This Day in NBA History: Kobe Bryant Made His Debut With Los Angeles Lakers

Published 11/02/2020, 11:00 PM EST

Reviewing the NBA career of Kobe Bryant can leave anyone in awe. He started out as a prospect from high school and left the league as a legend. On this day in 1996, Kobe’s journey began in the league at just 18 years of age.

In his first game, Kobe came off the bench and played just 6 minutes. In those meagre minutes, Kobe didn’t register any points, and grabbed a single rebound. Although Kobe’s contribution was minimal, the LA Lakers won the game 91-85 over the Timberwolves.

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In his first year in the league, Kobe averaged just 7.6 points. However, this was enough for him to get the All-Rookie team honors. Things changed for him in his sophomore year, where he almost doubled his production and became an NBA All-Star.

By his fourth year, Kobe was already an NBA Champion, at just 21 years of age. Following this phenomenal championship run, Kobe won two more consecutive rings, completing a three-peat with the Lakers.

A look back at the tremendous career of Kobe Bryant

Once Kobe became a three-time champion, things started to change for him. The duo of him and Shaq started to fall apart, which ultimately led to Shaq being traded. But Kobe still retained his unparalleled drive to win in the NBA.

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The Mamba won two more NBA Championships in his career during 2009 and 2010. These two championships established Kobe as one of the all-time greats in the history of the league. Unfortunately, due to lingering injury issues, Kobe never won another ring in his glorious career.

Bryant retired in 2016, where he gave fans one last magical performance. Kobe scored a terrific 60 points in his final game and gave a heartwarming speech, capping it off with “Mamba Out.”

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During his 20 years in the league, Kobe bagged several individual accolades along with championships. He won an NBA MVP, two Finals MVPs, and was part of the NBA All-Star team 18 times. Along with this, he featured 15 times on an All-NBA team and 12 times on All-NBA defensive teams.

For his fabulous career, Kobe was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020. Unfortunately, he is no longer among us to celebrate his greatness.

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Aikansh Chaudhary is an NBA columnist for Essentially Sports. Previously, he helped rank various websites using the latest SEO techniques, and wrote over 2000 articles during his stint as a freelance writer. A die hard Lakers fan, Aikansh will forever uphold LeBron James as the GOAT.

This Day in NBA History: Kobe Bryant Made His Debut With Los Angeles Lakers

A look back at the tremendous career of Kobe Bryant

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