Kobe Bryant: 1996-1997 Season    

The Trade:  On July 11, 1996, the Lakers completed a trade that brought Kobe Bryant to the Lakers and sent center Vlade Divac to the Hornets. Seven days after the Divac / Kobe trade, another BIG EVENT occurred: The Lakers signed free agent Shaquille O'Neal to a multi-year contract on July 18. On the 27th, Kobe also signed with the Lakers, and the smell of NBA Titles started to permeate the air once again in The Fabulous Forum (a.k.a., The Great Western Forum).

The Debut:  Making his Los Angeles Lakers debut on November 3, 1996, Kobe became the youngest player ever to appear in an NBA game (18 years, 2 months, 11 days). Dreams of Titles still distant, Kobe did not come out and dominate the league from his first game, or in his first season. Coach Del Harris apparently did not want to rush Kobe and put too much pressure on him, or was unsure what to do with a teenager in the NBA, so Kobe did not start his first game until January 27, 1997, against the Dallas Mavericks. Kobe scored 12 points. He would start only 5 more games the rest of the season.

The Rookie:  To summarize the rest of the 96-97 season for Kobe, it was a learning experience. Kobe learned that he was the best rookie in the NBA at the All-Star game by winning the Slam Dunk Championship and dropping a record 31 points on the other rookies in the Rookie Game (Allen Iverson, the overall #1 pick in the '96 Draft, would eventually win the Rookie of the Year honor). Kobe was named to the All-Rookie Second Team.

The Patience:   Kobe learned that he had to have patience, as Harris simply wouldn't or couldn't let him loose. In retrospect, Kobe might have ultimately benefited by watching, observing, and waiting. Kobe ended up averaging only 15.5 minutes per game on a team with Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Byron Scott, and Derek Fisher also at the guard positions.

The Playoffs:   Many fans forget that the 96-97 Lakers managed only a 3 game improvement from the 53-29 record of 95-96, despite the additions of Shaq and Kobe. Even so, the 96-97 Playoffs started with high expectations. Ultimately, this playoff season proved to be another, more painful learning experience. The Lakers managed to take out the Portland Trailblazers in the First Round, 3 games to 1, but fell to the guile of the Utah Jazz in the Conference Semifinals, 4-1. It is safe to say that neither of these series showcased the talent of Kobe, as he averaged only 14.8 minutes per game. In his limited playing time, Kobe averaged 8.2 points per game.

The Shots:   Despite the lack of playing time, Coach Harris relied on Kobe to take the clutch shots down the stretch of the Utah series. Unfortunately, Kobe didn't connect at the buzzer of Game 5 vs. Utah, tossing up an apparent airball that would have won the game in regulation. In overtime, Kobe shot two more airballs, and Lakers fans everywhere started to worry about how Kobe would handle defeat on the biggest basketball stage in the world. For the first time, they were worried about his age.

The Sour:   The Lakers had improved from the 95-96 team that was ousted by Houston in the First Round of the playoffs. A Conference Semifinals boot from the rival Utah Jazz, however, was a sour end to a season of promise, and the Kobe hype was temporarily quieted.

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