Gaming today is in its prime. With super-high graphics, the attention to detail almost makes gameplay feel realistic. However, games of older generations bring back a sense of nostalgia for a broad fanbase. One such game was NBA Courtside, which featured the late great Kobe Bryant on its cover.

As the cover of the game mentions “THE FASTEST MOST POWERFUL BASKETBALL GAME ON EARTH,” it was with great foresight that the developers saw what the Mamba would become – a legend of the game.

The game was released at a time when Kobe wasn’t even a regular starter for the Lakers, but was showing signs of his serious capabilities.

Let’s look at some fan reactions surrounding the tweet along with an analysis of the career of the ‘Black Mamba’ himself during the 1996-97 and 1997-98 NBA seasons.

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Fan Reactions to Kobe Bryant on the cover of NBA Courtside

For many fans, the game gave a sense of nostalgia surrounding their childhood. After all, the game was solely for the Nintendo 64 – a platform that was all the rage in the 90s.

Furthermore, some fans shed light on how far gameplay graphics have come.

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Some spoke about how underrated the game was for its time.

Some other fans took it further, expressing their current possession of the game, while others started their own little battles in the comments with friendly banter.

All in all, fans looked at the game with nostalgia and their reactions say it all. Clearly, the game was a rage in the 90s, and the Mamba simply fueled the fun even more with his domination on-court.

Kobe Bryant in the 1997-98 NBA Season

Bryant had a season of improvement in the 1997-98 season in comparison to his rookie year. Despite only starting a single game that season, the Mamba took his scoring prowess a notch upwards with at least 20 points or more in 20 regular-season games. Moreover, the Lakers would finish that regular season with an impressive 61-21 record.

Clearly, Kobe improved his performance in the 1997-98 season as compared to his rookie year, with his points scoring average nearly doubling. Furthermore, the ‘Mamba’ would also go on to earn his first-ever All-Star Game appearance that season.

His shooting would also considerably improve that year. Here’s a look at the type of shots he made over the 2 seasons.

Clearly, Kobe’s offensive arsenal took a major upgrade in the 1997-98 season, and the NBA Courtside game developers took advantage of this and put Kobe on the game’s cover. As they say, the rest is history.

Let us know your favorite Kobe moments in the comments below.

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