INDIANAPOLIS -- Not everyone can say they got an assist from the great Kobe Bryant, but one Ben Davis High School student added that to his list of accomplishments on Thursday.
Senior William Pate said it started as a request to his U.S. Government teacher, Mr. Belser, asking how many retweets they would need to get out of taking their final exam.
“He said 2 million,” said Pate. “I told him that’s not going to happen.”
So he countered the bet, asking if he could get his favorite player, Kobe Bryant to retweet him instead.
Mr. Belser agreed.
The two shook hands – and the rest is history.
Up for the challenge, Pate took to Twitter Thursday morning with the long-shot request for the retired NBA star, along with two photos of him and Mr. Belser shaking hands on the deal.
@kobebryant PLEASE IF YOU RETWEET THIS WE DONT HAVE TO TAKE THE FINAL PLEASE RT @kobebryant ?????????? pic.twitter.com/frr6MR9bZP
— Lul Yo?ngsta?? (@WilliamPate36) May 18, 2017
With over 11 million followers, the odds of the "Black Mamba" seeing every tweet that mentions his name are a bit low - but despite those odds, he came through.
On Thursday night, Kobe retweeted Pate and added a message for the senior: “Hope you have an A in this class.”
Hope you have an A in this class https://t.co/ABKeJSHPZc
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) May 18, 2017
As you can imagine, Pate was ecstatic, but he wasn’t the only one impressed - Wayne Township Superintendent Jeff Butts also shared his excitement for the class over Twitter, thanking Bryant for the lesson in the power of social media.
Thanks @kobebryant for responding to @WilliamPate36. Great lesson in the power of social media. True teachable moment for @bendavishs. @AP https://t.co/L4cXlIpSY0
— Dr. Jeff Butts (@WayneTwpSuper) May 19, 2017
Wayne Township Schools also released a statement about the challenge, saying students will still be required to have a “final assessment,” Mr. Belser will just have to get a bit more creative.
“We are excited that our students and staff are learning a great lesson in the power of social media with the response to Ben Davis High School student William Pate’s tweet by Kobe Bryant. Because Ben Davis High School requires all teachers to give a final assessment, Mr. Belser is developing a creative way to assess his students’ knowledge of the material they have learned this year.”
Bryant retired last year after 20 years with the Los Angles Lakers.