July ??? 1996
The Pyramid Long Beach State Arena
Long Beach, CA
No Boxscore
Statline: In about 31 minutes: 22 points, 4 assists, 8-18 FG, 1-5 3 pt, 4-5 FT
Background: This is one of Kobe Bryant's Summer Pro League Games. Back then, SPL games were played in 2 halves and 20 minutes each half instead of nowadays 10 minutes with 4 quarters. The game was played in Long Beach and in this game the Lakers played Team China. The game itself was never broadcasted by the NBA but it was filmed by the Laker Organization for player evaluating purposes. So the game has no commentary, it is like a normal NBA broadcast with no scoreboards on the bottom, no watermarks, replays, and with ingame audio(although you can't hear what the players say on the court).
This particular game shows Kobe Bryant as a 17 year old, the youngest player to ever be drafted into the NBA at the time. Bryant had shattered every record in high school and had completely torn the basketball court apart. The Lakers traded Vlade Divac for Kobe Bryant, a move that at the time was considered a high risk. But no one had the vision Laker GM Jerry West had on the young fella, and little did anyone else know how good he would become in future years.
A month later, Kobe Bryant participated in the Summer Pro League. In this game, Kobe has the crowd ooh-ing and ahh-ing over his many tricks in his bag. Kobe has the crowd in his hands as he shows flashes of what is about to come in his first year in the NBA. Although very flashy, Kobe was also very clumsy at times as he made rookie mistakes here and there. This game is however a highlight reel of a young Kobe Bryant and his flashy style at it's best.Tags: Kobe Bryant 30 40 Shaq Oneal Lakers Vintage Afro high school 1997 1998 1999 dunk 360 reverse alleyoop airball clutch |
