Back when Kobe Bryant was drafted 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, nobody knew (other than perhaps Jerry West) how good he was going to be. Otherwise, Charlotte would've never traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. Especially not in a deal centered around Vlade Divac (sorry Vlade, but you're not the Mamba).
So, when he took the court for the Lakers' Summer League games that year, fans were certainly excited, but expectations weren't exactly LeBron James-esque.
Then, he lit it up. Foreshadowing his incredible career, Bryant dropped 36 points while displaying his athleticism and shooting touch:
An extended version:
Summer League matches are only 40 minutes long, so he probably would've gone over 40 points in a regulation NBA game, something he did on numerous occasions in his career on his way to becoming the third leading scorer in NBA history.
[button width=”full” button size=”bigger” color=”custom” align=”center” textcolor=”#ffffff” texthcolor=”#ffffff” bgcolor=”#8b0000″ link=”https://clutchpoints.com/kobe-bryant-didnt-want-fans-to-be-sad-as-he-played-his-final-game/”]NEXT: Kobe Bryant didn’t want fans to be sad as he played his final game[/button]
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