Kobe Bryant's Pre-Draft Workout With Lakers Ranks Among Best In NBA History

Shandel Richardson | Dec 6, 2024

November 3, 1996; Inglewood, CA; Los Angeles' Kobe Bryant enters his first NBA game, against Minnesota. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY-USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY-USA TODAY NETWORK

When he played, Los Angeles Lakers great Michael Cooper was one of the most feared defenders in the NBA.

So, it was only natural for the Lakers to include Cooper in their pre-draft workout for high school sensation Kobe Bryant in 1996. It was then when the Lakers knew they wanted to select Bryant, even though picking high schoolers was a new thing at the time.

"My favorite Kobe Bryant story, for all you people out there that heard Kobe kicked my ass real good, he did not," Cooper said in an interview with former teammate Byron Scott. "He just kicked my ass, [but] it wasn't real good. But see, you've got to remember, I was 40 years old going against an 18, 19-year-old kid."

Cooper was most impressed with Bryant because his play was reminiscent of other Lakers greats like Jerry West and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

"Jerry had certain points on the court: the elbow, the pick and roll, down low, and off the dribble," Cooper said. "He was telling Kobe, 'Okay, get to that spot. You've got to get to that spot.' And my job was to keep him away from that spot. Now, for a 19-year-old kid, the one thing that impressed me was his physical strength and his ability to get to that spot. He didn't just get near the spot; he got to his spot."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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