Kobe Bryant Dazzles NBA In Rookie Season

KobeBryant as of the year 2013 is one of the greatest players in LA Lakers and NBA history but in 1996 he was just an 18 year old kid out of high school trying to find his way in the league. Drafted 13^th overall by the Charlotte Hornets and then traded to the Lakers, Kobe Bryant was at that time one of only 5 players to make the jump from high school to the NBA (Moses Malone, Kevin Garnett, Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby).

The unique thing about that though is that Kobe was really the first guard or non big man to make that jump from high school to the NBA. Few Players love the game like Kobe “I always tried to hold a basketball, watch basketball, think about basketball, People told me to get away from basketball, but I can't. It's in my blood” Bryant said. As a guard who comes from high school to the NBA you need to have that passion for your craft. His father Joe “Jellybean” Bryant said it best when speaking about Kobe's transition "People say he's not 6-10 or 7 feet. I'm saying, `Now wait a minute. Sure, he's not 7 feet, but he's a smart player and he understands the game.' Nobody really ever said that, and that upset me a little because, to be a guard, you really have to understand the game”.

When speaking about Kobe then Lakers head coach Del Harris said the following "It's not just (his athleticism), I guess you would say it's the athleticism combined with so many skills. You get so many athletes who excite you with potential, but they don't have the ball handling or shooting skills. And here's a guy that actually has got all these things. It's just that it's in this young body.

He was dead on about the 18 year old kid from Lower Merion high school and when he put all of those things together he would go onto score 31,000 points and still counting, win 5 championships and become one of the most decorated careers in NBA history.

Although Bryant's rookie year of 1996-97 might have been limited he put on a show at the 1996 all-star game in Cleveland winning the dunk contest . Announcers drooled over his athleticism, players respected his dedication and fans marveled at his highlight tapes.Kobe Bryant was just scratching the surface of what he would become 17 seasons later.