Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Kris Bryant trots down memory lane at Bonanza High

Big League Weekend Baseball

L.E. Baskow

Chicago Cubs’ player Kris Bryant (17) signs autographs at the Big League Weekend baseball game against the New York Mets at Cashman Field on Thursday, March 31, 2016. He is a Las Vegas native and one of baseball’s brightest, young stars.

Click to enlarge photo

Bonanza High School baseball player Kris Bryant throws the ball during practice at the school Tuesday, March 2, 2010.

Kris Bryant talks about struggling in his first high school baseball game and the high of seeing his picture on the school's wall of fame in a video of his visit to Bonanza High School in Las Vegas.

During his and wife Jessica's return to their alma mater in February, the Cubs third baseman met with old coaches and administrators. One of Bryant's sponsors, Red Bull, documents the trip in a video on redbull.com.

"There's so many good memories here for me," Bryant says in the video. "I met my wife here, got a scholarship for playing baseball well and doing well in school. I loved high school, loved every minute of it."

Bryant had a number of other memorable moments, which he shares with viewers.

On returning to Bonanza

"Pretty cool to see your face on a door right when you walk up. The wall of fame was something that we walked by every day in school and you look up there and think, that would be pretty cool to be up there one day. Now the students here walk by and see my face up there. My wife is up on the student council side of the wall of fame. She was student body president, three sports, she did it all. She still does it all."

On his first varsity game

"First varsity game, I was so nervous. I had no clue what I was doing. I think I made an error, misplayed a ball, it bounced over my head. I was getting the nerves out. My first home run was a grand slam, so I redeemed myself after my first game."

On how he and Bengals teammates dressed for games

"The locker room ... my memories were that we never really got to be in that locker room because the football team had it. We'd pull up our cars and change in the parking lot and blast our music."

Take that, Kyle Schwarber

Schwarber famously shattered a car windshield with a home run during spring training last season. Well, Bryant had a similar experience in high school: "We had a pretty busy street here. I actually hit a homer over the fence and we hear a sound. Obviously, it was a car, we just didn't know what we did to the car. Five minutes later, a guy pulls up, window shattered. It was a pretty funny moment." (For you maybe, Kris.)

On keeping the field looking sharp

"We all had our jobs to take care of the field. Freshmen started off with the worst jobs. As a senior, you got up to watering the field. I took pride in what I did, not just here, even what we do now in manicuring Wrigley Field with our feet in between in each pitch. You take pride in what you do."

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