1996–97 Los Angeles Lakers season

1996–97 Los Angeles Lakers season
Kobe Bryant's rookie season Byron Scott returns to the Lakers and then retires Shaquille O'Neal's first season with the Lakers
Head coach	Del Harris
Owner(s)	Jerry Buss
Arena	Great Western Forum
Results
Record	56–26 (.683)
Place	Division: 2nd (Pacific) Conference: 4th (Western)
Playoff finish	Conference Semifinals (Eliminated 1–4)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Fox Sports West, KCAL
Radio	AM 570 KLAC

The 1996–97 NBA season was the Los Angeles Lakers' 49th season in the NBA and 37th in the city of Los Angeles.^[1] The preceding offseason was highlighted by the signing of All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal to a seven-year, $120 million deal,^[2] and the trade for the 13th pick of the 1996 NBA draft, Kobe Bryant in exchange for Vlade Divac.^[3] The team also re-signed former Lakers guard Byron Scott while signing free agent Jerome Kersey. In January, they traded Cedric Ceballos to the Phoenix Suns for Robert Horry. 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 (O'Neal did not play, because he was injured). Bryant was selected to the All-Rookie Second Team.

In the postseason, the Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 3–1 in the first round, but lost 4–1 in the semifinals to the Utah Jazz. Following the season, Scott retired and 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.^[4] Fifteen days later, West traded his starting center, Vlade Divac to the Hornets for the young Kobe Bryant.

Roster

Los Angeles Lakers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Name	Height	Weight	DOB (YYYY–MM–DD)
4.5 !PF	43	USA !	Blount, Corie	7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	Cincinnati
2.0 !SG	8	USA !	Bryant, Kobe	7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Lower Merion HS (PA)
4.5 !PF	41	USA !	Campbell, Elden	7000210820000000000♠6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Clemson
1.0 !PG	2	USA !	Fisher, Derek	7000185420000000000♠6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Arkansas-Little Rock
3.0 !SF	5	USA !	Horry, Robert	7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Alabama
2.0 !SG	6	USA !	Jones, Eddie	7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Temple
3.0 !SF	12	USA !	Kersey, Jerome	7000200659999999999♠6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Longwood University
6.0 !C	40	USA !	Knight, Travis	7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Connecticut
2.0 !SG	24	USA !	McCloud, George	7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Florida State
6.0 !C	34	USA !	O'Neal, Shaquille	7000215899999999999♠7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)	325 lb (147 kg)	LSU
6.0 !C	45	USA !	Rooks, Sean	7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	Arizona
2.0 !SG	4	USA !	Scott, Byron	7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Arizona State
1.0 !PG	9	USA !	Van Exel, Nick	7000185420000000000♠6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Cincinnati

Head coach

Del Harris

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Roster • Transactions

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	57	25	.695	–	31–10	26–15	16–8
x-Los Angeles Lakers	56	26	.683	1	31–10	25–16	18–6
x-Portland Trail Blazers	49	33	.598	8	29–12	20–21	15–9
x-Phoenix Suns	40	42	.488	17	25–16	15–26	13–11
x-Los Angeles Clippers	36	46	.439	21	21–20	15–26	10–14
Sacramento Kings	34	48	.415	23	22–19	12–29	8–16
Golden State Warriors	30	52	.366	27	18–23	12–29	4–20

#	Western Conference
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Utah Jazz	64	18	.780	–
2	y-Seattle SuperSonics	57	25	.695	7
3	x-Houston Rockets	57	25	.695	7
4	x-Los Angeles Lakers	56	26	.683	8
5	x-Portland Trail Blazers	49	33	.598	15
6	x-Minnesota Timberwolves	40	42	.488	24
7	x-Phoenix Suns	40	42	.488	24
8	x-Los Angeles Clippers	36	46	.439	28

9	Sacramento Kings	34	48	.415	30
10	Golden State Warriors	30	52	.366	34
11	Dallas Mavericks	24	58	.293	40
12	Denver Nuggets	21	61	.256	43
13	San Antonio Spurs	20	62	.244	44
14	Vancouver Grizzlies	14	68	.171	50

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	—	3–1	1–3	1–3	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–2	4–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	3–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–1
Boston	1–3	—	0–4	0–4	1–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	1–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–3	0–2	0–4	0–4	0–4	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	3–1	0–2	0–2	0–4
Charlotte	3–1	4–0	—	0–4	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–2	2–2	2–0	4–0	3–1	1–2	4–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	0–2	2–0	3–1
Chicago	3–1	4–0	4–0	—	3–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	2–0	1–1	2–2	4–0	2–0	3–1	2–2	3–0	4–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–1
Cleveland	1–3	2–1	1–3	1–3	—	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–2	2–0	4–0	1–3	2–2	3–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	1–3
Dallas	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	—	3–1	0–2	0–4	0–4	1–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	1–3	3–1	0–2
Denver	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–3	—	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	1–3	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–1	0–4	3–1	1–1
Detroit	3–1	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–0	—	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	0–4	3–1	2–0	4–0	1–2	2–2	2–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	4–0
Golden State	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	4–0	3–1	0–2	—	0–4	1–1	1–3	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–2	1–3	4–0	0–4	2–0	0–4	3–1	0–2
Houston	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	1–1	4–0	—	1–1	3–1	3–1	0–2	1–1	4–0	2–0	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	2–2	4–0	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	2–0
Indiana	1–3	2–1	2–2	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–1	1–1	—	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–2	1–3	1–3	3–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	0–2	2–0	1–3
L.A. Clippers	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	3–1	1–3	0–2	—	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–4	2–2	4–0	1–3	2–0	1–3	4–0	0–2
L.A. Lakers	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	4–0	1–1	4–0	1–3	1–1	2–2	—	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	4–0	1–3	4–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	1–3	4–0	2–0
Miami	2–1	4–0	2–1	2–2	4–0	2–0	2–0	4–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	—	4–0	1–1	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	3–1	0–2	2–0	3–1
Milwaukee	0–4	3–1	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	—	0–2	2–1	1–2	2–2	3–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	1–3
Minnesota	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–2	3–1	4–0	0–2	3–1	0–4	0–2	3–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	—	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	0–4	4–0	0–4	1–1	1–3	4–0	1–1
New Jersey	1–3	4–0	0–4	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–1	0–4	0–2	0–2	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–2	0–2	—	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–3	0–2	2–0	1–3
New York	3–1	4–0	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–1	1–1	2–2	—	3–1	3–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	3–0	1–1	2–0	4–0
Orlando	1–3	4–0	2–1	0–3	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	1–3	—	2–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–0	0–2	1–1	1–3
Philadelphia	0–4	3–1	0–4	0–4	0–3	0–2	1–1	1–2	0–2	0–2	0–3	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–3	2–2	—	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	2–0	1–3
Phoenix	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	4–0	2–2	1–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	—	1–3	4–0	3–1	2–2	0–2	1–3	2–2	1–1
Portland	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–1	4–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	—	2–2	4–0	1–3	0–2	2–2	4–0	0–2
Sacramento	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	0–4	1–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	2–0	4–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	0–4	2–2	—	3–1	1–3	1–1	0–4	4–0	0–2
San Antonio	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–0	3–1	2–2	0–2	0–4	1–3	1–1	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	0–4	1–3	—	0–4	1–1	1–3	1–3	0–2
Seattle	1–1	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–0	3–1	4–0	1–1	4–0	1–3	1–1	3–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	4–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	3–1	4–0	—	2–0	1–3	4–0	2–0
Toronto	0–4	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–0	1–1	1–3	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	3–0	0–3	0–4	3–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	0–2	—	1–1	1–1	2–2
Utah	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–1	4–0	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–2	4–0	3–1	3–1	1–1	—	4–0	2–0
Vancouver	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	1–3	1–3	0–2	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–2	0–4	0–4	3–1	0–4	1–1	0–4	—	1–1
Washington	1–2	4–0	1–3	1–2	3–1	2–0	1–1	0–4	2–0	0–2	3–1	2–0	0–2	1–3	3–1	1–1	3–1	0–4	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–2	0–2	1–1	—

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, California	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

Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average

Season

Player	GP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	AVG
Nick Van Exel	79	2.9	8.5	0.9	0.1	1206	15.3
Derek Fisher	80	1.2	1.5	0.5	0.1	309	3.9
Shaquille O'Neal	51	12.5	3.1	0.9	2.9	1336	26.2

Awards and records

Shaquille O'Neal, All-NBA Third Team
Kobe Bryant, NBA All-Rookie Team 2nd Team
Travis Knight, NBA All-Rookie Team 2nd Team

References

↑ 1996-97 Los Angeles Lakers
↑ "Lakers Get O'Neal In 7-Year Contract". New York Times. July 19, 1996.
↑ "Divac Agrees to a Trade With Charlotte". New York Times. July 2, 1996.
↑ "With the Draft Over, Trading Season Begins". New York Times. June 28, 1996.

1996–97 NBA season by team

Eastern

Atlantic	Boston Miami New Jersey New York Orlando Philadelphia Washington

Central	Atlanta Charlotte Chicago Cleveland Detroit Indiana Milwaukee Toronto

Western

Midwest	Dallas Denver Houston Minnesota San Antonio Utah Vancouver

Pacific	Golden State L.A. Clippers L.A. Lakers Phoenix Portland Sacramento Seattle

Los Angeles Lakers

Founded in 1947 Played in Minneapolis (1947–1960) Based in Los Angeles, California

Franchise	Franchise Team history All-time roster Draft history Seasons Records Head coaches Current season

Arenas	Minneapolis Auditorium Minneapolis Armory Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena The Forum Staples Center

D-League affiliate	Los Angeles D-Fenders

Administration	Jeanie, Jim, and Johnny Buss (majority owners) Anschutz Entertainment Group (minority owner) Edward P. Roski (minority owner) Patrick Soon-Shiong (minority owner) Mitch Kupchak (General Manager) Luke Walton (Head Coach)

Retired numbers	13 22 25 32 33 34 42 44 52 Chick Hearn (Microphone) Minneapolis Lakers Hall of Famers Mikan Mikkelsen Martin Lovellette Pollard Coach Kundla

NBA Championships (16)	1949 1950 1952 1953 1954 1972 1980 1982 1985 1987 1988 2000 2001 2002 2009 2010

Western Conference Championships (31)	1949 1950 1952 1953 1954 1959 1962 1963 1965 1966 1968 1969 1970 1972 1973 1980 1982 1983 1984 1985 1987 1988 1989 1991 2000 2001 2002 2004 2008 2009 2010

Rivalries	Boston Celtics Houston Rockets Detroit Pistons San Antonio Spurs Los Angeles Clippers

Culture and lore	Jack Kent Cooke Jerry Buss Showtime Chick Hearn Shaq–Kobe feud Lawrence Tanter Jack Nicholson "I Love L.A." Laker Girls Laker Band Dancing Barry

Media	TV Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles) Radio 710 ESPN Radio 1330 ESPN Deportes Announcers Bill Macdonald Stu Lantz John Ireland Mychal Thompson

Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers seasons

1940s

1947–48

1948–49

1950s

1949–50

1950–51

1951–52

1952–53

1953–54

1960s

1970s

1971–72

1980s

1979–80

1981–82

1984–85

1986–87

1987–88

1990s

2000s

1999–00

2000–01

2001–02

2008–09

2010s

2009–10

Bold indicates NBA Finals victory

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