon and 7 for all Mankind in the US is merely a fashionist’s dream in 1996. I’m not sure what sensible flats girls wore to the bars before Tory Burch Revas, so this is a particularly dark period.
- Mariska Hargitay won’t be catching creepers on Law and Order SVU and giving me nightmares for another three years.
- Finally, if I had wanted to Google any of this riveting information in 1996, I couldn’t because Google doesn’t exist yet. Not as verb or a search engine. I guess I would have gone to the library????
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