Basketball

Forgotten Fridays: How Kobe Bryant became the youngest player to start an NBA game 25 years ago


Kobe Bryant used to practice moves he wanted to add to his game in slow motion. He’d find video footage of former greats and meticulously dissect exactly what they were doing on the court. Over and over, Bryant would practice those moves at a fraction of the speed until he felt like he’d mastered them, and even then, he’d still fine-tune things.

“Michael Jordan’s post-up, Reggie Miller’s step back,” he said. “Little pieces and bits of every player, I’ll take it and add it to my game.”

During his 20-year Hall of Fame career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant’s study and practice habits became the stuff of lore. That intensity and dedication to his craft along with excellence and perfection became the hallmarks of who he was as a player.

Therefore, it might come as a shock that on the eve of the five-time NBA champion’s first career start in the league, Bryant chose a more relaxed method to prepare for the big day. Before the Lakers’ game against the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 28, 1997, Bryant decided to take a nap.

“I was excited,” the then-rookie told The San Bernardino County Sun. “I was thinking about it and visualizing it. It helped me go to sleep.





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