The1996–97 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 49th season for theLos Angeles Lakers in theNational Basketball Association, and their 37th season inLos Angeles, California.^[1] This season was mostly remembered for the Lakers signing free agent All-Star centerShaquille O'Neal to a seven-year, $120 million deal,^[2][3][4] and acquiring shooting guard, and high school basketball starKobe Bryant from theCharlotte Hornets,^[5][6][7] who selected him with the 13th overall pick in the1996 NBA draft during the off-season; in the draft, the Lakers selected point guardDerek Fisher from theUniversity of Arkansas at Little Rock with the 24th overall pick.^[8][9][10]

The team also signed former Lakers guardByron Scott from the "Showtime" era,^[11][12][13] signed free agentsJerome Kersey,^[14][15] andSean Rooks,^[16] and acquired rookie centerTravis Knight from theChicago Bulls.^[17] In January, they tradedCedric Ceballos back to his former team, thePhoenix Suns, in exchange forRobert Horry, who won two NBA championships with theHouston Rockets.^[18][19][20]

With the addition of O'Neal, the Lakers won 8 of their first 11 games of the regular season, then posted two six-game winning streaks, one between December and January, and another between January and February, as they had the best record in theWestern Conference at the All-Star break with a 35–13 record.^[21] However, the team soon slipped out of first-place, by finishing in second place in thePacific Division with a 56–26 record, and earning the fourth seed in the Western Conference.^[22] The Lakers had the eighth best team defensive rating in the NBA.^[23]

O'Neal averaged 26.2 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, but only played 51 games due to a knee injury,^[24][25][26] and was named to theAll-NBA Third Team, whileEddie Jones averaged 17.2 points and 2.4 steals per game, along with 152 three-point field goals, andNick Van Exel provided the team with 15.3 points and 8.5 assists per game, and led the Lakers with 177 three-point field goals. In addition,Elden Campbell provided with 14.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, while Horry averaged 9.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in 22 games after the trade, and Kersey contributed 6.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Off the bench, Bryant averaged 7.6 points per game, while Scott contributed 6.7 points per game, Knight averaged 4.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game,Corie Blount provided with 4.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, and Fisher contributed 3.9 points and 1.5 assists per game. Bryant and Knight were both named to theNBA All-Rookie Second Team.^[27]

During theNBA All-Star weekend at theGund Arena inCleveland, Ohio, O'Neal and Jones were both selected for the1997 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was Jones's first ever All-Star appearance.^[28][29][30] However, O'Neal did not participate due to injury.^[31][32] Meanwhile, Bryant won theNBA Slam Dunk Contest.^[33][29][34] In addition, Bryant, Knight and Fisher were all selected for theNBA Rookie Game, as members of the Western Conference Rookie team; Bryant scored 31 points along with 8 rebounds and 2 steals, despite the Western Conference losing to the Eastern Conference, 96–91.^[28][33][35] O'Neal also finished tied in ninth place inMost Valuable Player voting, while Jones finished tied in twelfth place inMost Improved Player voting.^[36]

In the Western Conference First Round of the1997 NBA playoffs, the Lakers faced off against the 5th–seededPortland Trail Blazers, a team that featuredKenny Anderson,Isaiah Rider andClifford Robinson. The Lakers won the first two games over the Trail Blazers at home at theGreat Western Forum, before losing Game 3 to on the road, 98–90 at theRose Garden Arena. The Lakers won Game 4 over the Trail Blazers on the road, 95–91 to win the series in four games.^[37][38][39]

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the top–seeded, andMidwest Division championUtah Jazz, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward, and Most Valuable Player of the Year,Karl Malone, All-Star guardJohn Stockton, andJeff Hornacek. The Lakers lost the first two games to the Jazz on the road at theDelta Center, but managed to win Game 3 at the Great Western Forum, 104–84. However, after losing Game 4 at home, 110–95, the Lakers lost Game 5 to the Jazz at the Delta Center, 98–93, thus losing the series in five games.^[40][41][42] The Jazz would advance to theNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, but would lose to the defending NBA championChicago Bulls in six games in the1997 NBA Finals.^[43][44][45]

The Lakers finished 15th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 697,159 at the Great Western Forum during the regular season.^[27][46] Following the season, Scott went overseas and signed with theGreek Basket League giantsPanathinaikos for the 1997–98 season,^[47][48][49] while Kersey signed as a free agent with theSeattle SuperSonics,^[50][51] and Knight signed with theBoston Celtics.^[52]

One notable highlight of the regular season was the Lakers holding theDallas 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.^[53][54][55]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	24	Derek Fisher	Guard	United States	Arkansas–Little Rock

Before he was chosen as the 13th overalldraft pick by theCharlotte Hornetsin 1996, the 17-year-oldBryant had made a lasting impression on then-Lakers general managerJerry 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 coachesMichael Cooper, andLarry 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.^[56] Fifteen days later, West traded his starting center,Vlade Divac to the Hornets for the young Kobe Bryant.^[57]

Duringhis first season, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guardsEddie Jones andNick 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 1997Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star Weekend inCleveland. He averaged 7.6 points and 15.5 minutes per game in 71 games, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.^[58]

Player statistics citation:^[27]

• Shaquille O'Neal,1997 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Male Athlete
• Shaquille O'Neal,All-NBA Third Team
• Kobe Bryant,NBA All-Rookie Team 2nd Team
• Travis Knight,NBA All-Rookie Team 2nd Team

• Lakers on Database Basketball
• Lakers on Basketball Reference

• Los Angeles Lakers seasons
• 1996 in sports in California
• 1997 in sports in California
• 1996–97 NBA season by team
• 1990s in Los Angeles County, California

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