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  BACKGROUND
Kobe Bryant, the son of former NBA player Joe
"Jellybean" Bryant, jumped directly from high school to the pros
in 1996 and enjoyed an impressive rookie season with the Los Angeles
Lakers, winning the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk and leading all scorers in the
Schick Rookie Game during All-Star Weekend. In his second season he was
voted a starter for the 1998 All-Star Game, becoming at 19 the youngest
All-Star in NBA history. To top it off, he led the West team in scoring
with 18 points. In 1998-99, his third season, he averaged nearly 20 points
per game and was among the Lakers' leaders in virtually every statistical
category, solidifying his status as one of the game's most exciting young
stars. Bryant was the all-time leading scorer in Southeastern Pennsylvania
schoolboy history with 2,883 points, breaking the marks of NBA legend and
Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain (2,359 points) and former St. Joseph's
player Carlin Warley (2,441 points). Bryant led his high school team to a
77-13 record in his last three seasons and was a four-year starter. His
father, Joe, played eight NBA seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers, San
Diego Clippers and Houston Rockets, and is a former assistant coach at La
Salle. As a senior at Lower Merion High School, Bryant was selected by USA
Today and Parade Magazine as the National High School Player of the Year.
He was also named Naismith Player of the Year, Gatorade Circle of
Champions High School Player of the Year and to the McDonald's All-America
Team. Bryant averaged 30.8 ppg, 12 rpg, 6.5 apg, four spg and 3.8 bpg. He
led Lower Merion to Class AAAA state title with a 31-3 record. Bryant
scored a career-high 50 points vs. Marple Newtow and scored 34 points to
go along with 15 rebounds, six assists and nine blocks to lead Lower
Merion to District I Class AAA title over Chester. He scored 117 points
and was named Most Outstanding Player in Prestigious Beach Ball Classic in
Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Lakers wanted Bryant but were drafting late, so
they swung a deal with the Charlotte Hornets whereby Charlotte selected
him with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft,
then dealt him to Los Angeles in exchange for center Vlade Divac. Despite
his youth and lack of college experience, Bryant was a significant
contributor as the Lakers won 56 games in 1996-97. He scored in double
figures 25 times, including a streak of seven within 10 games late in the
season. He also grabbed the spotlight at the All-Star Weekend by winning
the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk and leading all players with an event-record
31 points in the Schick Rookie Classic. Bryant blossomed as the Lakers'
sixth man in his second pro season, averaging 15.4 ppg, scoring in double
figures in 65 of his 79 games and being voted by the fans as a starter in
the 1998 All-Star Game, where he led the Western Conference with 18
points. At 19 years, 5 months, he became the youngest All-Star in history,
replacing Magic Johnson, who was 20 years, 5 months old when he played in
the 1980 game. He was the only Laker to start all 50 games in 1998-99 and
averaged 19.9 ppg, second on the team. He led the club in steals and was
among the top three in rebounds, assists and blocked shots as well. .
1997-98 NOTES
Scored 25 points and added 3 assists in a
102-98 victory over the Utah Jazz on 4/19 Posted 20 points (7-11 FG) and 4
rebounds in a 117-105 victory over the New Jersey Nets on 4/2 Registered
23 points (8-12 FG, 5-5 FT), 3 rebounds and 3 assists in a 107-86 victory
over the Denver Nuggets on 3/23 Recorded 21 points (7-10 FG, 7-8 FT), a
team-high 7 assists and 4 rebounds in a 131-92 win over the Denver Nuggets
on 2/19 Made his first start of the season, totaling 17 points and 4
rebounds, against the Portland Trail Blazers on 2/10 Posted a team-high 18
points and 6 rebounds, becoming the youngest All-Star in NBA history, in
the 1998 NBA All-Star Game in New York Teamed with Lisa Leslie of the
WNBA's L.A. Sparks in the inaugural Nestle Crunch All-Star 2ball during
All-Star Saturday Registered 26 points (6-10 FG, 13-13 FT), 4 rebounds, 4
assists and 3 steals in a 122-115 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on
2/4 Recorded 22 points, a career-high 7 assists and 3 rebounds in a
121-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on 1/30 Totaled 26 points
and 5 rebounds against the New Jersey Nets on 1/28 Posted 25 points (7-12
FG, 3-4 3FG, 8-10 FT), 5 rebounds and 3 assists in a 119-109 win over the
Phoenix Suns on 1/21 Registered 21 points (6-9 FG, 8-9 FT) and 5 rebounds
in a 108-99 victory over the Miami Heat on 1/17 Scored a career-high 33
points, hitting 3-of-5 three-pointers, and grabbed 3 rebounds against the
Chicago Bulls on 12/17 Recorded a game-high 30 points, 3 rebounds and 3
assists in a 119-89 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on 12/14 Totaled 27
points (8-15 FG, 2-4 3FG, 9-10 FT) and 5 rebounds in a 119-102 win over
the Houston Rockets on 12/12 Posted 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4
steals in a 119-102 victory over the L.A. Clippers on 11/23 Registered 25
points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals in a 132-97 victory over the
Golden State Warriors on 11/9 Recorded 23 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds
in a 104-87 victory over the Utah Jazz on 10/31
1996-97 NOTES
Playing at shooting guard, point guard and
small forward, Bryant appeared in 71 games as a rookie, including six
starts, and averaged 7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 15.5
minutes. He averaged 11.3 ppg in the last 13 games of the seaon and 12.4
ppg in the 26 games in which he played 20+ minutes. He was chosen to the
NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Bryant scored a career-high 24 points,
shooting 9-for-11 from the field, in a 109-85 win at Golden State on April
8. The 24 points were the most by a Laker reserve all season. He scored in
double figures 25 times and four times had 20+ points. He ranked third on
the team in free throw percentage at .819, fourth in three-pointers with
51 and fifth in three-point percentage at .375. He became the youngest
player to ever start an NBA game on January 28 at Dallas, when he was 18
years, five months, five days. He's the second-youngest player in NBA
history, behind Portland's Jermaine O'Neal. Bryant was one of the stars of
the All-Star Weekend. He led all scorers in the Schick Rookie Game with an
event-record 31 points, then came back to become the first Laker ever to
win the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk later that night, posting a score of 49
out of a possible 50 in the final round. Bryant appeared in all nine of
the Lakers' playoff games in a reserve role, ranking fifth on the club in
scoring at 8.2 ppg. He scored 22 points in Game 3 of the First Round
against Portland and 19 in Game 3 of the Conference Semifinals against
Utah.
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