Who would of thought the rookie straight out of high school drafted 13th overall back in 1996 who averaged only 7.6 PPG during his rookie year will go down as one of the greatest players in NBA history. 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🐐
+Nate Calhoun Uh I did, I guess Lakers fans did too. I watched all his rookie games & I was wondering why he didn't get playing time? But you always see something special when he was on the court. Now when you think of it, he was benched not because Eddie Jones & Nick Van Exel was better but because they were All-Stars & being paid a lot more to be the starters. Also Del Harris seem to hate Kobe & he was about to get fired & needed to get into the playoffs. Most rookies have more leeway when it comes to mistakes. Harris didn't want any part of Kobe the rookie. If Kobe played in Charlotte I'm sure he would be 20 + ppg like Iverson & would have been co rookie at least or 1st rookie team.
+adryan baul Number 1 play should be the 3 airballs against UTAH. It is also the reason why he is better mentally than the whole team combined. 2 All-stars & 1 Superstar in the team didn't want to take those 3 shots. Kobe was fearless & airballed all 3. That was the beginning of his greatness.
I always admire Kobe’s rookie season. Even though his stats weren’t that crazy and he was only playing 15 minutes a game, he still had the mentality that’s he’s gonna be great.
HAPPY 35th BIRTHDAY KOBE! My favorite athlete since I was a kid. Still got some years to go. I will watch as much as I can. Hopefully I'll see the game where you pass Jordan on the all time scoring list.
He was like a puppy! All this energy, but not really completely harnessed. The way he evolved his game is what made him a legend. I can’t believe he’s gone. RIP Kobe.
Kobe has come a long way. From an acrobatic finisher all the way to one of the skillest player the NBA has ever seen. Gonna be a sad day when he finally retires.
I just landed his Mitchell and Ness authentic Yellow 96 jersey on eBay for only $220. The biggest baller move I ever made. Love Kobe since childhood, the man was just amazing to watch on the court. I always tuned in for Lakers games even if they played against bad teams, never took a Kobe game for granted. R.I.P legend 😭💛💜
average/good but not elite, it was his rookie year... He lacked experience about how to defend pick and rolls, guarding stronger players or off ball defense (against NBA pors) and he gambled for steals..
You'll want to copy from some of the greatest ever and utilize what you learned from em to surpass them. Hell, even Jordan got some of his moves from the doctor Julius Erving.
I watched you play in your rookie season and I could see u were going 2 be a problem in the NBA. I wished the 76ers had drafted u being u were from Philly. A lot of us in Philadelphia loved u. I loved the way u handled yourself on & off the court and u had a killer instinct that I always admired. Rest Well 2 ALL the lives on board!!😭
I'm a HUGE LeBron fan but it is gonna be heart breaking when he leaves! To me Kobe in his prime was better than LeBron himself now. The man is a legend and deserves respect. Stay around as much longer as you can Kobe!
kobe has been selected to 1st TEAM all defense 9 times in his career. 9 times! More than defenders like dennis rodman and scottie pippen that is tied for the most all time along with Michael Jordan, kg, and the glove gary payton. This is what makes Kobe Jordan 2.0. and no doubt a top 5 player of all time if not top 2.
