1996–97 Los Angeles Lakers season

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.[1] During the offseason, the Lakers signed free agent All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal to a seven-year, $120 million deal,[2] and acquired high school star Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets, who selected him with the 13th pick in the 1996 NBA draft.[3] Other offseason acquisitions included signing former Lakers guard Byron Scott, and free agents Jerome Kersey and Sean Rooks. In January, they traded Cedric Ceballos back to the Phoenix Suns for Robert Horry, who won two championships with the Houston Rockets. O'Neal finished fourth in the league in scoring averaging 26.2 points per game, but played just 51 games due to a knee injury.

1996–97 Los Angeles Lakers season
Head coachDel Harris
General managerJerry West
Owner(s)Jerry Buss
ArenaGreat Western Forum
Results
Record56–26 (.683)
PlaceDivision: 2nd (Pacific)
Conference: 4th (Western)
Playoff finishConference Semifinals
(Lost to Jazz 1–4)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionFox Sports West, KCAL
RadioAM 570 KLAC

During the final month of the season in a game against the Dallas Mavericks on April 6, the Lakers held the Mavs to just two points in the third quarter in an 87–80 win. It was the fewest points in a quarter of a game in NBA history.[4] The Lakers finished second in the Pacific Division with a 56–26 record. O'Neal and Eddie Jones were both selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game. However, O'Neal did not play due to injury. Bryant was selected to the All-Rookie Second Team. He also won the Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star Weekend in Cleveland.

In the first round of the postseason, the Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in four games. However, in the semifinals, they lost in five games to the Utah Jazz. 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.

Draft picks
Main article: 1996 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 24 Derek Fisher Guard  United States Arkansas–Little Rock

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.[5] Fifteen days later, West traded his starting center, Vlade Divac to the Hornets for the young Kobe Bryant.

Roster
Roster listing
1996–97 Los Angeles Lakers roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
PF 43 Blount, Corie 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1969–01–04 Cincinnati
SG 8 Bryant, Kobe 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1978–08–23 Lower Merion HS
PF 41 Campbell, Elden 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1968–07–23 Clemson
PG 2 Fisher, Derek 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1974–08–09 Arkansas-Little Rock
SF 5 Horry, Robert 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1970–08–25 Alabama
SG 6 Jones, Eddie 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1971–10–20 Temple
SF 12 Kersey, Jerome 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1962–06–26 Longwood University
C 40 Knight, Travis 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1974–09–13 Connecticut
PF 7 Krystkowiak, Larry 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1964–09–23 Montana
SG 24 McCloud, George  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1967–05–27 Florida State
C 34 O'Neal, Shaquille 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 325 lb (147 kg) 1972–03–06 LSU
C 45 Rooks, Sean 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1969–09–09 Arizona
SG 4 Scott, Byron 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1961–03–28 Arizona State
PG 9 Van Exel, Nick 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1971–11–27 Cincinnati
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster
Last transaction: 1997–02–24

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.

Season standings
Pacific Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Seattle SuperSonics 5725.695–31–1026–1516–8
x-Los Angeles Lakers 5626.683131–1025–1618–6
x-Portland Trail Blazers 4933.598829–1220–2115–9
x-Phoenix Suns 4042.4881725–1615–2613–11
x-Los Angeles Clippers 3646.4392121–2015–2610–14
Sacramento Kings 3448.4152322–1912–298–16
Golden State Warriors 3052.3662718–2312–294–20
1996–97 NBA West standings
# Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Utah Jazz6418.780–
2 y-Seattle SuperSonics5725.6957
3 x-Houston Rockets5725.6957
4 x-Los Angeles Lakers5626.6838
5 x-Portland Trail Blazers4933.59815
6 x-Minnesota Timberwolves4042.48824
7 x-Phoenix Suns4042.48824
8 x-Los Angeles Clippers3646.43928
9 Sacramento Kings3448.41530
10 Golden State Warriors3052.36634
11 Dallas Mavericks2458.29340
12 Denver Nuggets2161.25643
13 San Antonio Spurs2062.24444
14 Vancouver Grizzlies1468.17150

Record vs. opponents
1996-97 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA VAN WAS
Atlanta —3–11–31–33–12–01–11–32–01–13–12–01–11–24–02–03–11–33–14–01–12–02–02–01–14–01–12–02–1
Boston 1–3—0–40–41–21–11–10–41–10–21–20–21–10–41–30–20–40–40–41–31–11–10–21–10–23–10–20–20–4
Charlotte 3–14–0—0–43–11–12–02–22–02–02–21–11–11–22–22–04–03–11–24–01–10–22–02–02–02–20–22–03–1
Chicago 3–14–04–0—3–12–02–03–12–01–14–02–01–12–24–02–03–12–23–04–02–02–02–02–02–03–11–12–02–1
Cleveland 1–32–11–31–3—2–01–12–21–10–23–12–01–10–42–22–04–01–32–23–01–11–12–00–20–23–11–12–01–3
Dallas 0–21–11–10–20–2—3–10–20–40–41–12–20–40–20–21–31–11–11–12–01–31–32–21–31–30–21–33–10–2
Denver 1–11–10–20–21–11–3—0–21–31–30–21–30–40–21–10–41–10–20–21–12–20–42–22–20–41–10–43–11–1
Detroit 3–14–02–21–32–22–02–0—2–01–13–12–01–10–43–12–04–01–22–22–10–21–11–12–01–13–11–12–04–0
Golden State 0–21–10–20–21–14–03–10–2—0–41–11–30–40–21–11–32–00–21–12–00–42–21–34–00–42–00–43–10–2
Houston 1–12–00–21–12–04–03–11–14–0—1–13–13–10–21–14–02–01–10–22–02–22–24–03–13–11–12–23–12–0
Indiana 1–32–12–20–41–31–12–01–31–11–1—2–01–11–32–22–02–21–31–33–01–11–11–11–11–14–00–22–01–3
L.A. Clippers 0–22–01–10–20–22–23–10–23–11–30–2—2–20–22–01–31–10–21–11–12–20–42–24–01–32–01–34–00–2
L.A. Lakers 1–11–11–11–11–14–04–01–14–01–31–12–2—1–12–03–12–01–11–12–04–01–34–02–23–11–11–34–02–0
Miami 2–14–02–12–24–02–02–04–02–02–03–12–01–1—4–01–13–11–32–23–12–01–12–02–00–23–10–22–03–1
Milwaukee 0–43–12–20–42–22–01–11–31–11–12–20–20–20–4—0–22–11–22–23–11–10–20–21–11–13–11–12–01–3
Minnesota 0–22–00–20–20–23–14–00–23–10–40–23–11–31–12–0—2–01–11–11–13–12–20–44–00–41–11–34–01–1
New Jersey 1–34–00–41–30–41–11–10–40–20–22–21–10–21–31–20–2—2–21–32–21–10–21–12–01–10–30–22–01–3
New York 3–14–01–32–23–11–12–02–12–01–13–12–01–13–12–11–12–2—3–13–21–11–12–02–00–23–01–12–04–0
Orlando 1–34–02–10–32–21–12–02–21–12–03–11–11–12–22–21–13–11–3—2–21–12–01–11–11–14–00–21–11–3
Philadelphia 0–43–10–40–40–30–21–11–20–20–20–31–10–21–31–31–12–22–32–2—1–11–10–21–10–21–30–22–01–3
Phoenix 1–11–11–10–21–13–12–22–04–02–21–12–20–40–21–11–31–11–11–11–1—1–34–03–12–20–21–32–21–1
Portland 0–21–12–00–21–13–14–01–12–22–21–14–03–11–12–02–22–01–10–21–13–1—2–24–01–30–22–24–00–2
Sacramento 0–22–00–20–20–22–22–21–13–10–41–12–20–40–22–04–01–10–21–12–00–42–2—3–11–31–10–44–00–2
San Antonio 0–21–10–20–22–03–12–20–20–41–31–10–42–20–21–10–40–20–21–11–11–30–41–3—0–41–11–31–30–2
Seattle 1–12–00–20–22–03–14–01–14–01–31–13–11–32–01–14–01–12–01–12–02–23–13–14–0—2–01–34–02–0
Toronto 0–41–32–21–31–32–01–11–30–21–10–40–21–11–31–31–13–00–30–43–12–02–01–11–10–2—1–11–12–2
Utah 1–12–02–01–11–13–14–01–14–02–22–03–13–12–01–13–12–01–12–02–03–12–24–03–13–11–1—4–02–0
Vancouver 0–22–00–20–20–21–31–30–21–31–30–20–40–40–20–20–40–20–21–10–22–20–40–43–10–41–10–4—1–1
Washington 1–24–01–31–23–12–01–10–42–00–23–12–00–21–33–11–13–10–43–13–11–12–02–02–00–22–20–21–1—

Playoffs

West First Round

(4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers Last Playoff Meeting: 1992 Western Conference First Round (Portland won 3–1)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(LAL-POR)

 Venue Recap Television
1 April 25 L.A. Lakers 95 Portland 77 1-0 Great Western Forum, Los Angeles 1 TNT
2 April 27 L.A. Lakers 107 Portland 93 2-0 Great Western Forum, Los Angeles 2 NBC
3 April 30 Portland 98 L.A. Lakers 90 2-1 Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon 3 TNT
4 May 2 Portland 91 L.A. Lakers 95 3-1 Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon 4 TNT
L.A. Lakers win series 3–1

West Conference Semifinals

(1) Utah Jazz vs. (4) Los Angeles Lakers Last Playoff Meeting: 1988 Western Conference Semifinals (Los Angeles won 4-3)

Game Date Home Score Visitor Score Record

(UTAH-LAL)

 Venue Recap Television
1 May 4 Utah 93 Los Angeles 77 1-0 Delta Center, Salt Lake City 1 NBC
2 May 6 Utah 103 Los Angeles 101 2-0 Delta Center, Salt Lake City 2
3 May 8 Los Angeles 104 Utah 84 2-1 Great Western Forum, Los Angeles 3
4 May 10 Los Angeles 95 Utah 110 3-1 Great Western Forum, Los Angeles 4 NBC
5 May 12 Utah 98 Los Angeles 93 4-1 Delta Center, Salt Lake City 5 TNT
Utah wins series 4–1

Player statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
Los Angeles Lakers statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Shaquille O'Neal515138.1.557.000.48412.53.10.92.926.2
Eddie Jones808037.5.438.391.8194.13.42.40.617.2
Nick Van Exel797937.2.402.378.8252.98.50.90.115.3
Cedric Ceballos8834.9.410.238.8676.61.90.60.810.8
Elden Campbell777732.7.469.250.7118.01.60.61.514.9
Robert Horry221430.7.455.329.7005.42.51.71.39.2
Jerome Kersey704425.2.432.262.6025.21.31.70.76.8
Byron Scott79818.2.430.388.8411.51.30.60.26.7
Corie Blount581817.4.514.333.6754.80.60.40.44.2
Travis Knight711416.3.509-.6204.50.50.40.84.8
Kobe Bryant71615.5.417.375.8191.91.30.70.37.6
George McCloud23212.4.354.429.6671.60.70.40.04.1
Derek Fisher80311.5.397.301.6581.21.50.50.13.9
Sean Rooks69310.7.470.000.7002.40.60.20.63.8

Awards and records

References
  1. 1996-97 Los Angeles Lakers
  2. "Lakers Get O'Neal In 7-Year Contract". The New York Times. July 19, 1996.
  3. "Divac Agrees to a Trade With Charlotte". The New York Times. July 2, 1996.
  4. "Mavs Score Just 2 Points In a Quarter". New York Times. April 7, 1997. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  5. "With the Draft Over, Trading Season Begins". The New York Times. June 28, 1996.
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