"I play for the Los Angeles Lakers": Rookie Kobe Bryant never hesitated to remind fans of his NBA status
Kobe Bryant was undoubtedly super excited to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Black Mamba never missed a beat to remind fans that he was suiting up to play for one of the most decorated franchises in the NBA when he was a rookie.
Widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, the late Bryant won five NBA championships. He became an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, regular season NBA MVP, and a two-time NBA Finals MVP, all accomplished with the Lakers.
In an archived interview with Jay Leno, a rookie Bryant was all about reminding fans that he was a Laker:
"When I was on my way to LA and I was about to get on the plane, a guy comes up and says, 'Hey, you're pretty tall, you play basketball?' and I was like, 'Yeah, a little bit' and he goes on, 'What team do you play for?'"
"I'm here in Los Angeles, I play for the Los Angeles Lakers."
Bryant had worked out with the Lakers before the 1996 NBA Draft and played against former Lakers stars Michael Cooper and Larry Drew.
His dominance impressed then-GM Jerry West. On the strategic front, the team was looking to trade their center Vlade Divac for a player's draft rights to free up salary space to get Shaquille O'Neal.
In tandem, the Charlotte Hornets agreed to trade their No. 13 pick to the Lakers. While they never zeroed in on drafting Bryant, the Lakers told Charlotte whom to select with minutes winding down before the pick was made. Eventually, Bryant signed a three-year, $3.5 million rookie contract with the Purple and Gold.
Kobe Bryant had a rocky start with the Los Angeles Lakers
While his oodles of talent were well-documented, Kobe Bryant had a tough time acclimatizing to the team culture. His former teammate, Cedric Ceballos had a story about how the Black Mamba's rookie season went.
Speaking to Bally Sports, Ceballos recollected the time when then-Lakers coach Del Harris would impose rules on the rookie.
"Well his first couple years, Kobe Bryant was in the penitentiary. D"Del Harris put him in (figurative) jail. He would not allow him to be fancy, be Kobe.
"Now I can recall, we're playing half-court, five-on-five, I think he came across the middle, got a pass and tried a 360 dunk on Shaq. He almost got him!"
The five-time NBA champion was all about winning and dominating. Over the next decade, Kobe Bryant would establish himself as one of the bonafide superstars in the league, and it all started and ended with the Lakers.