The

1996–97 NBA season The 1996–97 NBA season was the 51st season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league used this season to celebrate its 50th anniversary, which included the unveiling of the league's list of its 50 greatest players. This particu ...

was the 49th season for the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

, and their 37th season in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. This season was mostly remembered for the Lakers signing free agent All-Star center

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

to a seven-year, $120 million deal, and acquiring shooting guard, and high school basketball star

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

from the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

, who selected him with the thirteenth overall pick in the

1996 NBA draft The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th NBA draft, draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996–97 NBA season, 1996, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In this draft, NBA teams took turns s ...

during the off-season. The team also signed former Lakers guard

Byron Scott Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a role player, Scott won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during the ...

from the "Showtime" era, signed free agents Jerome Kersey, and Sean Rooks, and acquired rookie center Travis Knight from the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

. In January, they traded

Cedric Ceballos Cedric Zelos Ceballos (born August 2, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. As a small forward, he played mostly for the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers, later finishing his National Basketball Association (NBA) care ...

back to his former team, the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

, in exchange for

Robert Horry Robert Keith Horry ( ; born August 25, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player and current sports commentator. Horry was a member of seven championship winning teams and is considered, by some, to be one of the most clutch sho ...

, who won two championships with the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

. The Lakers played strong basketball as they had the best record in the Western Conference at the All-Star break with a 35–13 record, but soon slipped out of first-place, by finishing in second place in the Pacific Division with a 56–26 record, and earning the #4 seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers had the eighth best team defensive rating in the NBA. 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, and was named to the

All-NBA Third Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

, while Eddie Jones averaged 17.2 points and 2.4 steals per game, plus contributing 152 three-point field goals, and

Nick Van Exel Nickey Maxwell Van Exel (born November 27, 1971) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who last served as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Van Exel played for six NBA ...

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 14.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, while Kersey contributed 6.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Off the bench, Bryant contributed 7.6 points per game, while Scott contributed 6.7 points per game, Knight averaged 4.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and Corie Blount provided with 4.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Bryant and Knight were both named to the

NBA All-Rookie Second Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for play ...

. During the NBA All-Star weekend in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, O'Neal and Jones were both selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, but O'Neal did not play due to injury, and Bryant won the

NBA Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The contest was conceived of and started by the American Basketball Associat ...

. O'Neal also finished tied in ninth place in

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

voting, and Jones finished tied in twelfth place in Most Improved Player voting. In the Western Conference First Round of the 1997 NBA playoffs, the Lakers defeated the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

in four games. However, in the Western Conference Semi-finals, they lost in five games to regular season MVP

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spen ...

John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the great point guards of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, and the team made the pla ...

and the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

. The Jazz would reach the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

for the first time, but would lose to the defending champion

in six games. Following the season, Scott went overseas and signed with the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

giants Panathinaikos for the 1997–98 season, while Kersey signed as a free agent with the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...

, and Knight signed with the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. One notable highlight of the regular season was the Lakers holding the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

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.

Draft picks

Before he was chosen as the 13th overall

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

pick by the

in 1996, the 17-year-old Bryant had made a lasting impression on then-Lakers general manager

Jerry West Jerry Alan West (May 28, 1938 – June 12, 2024) was an American basketball player and executive. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

, 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 Michael Jerome Cooper (born April 15, 1956), nicknamed "Coop", is an American basketball coach and former player. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers during his entire career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning five NBA champ ...

, 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. Fifteen days later, West traded his starting center,

Vlade Divac Vlade Divac ( sr-Cyrl, Владе Дивац, ; born February 3, 1968) is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player who was most recently the vice president of basketball operations and general manager of the Sacramento King ...

to the Hornets for the young Kobe Bryant.

Roster

Regular season

Kobe's rookie season

During his first season, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones and

. 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 The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The contest was conceived of and started by the American Basketball Associat ...

during the All-Star Weekend in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

. He averaged 7.6 points and 15.5 minutes per game in 71 games, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Pre-season

, - style="background:#cfc;" , 1 , October 10 ,

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

W 111-101
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(25) ,

(10) ,

(8) , Stan Sheriff Center (Honolulu, HI)
10,225 , 1–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2 , October 12 ,

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(27) ,

(15) ,

Derek Fisher Derek Lamar Fisher (born August 9, 1974) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. Fisher played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 18 seasons, spending the majority of his career with the Los ...

(4) , Stan Sheriff Center (Honolulu, HI)
10,225 , 2–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 3 , October 16 ,

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

W 90-80
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(12) , Corie Blount (9) , 3 players tied (3) , Selland Arena (Fresno, CA)
10,274 , 3–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 4 , October 18 ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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Great Western Forum The Kia Forum, also known as Los Angeles Forum and formerly Great Western Forum, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Inglewood, California, United States, adjacent to Los Angeles. Located on West Manchester Boulevard, with Laffit Pincay Jr., P ...

14,149 , 4–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 5 , October 19 , Phoenix
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15,054 , 5–0 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 6 , October 22 ,

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

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San Diego Sports Arena Pechanga Arena is an indoor arena in San Diego, California. Opened in 1966, it is an example of New Formalism architecture and has been designated by the City of San Diego as a historic resource. The arena has been home to numerous athletic team ...

(San Diego, CA)
13,481 , 5–1 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 7 , October 23 , Phoenix
L 100-109
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(25) ,

(9) ,

(4) , McKale Center (Tucson, AZ)
14,162 , 5–2 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 8 , October 25 ,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

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(16) , , , BSU Pavilion (Boise, ID) , 5–3

Regular season

, - style="background:#cfc;" , 1 , November 1 , Phoenix
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17,505 , 1–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2 , November 3 ,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

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(35) ,

(19) ,

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15,407 , 2–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 3 , November 5 , @

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

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Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

19,763 , 3–0 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 4 , November 6 , @ Charlotte
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Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles Coliseum, which was called Charlotte ...

24,042 , 3–1 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 5 , November 8 , @

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

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SkyDome Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a retractable roof stadium in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it is home to ...

27,357 , 3–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 6 , November 10 ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

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(18) ,

(5) ,

16,097 , 4–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 7 , November 12 , @

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,

(34) ,

(15) ,

(14) , The Summit
16,285 , 5–2 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 8 , November 13 , @

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

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Alamodome The Alamodome is a 64,000-seat domed indoor multi-purpose stadium in San Antonio, Texas. It is located on the southeastern fringe of downtown San Antonio. The facility opened on May 15, 1993, having been constructed at a cost of $186 milli ...

26,002 , 5–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 9 , November 15 , L.A. Clippers
W 107-100
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(15) ,

16,207 , 6–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 10 , November 17 , @ Phoenix
W 102-88
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(13) ,

(9) , American West Arena
19,023 , 7–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 11 , November 19 , @ Golden State
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(27) ,

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(12) , San Jose Arena
18,742 , 8–3 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 12 , November 20 ,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

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(26) ,

(15) ,

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16,122 , 8–4 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 13 , November 22 ,

W 96-86
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(29) ,

(21) ,

(9) ,

17,505 , 9–4 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 14 , November 24 ,

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(23) ,

(11) ,

(12) ,

17,505 , 9–5 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 15 , November 26 , @

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(20) , Jones & Van Exel (6) , CoreStates Center
20,652 , 10–5 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 16 , November 27 , @

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

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(22) ,

(10) ,

(5) , Fleet Center
18,624 , 10–6 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 17 , November 29 , @

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

W 84-76
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(27) , Elden Campbell (12) ,

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The Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly known as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the ...

21,454 , 11–6 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 18 , December 1 ,

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(16) ,

(8) ,

15,684 , 12–6 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 19 , December 3 ,

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(32) ,

(14) , Eddie Jones (9) ,

17,505 , 13–6 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 20 , December 4 , @

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(21) ,

(8) ,

(3) , Delta Center
19,911 , 13–7 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 21 , December 6 ,

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

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17,505 , 14–7 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 22 , December 8 ,

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15,212 , 15–7 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 23 , December 10 , @

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

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ARCO Arena ARCO Arena (known as Power Balance Pavilion from 2011 to 2012 and Sleep Train Arena from 2012 until 2022) was an indoor arena located in Sacramento, California, United States. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Sacramento Kings of the Nation ...

17,317 , 16–7 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 24 , December 11 ,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

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(33) ,

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16,139 , 17–7 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 25 , December 13 ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

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(10) ,

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16,315 , 18–7 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 26 , December 17 , @

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

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(6) ,

United Center The United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

23,919 , 18–8 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 27 , December 18 , @

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

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(11) ,

Bradley Center The Bradley Center (also known as the BMO Harris Bradley Center under sponsorship agreements) was a multi-purpose arena located on the northwest corner of North Vel R. Phillips Ave. and West State Streets in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United ...

16,829 , 19–8 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 28 , December 21 , @

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Target Center Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, h ...

18,127 , 19–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 29 , December 25 , @ Phoenix
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(26) ,

(16) ,

(12) , American West Arena
19,023 , 20–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 30 , December 27 ,

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17,505 , 21–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 31 , December 29 ,

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(28) , Travis Knight (10) ,

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17,505 , 22–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 32 , January 2 , @

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(25) ,

(16) ,

(6) ,

17,317 , 23–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 33 , January 3 ,

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17,505 , 24–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 34 , January 5 , @

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

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General Motors Place Rogers Arena, (formerly General Motors Place), is a multi-purpose arena at 800 Griffiths Way in the downtown area of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1995, the arena was known as General Motors Place (GM Place) from its opening u ...

19,193 , 25–9 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 35 , January 6 , @

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Rose Garden A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Designs vary tremendously and roses may be displayed alongside other plants or grouped ...

21,538 , 25–10 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 36 , January 8 , Charlotte
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(23) ,

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16,980 , 26–10 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 37 , January 10 ,

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

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(34) ,

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(8) ,

17,505 , 27–10 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 38 , January 14 ,

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Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

& O'Neal (12) ,

(6) ,

15,606 , 28–10 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 39 , January 16 ,

L 98-102
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(33) ,

(13) ,

(8) ,

16,432 , 28–11 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 40 , January 18 ,

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(21) ,

(19) ,

(9) ,

17,505 , 28–12 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 41 , January 20 ,

W 109-99
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(24) ,

(13) ,

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16,959 , 29–12 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 42 , January 24 , Golden State
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17,505 , 30–12 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 43 , January 26 , @

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(25) ,

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(6) , KeyArena
17,072 , 31–12 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 44 , January 28 , @

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Reunion Arena Reunion Arena was an indoor arena located in the Reunion, Dallas, Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States. The arena served as the primary home of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars and the National Basketball Ass ...

18,042 , 32–12 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 45 , January 29 , @

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25,570 , 33–12 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 46 , February 2 ,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

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,

(24) , Elden Campbell (10) ,

(6) ,

17,505 , 34–12 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 47 , February 4 , @ L.A. Clippers
L 86-108
, Campbell & Van Exel (20) , Travis Knight (7) , Campbell & Van Exel (4) ,

Arrowhead Pond Honda Center (formerly known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim) is an indoor arena located in Anaheim, California. The arena is home to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. Originally named the Anaheim Arena during construction, it w ...

18,462 , 34–13 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 48 , February 5 ,

W 106-90
, Elden Campbell (34) , Elden Campbell (14) ,

(13) ,

17,505 , 35–13 , - align="center" , colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff", All-Star Break , - style="background:#cfc;" , - bgcolor="#bbffbb" , - style="background:#cfc;" , 49 , February 12 , @

W 100-84
, Elden Campbell (21) ,

(10) ,

(8) ,

18,243 , 36–13 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 50 , February 13 , @

W 132-117
,

(30) , Kersey & Rooks (6) ,

(9) ,

McNichols Sports Arena McNichols Sports Arena was an indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado, United States. Located adjacent to Mile High Stadium and completed in 1975, at a cost of $16 million, it seated 16,061 for hockey games and 17,171 for basketball games. Sp ...

16,713 , 37–13 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 51 , February 16 ,

L 91-102
, Eddie Jones (26) , Elden Campbell (17) ,

(11) ,

17,505 , 37–14 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 52 , February 19 ,

L 84-103
, Elden Campbell (23) , Travis Knight (9) ,

(7) ,

16,402 , 37–15 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 53 , February 21 ,

W 99-91
, Campbell & Jones (23) , Elden Campbell (12) , Jones & Van Exel (8) ,

17,031 , 38–15 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 54 , February 23 ,

L 121-127 (2OT)
, Elden Campbell (40) , Travis Knight (13) ,

(16) ,

17,505 , 38–16 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 55 , February 25 , @

L 96-100
, Elden Campbell (19) , Elden Campbell (9) ,

(11) , The Summit
16,285 , 38–17 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 56 , February 27 , @

W 122-107
, Elden Campbell (38) , Eddie Jones (8) ,

(12) , US Airways Arena
18,756 , 39–17 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 57 , February 28 , @

L 75-86
, Eddie Jones (17) , Elden Campbell (7) , Eddie Jones (5) ,

Omni Coliseum Omni Coliseum (often called The Omni) was an indoor arena in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Completed in 1972, the arena seated 16,378 for basketball and 15,278 for ice hockey, hockey. It was part of the Omni Complex, now known as the CNN Cente ...

16,378 , 39–18 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 58 , March 2 , @

L 85-101
, Eddie Jones (28) , Corie Blount (10) ,

(9) ,

Market Square Arena Market Square Arena (MSA) was an indoor arena in Indianapolis. Completed in 1974, at a cost of $23 million, it seated 16,530 for basketball and 15,993 for ice hockey. Seating capacity for concerts and other events was adjusted by the use of larg ...

16,711 , 39–19 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 59 , March 4 , @

W 102-92
,

(37) , Elden Campbell (10) , 4 players tied (2) ,

15,809 , 40–19 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 60 , March 7 ,

L 90-111
, Campbell & Jones (17) , Elden Campbell (7) ,

(6) ,

17,505 , 40–20 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 61 , March 9 ,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

W 115-105
, Eddie Jones (34) , Eddie Jones (13) , Fisher & Van Exel (5) ,

17,103 , 41–20 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 62 , March 12 , Golden State
W 109-101
, Elden Campbell (26) , Corie Blount (15) ,

(14) ,

17,009 , 42–20 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 63 , March 14 , L.A. Clippers
L 95-97
, Eddie Jones (22) , Corie Blount (15) ,

(13) ,

17,505 , 42–21 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 64 , March 16 ,

W 98-90 (OT)
, Eddie Jones (27) , Jerome Kersey (11) ,

(8) ,

16,839 , 43–21 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 65 , March 17 , @

W 113-94
,

(30) , Blount & Campbell (10) ,

(9) ,

13,817 , 44–21 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 66 , March 20 , @

W 89-76
, Eddie Jones (25) , Corie Blount (12) ,

(7) ,

Gund Arena Rocket Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The building is the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL). It also serves as a sec ...

18,818 , 45–21 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 67 , March 21 , @

L 97-98
, Elden Campbell (24) , Elden Campbell (12) ,

(11) ,

Miami Arena Miami Arena was an indoor arena located in Miami, Florida. The venue served as the home of the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). From 1988 until 1999, it also ...

15,200 , 45–22 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 68 , March 23 , @

L 84-110
, Elden Campbell (16) , Blount & Kersey (8) ,

(6) , Orlando Arena
17,248 , 45–23 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 69 , March 24 , @

W 109-84
,

(23) , Travis Knight (14) ,

(8) ,

Continental Airlines Arena Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor sports and concert venue located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. Since closing, ...

20,049 , 46–23 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 70 , March 26 ,

W 106-84
, Elden Campbell (31) , Corie Blount (14) , 3 players tied (4) ,

17,505 , 47–23 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 71 , March 27 , @

W 102-98 (OT)
, Elden Campbell (25) , Elden Campbell (9) ,

(8) ,

18,722 , 48–23 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 72 , April 1 , @

W 99-97
,

(30) , Blount & Kersey (11) ,

(6) , KeyArena
17,072 , 49–23 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 73 , April 2 ,

W 110-85
, Eddie Jones (27) , Corie Blount (13) ,

(12) ,

17,141 , 50–23 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 74 , April 4 ,

L 83-94
, Sean Rooks (20) , Corie Blount (13) ,

(5) ,

17,505 , 50–24 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 75 , April 6 ,

W 87-80
,

(21) , Sean Rooks (11) , 3 players tied (5) ,

17,364 , 51–24 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 76 , April 8 , @ Golden State
W 109-85
,

(24) ,

& Rooks (7) ,

(6) , San Jose Arena
17,973 , 52–24 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 77 , April 9 , @

L 89-101
, Eddie Jones (16) , Elden Campbell (11) ,

(4) , Delta Center
19,911 , 52–25 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 78 , April 11 , Phoenix
W 114-98
, O'Neal & Van Exel (24) , Horry & O'Neal (11) ,

(9) ,

17,505 , 53–25 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 79 , April 13 ,

W 100-98
,

(39) ,

(13) ,

(7) ,

17,505 , 54–25 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 80 , April 17 ,

W 108-99
,

(42) ,

(12) ,

(7) ,

17,505 , 55–25 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 81 , April 18 , @ L.A. Clippers
W 123-95
, Elden Campbell (21) , Travis Knight (9) ,

(10) ,

Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena was a multi-purpose arena at Exposition Park, in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was located next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and just south of the campus of the University of ...

16,094 , 56–25 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 82 , April 20 , @

L 96-100
, Elden Campbell (29) , Elden Campbell (11) ,

(8) ,

21,538 , 56–26

Playoffs

, - style="background:#cfc;" , 1 , April 25 ,

W 95–77
,

(46) ,

(11) ,

(8) ,

17,505 , 1–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2 , April 27 ,

W 107–93
,

(30) , Eddie Jones (7) ,

(9) ,

17,505 , 2–0 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 3 , April 30 , @

L 90–98
,

(29) ,

(12) , O'Neal & Van Exel (4) ,

21,538 , 2–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 4 , May 2 , @

W 95–91
, Campbell & O'Neal (27) , 4 players tied (8) , Jones & Van Exel (5) ,

21,538 , 3–1 , - , - style="background:#fcc;" , 1 , May 4 , @

L 77–93
,

(23) ,

(12) ,

(4) , Delta Center
19,911 , 0–1 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 2 , May 6 , @

L 101–103
,

(25) ,

(12) ,

(12) , Delta Center
19,911 , 0–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 3 , May 8 ,

W 104–84
,

(19) ,

(10) ,

(5) ,

17,505 , 1–2 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 4 , May 10 ,

L 95–110
,

(34) ,

(11) ,

(7) ,

17,505 , 1–3 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 5 , May 12 , @

L 93–98 (OT)
,

(26) ,

(13) ,

(5) , Delta Center
19,911 , 1–4 , -

Player statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Player Statistics Citation:

Awards and records

, 1997 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Male Athlete *

NBA All-Rookie Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for play ...

2nd Team * Travis Knight,

2nd Team

Transactions

References

*
Lakers on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1996-97 Los Angeles Lakers season Los Angeles Lakers seasons Los Angle Los Angle Los Angle 1990s in Los Angeles County, California