Kobe Bryant: 1997-1998 Season    

The Improvement:  In the 97-98 season, Kobe Bryant saw nearly double the playing time (26.0 min/game vs. 15.5 as a rookie) of 96-97, but even fewer starts (1). Despite the lack of starting recognition from Coach Del Harris, Kobe more than doubled his scoring average, going from 7.6 to 15.4 per game. He also improved in assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks.

The Hype Renewal:  The players, fans, and media started paying more attention to Kobe and his flashes of greatness than, perhaps, his own franchise did. Partially because he dropped 33 points on Michael Jordan in a head-to-head match up in December, Kobe was named as a starter to the 1998 All-Star game. Kobe became the youngest player to ever play in and the youngest player to ever start in an NBA All-Star contest. Kobe tallied 18 points in the game. Karl Malone seemed to get upset with the teenager (still 19), pulling himself out of the game after Kobe waived off a pick to go one-on-one. "...when younger guys tell me to get out of the way, that's a game I don't need to be in." Kobe, hearing about the remark later, thought Malone's remark to be humorous.

The Last Laugh:   Little did Kobe and Lakers fans know at the time that Malone and his Utah Jazz would have the last laugh in 97-98 against the Lakers, in the Playoffs. Again.

The Rookie:   The Lakers dropped the Portland Trailblazers in the First Round, 3 games to 1, just as they did in 96-97. Next, the Lakers brushed aside Gary Payton and the Seattle Supersonics. After losing game 1, the Lakers won the next 4 by an average of nearly 17 points per game. Kobe fans and Lakers fans began to anticipate another Title run, another banner in The Fabulous Forum, another ring. But the Utah Jazz were on a tear of their own, and the Jazz handed the Lakers a season crushing 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference Finals.

The Wait:   Kobe was limited by Coach Harris to only 20 minutes per playoff game, down from his 26 minutes per regular season game. His performance suffered, and he averaged only 8.7 points per game. His output was improved from the 96-97 Playoffs, but was still a disappointment to himself and to Lakers fans. Many Kobe and Lakers fans were now seriously questioning when Harris would cut him loose and when Kobe would make it impossible for any coach hold him back any longer. In other words, everyone was still waiting for more Kobe.

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