1996–97 Los Angeles Lakers season

1996–97 Los Angeles Lakers season
Kobe Bryant's rookie season
Head coach Del Harris
Owner(s) Jerry Buss
Arena Great Western Forum
Results
Record 56–26 (.683)
Place Division: 2nd (Pacific)
Conference: 4th (Western)
Playoff finish West Semifinals
(eliminated 1–4)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television Fox Sports West, KCAL
Radio AM 570 KLAC
Los Angeles Lakers seasons
< 1995–96 1997–98 >

The 1996–97 Los Angeles Lakers season was the highlight of signing Shaquille O'Neal to a multi-year deal.

Contents

Offseason

NBA Draft

Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club Team
1 24 Derek Fisher Guard  United States Arkansas-Little Rock

Before he was chosen as the 13th overall draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, the 17-year-old Bryant had made a lasting impression on then-Lakers general manager Jerry West, who immediately foresaw potential in Bryant's basketball ability during pre-draft workouts. He went on to state that Bryant's workouts were some of the best he had seen. Immediately after the draft, Bryant expressed that he did not wish to play for the Hornets and wanted to play for the Lakers instead. Fifteen days later, West traded his starting center, Vlade Divac to the Hornets for the young Kobe Bryant.

Regular season

Kobe’s Rookie Season

During his first season, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel. Initially, he played limited minutes, but as the season continued, he began to see some more playing time. He earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan-favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.

Season standings

Pacific Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Seattle SuperSonics 57 25 .695 – 31–10 26–15 16–8
x-Los Angeles Lakers 56 26 .683 1 31–10 25–16 18–6
x-Portland Trail Blazers 49 33 .598 8 29–12 20–21 15–9
x-Phoenix Suns 40 42 .488 17 25–16 15–26 13–11
x-Los Angeles Clippers 36 46 .439 21 21–20 15–26 10–14
Sacramento Kings 34 48 .415 23 22–19 12–29 8–16
Golden State Warriors 30 52 .366 27 18–23 12–29 4–20

Playoffs

Player stats

Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average

Player GP REB AST STL BLK PTS AVG
Nick Van Exel 79 2.9 8.5 0.9 0.1 1206 15.3
Derek Fisher 80 1.2 1.5 0.5 0.1 309 3.9
Shaquille O'Neal 51 12.5 3.1 0.9 2.9 1336 26.2

Award winners

References

1996 NBA Draft • All-Star Game • Playoffs • Finals • Transactions
Eastern
Boston • Miami • New Jersey • New York • Orlando • Philadelphia • Washington
Atlanta • Charlotte • Chicago • Cleveland • Detroit • Indiana • Milwaukee • Toronto
Western
Dallas • Denver • Houston • Minnesota • San Antonio • Utah • Vancouver
Golden State • L.A. Clippers • L.A. Lakers • Phoenix • Portland • Sacramento • Seattle
Franchise • History • Seasons
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