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.[32] He scored 36 points in the finale, and finished with averages of 24.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in four game.[33] As a rookie in 1996–97, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel.[34] 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).[35][36] 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.[37] Bryant's performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight.[38] 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.[39] O'Neal commented that "[Bryant] was the only guy who had the guts at the time to take shots like that."[40]
Kobe Bryant With career averages of 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game,[293] he is considered one of the most complete players in NBA history.[343] He was the first player in NBA history to have at least 30,000 career points and 6,000 career assists,[331] and is one of only four players with 25,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 6,000 assists.[344] Bryant led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons.[4] His 81-point performance against Toronto in 2006 was the second-highest in NBA history,[345] behind only Chamberlain's 100. He has scored at least 50 points 24 times in his career, which is third in league history behind Jordan (31) and Chamberlain (118);[264] six times Bryant scored at least 60.[346] He was just the third player in NBA history to average 40 points in a calendar month, which he has accomplished four times.[h] Bryant was voted the league MVP in 2008 and led his team to the 2008 NBA Finals as the first seed in the Western Conference.[347] In the 2008 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. men's basketball team, occasionally referred to as "The Redeem Team".[348] He won another gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He led the Lakers to two more championships in 2009 and 2010, winning the Finals MVP award on both occasions.