Roger gave Kobe several Eastern Conference Finals tickets; in exchange, Kobe promised to "explode" Jerry Stackhouse for Roger.
The Philadelphia 76ers, having acquired the third draft pick, would soon be trialing Stackhouse, so Starks would be visiting Philadelphia and find time to meet with Kobe.
Jerry Stackhouse had already made his declaration, "I will blow up that high school kid with my left hand and force that coward Roger out."
With that, Kobe showed up at the Orlando Arena.
"You're going to win against Michael tonight," Kobe said after greeting Roger.
"Aren't you his fan?"
"Not anymore, your 40 points at halftime during the regular season changed my perception of you, I like your style of play."
"Never imitate my playing style after you enter the NBA; take this as advice," Roger couldn't even imagine how many years earlier that typical poor performance of 17 out of 47 shots would come if Kobe imitated his reckless shooting.
