The 1996–97 NBA season was the Los Angeles Lakers' 49th season in the National Basketball Association, and 37th in the city of Los Angeles. This season was mostly remembered for the Lakers signing free agent All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal to a seven-year, $120 million deal, and acquiring high school basketball star Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets, who selected him with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft during the off-season. The team also signed former Lakers guard Byron Scott from the "Showtime" era, signed free agents Jerome Kersey, and Sean Rooks, and acquired rookie center Travis Knight from the Chicago Bulls. In January, they traded Cedric Ceballos back to his former team, the Phoenix Suns, in exchange for Robert Horry, who won two championships with the Houston Rockets. The Lakers had the eighth best team defensive rating in the NBA. The Lakers played strong basketball as they had the best record in the Western Conference at the All-Star break with a 35–13 record, but soon slipped out of first-place finishing second in the Pacific Division with a 56–26 record. O'Neal averaged 26.2 points per game, 12.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, but only played 51 games due to a knee injury. He was also named to the All-NBA Third Team. In addition, Eddie Jones averaged 17.2 points and 2.4 steals per game, while Nick Van Exel provided the team with 15.3 points and 8.5 assists per game, Elden Campbell contributed 14.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and Kersey provided with 6.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. O'Neal and Jones were both selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, but O'Neal did not play due to injury. Off the bench, Bryant contributed 7.6 points per game, and Knight averaged 4.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game; Bryant and Knight were both named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, while Bryant won the Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, Ohio. In the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in four games. However, in the Western Conference Semi-finals, they lost in five games to regular season MVP Karl Malone, John Stockton and the Utah Jazz. The Jazz would reach the NBA Finals for the first time, but would lose to the defending champion Chicago Bulls in six games. Following the season, Scott went overseas and signed with the Greek Basket League giants Panathinaikos for the 1997–98 season, while Kersey signed as a free agent with the Seattle SuperSonics, and Knight signed with the Boston Celtics. One notable highlight of the season was the Lakers holding the Dallas Mavericks to just two points in the third quarter, in an 87–80 home win on April 6, 1997. It was the fewest points scored in a quarter of a game in NBA history.

Draft picks

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 against former Lakers players and then assistant coaches Michael Cooper, and Larry Drew were the best he had ever 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.

Roster

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 during the All-Star Weekend in Cleveland. He averaged 7.6 points and 15.5 minutes per game in 71 games, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Pre-season

Regular season

Playoffs

Player statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

NOTE: Please write the players statistics in alphabetical order by last name.

Awards and records

Transactions