did kobe bryant started his first year in the nba
Kobe Bryant
Bryant debuted in the Summer Pro League in Long Beach , California , scoring 25 points in front of a standing - room - only crowd . Defenders struggled to get in front of him , and his performance excited West and Lakers coach Del Harris . He scored 36 points in the finale , and finished with averages of 24.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in four game . As a rookie in 1996 -- 97 , Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel . At the time he became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game ( 18 years , 72 days ; a record since broken by Jermaine O'Neal and former teammate Andrew Bynum ) , and also became the youngest NBA starter ever ( 18 years , 158 days ) . Initially , Bryant played limited minutes , but as the season continued , he began to see some more playing time . By the end of the season , he averaged 15.5 minutes a game . During the All - Star weekend , Bryant participated in the Rookie Challenge and won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest , becoming the youngest dunk champion ever at the age of 18 . Bryant 's performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All - Rookie Second Team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight . The Lakers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals in the playoffs against the Utah Jazz , when Bryant was pressed into a lead role at the end of Game 5 . Byron Scott missed the game with a sprained wrist , Robert Horry was ejected for fighting with the Utah 's Jeff Hornacek , and Shaquille O'Neal fouled out with 1 : 46 remaining in the fourth quarter . Bryant shot four air balls at the end of the game ; the Jazz won 98 -- 93 in overtime to eliminate the Lakers 4 -- 1 . He first whiffed a game - winning 2 - point jump shot in the fourth quarter , and then misfired three three - point field goals in overtime , including two tying shots in the final minute . O'Neal commented that `` ( Bryant ) was the only guy who had the guts at the time to take shots like that . '' 
Bryant debuted in the Summer Pro League in Long Beach , California , scoring 25 points in front of a standing - room - only crowd . Defenders struggled to get in front of him , and his performance excited West and Lakers coach Del Harris . He scored 36 points in the finale , and finished with averages of 24.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in four game . As a rookie in 1996 -- 97 , Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel . At the time he became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game ( 18 years , 72 days ; a record since broken by Jermaine O'Neal and former teammate Andrew Bynum ) , and also became the youngest NBA starter ever ( 18 years , 158 days ) . Initially , Bryant played limited minutes , but as the season continued , he began to see some more playing time . By the end of the season , he averaged 15.5 minutes a game . During the All - Star weekend , Bryant participated in the Rookie Challenge and won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest , becoming the youngest dunk champion ever at the age of 18 . Bryant 's performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All - Rookie Second Team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight . The Lakers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals in the playoffs against the Utah Jazz , when Bryant was pressed into a lead role at the end of Game 5 . Byron Scott missed the game with a sprained wrist , Robert Horry was ejected for fighting with the Utah 's Jeff Hornacek , and Shaquille O'Neal fouled out with 1 : 46 remaining in the fourth quarter . Bryant shot four air balls at the end of the game ; the Jazz won 98 -- 93 in overtime to eliminate the Lakers 4 -- 1 . He first whiffed a game - winning 2 - point jump shot in the fourth quarter , and then misfired three three - point field goals in overtime , including two tying shots in the final minute . O'Neal commented that `` ( Bryant ) was the only guy who had the guts at the time to take shots like that . ''
Yes, Bryant debuted in the Summer Pro League in Long Beach , California.
Bryant debuted in the Summer Pro League in Long Beach , California , scoring 25 points in front of a standing - room - only crowd . At the time he became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game ( 18 years , 72 days ; a record since broken by Jermaine O'Neal and former teammate Andrew Bynum ) , and also became the youngest NBA starter ever ( 18 years , 158 days ) .