Jeanie Buss Recalls Kobe Bryant's First Day As A Laker

The 18-time All-Star had a humble start with the Purple and Gold in 1996.

Dec 18, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss becomes emotional during a halftime ceremony honoring former player Kobe Bryant at Staples Center. Bryant had his two uniform numbers retired. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

In celebration of Hall of Fame Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant, on Kobe Bryant Day no less (August 24 commemorates both his jerseys with L.A., Nos. 8 and 24), a fresh anecdote from team owner Jeanie Buss has surfaced.

During a fresh interview with Kids Sports Reporters (yes, not Kid Sports Reporters), Buss shared an interesting anecdote from her first encounter with Bryant. The 6-foot-6 swingman was selected by the Lakers with the No. 13 pick in a loaded 1996 NBA Draft, after L.A. made a draft-day trade to ship out then-starting center Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the rights to Bryant.

That draft class also included future Hall of Famers Allen Iverson (the No. 1 overall pick), Ray Allen (No. 4), and Steve Nash (No. 15). Longtime Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, went undrafted out of Virginia Union that summer, but he, too, would eventually find his way to the Hall of Fame.

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"One story I like to tell about Kobe is when I first met him," Buss said. "He was drafted to the Lakers, and for some reason that day, Jerry West was out of town, my dad was out of town, so they asked me to have lunch with him."

"When the waiter came over to take the order, Kobe said, 'Do you speak Spanish?'" Buss continued.

"And the waiter said, 'Yes, I do," Buss noted.

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"Kobe said, 'I'm gonna learn Spanish. I wanna speak Spanish with you.' And so Kobe ended up not only learning to speak Spanish, but [he] spoke with no accent at all. And that was the kind of person he was. He would state a goal and then work hard to accomplish what he wanted to do."

Bryant, who passed away during a tragic Calabasas helicopter accident along with daughter Gianna and seven other souls on January 26, 2020, was one of the most decorated Lakers players of all time. He already has two bronze statues adorning L.A. home court Crypto.com Arena, with a third impending. He indeed often spoke to Spanish All-NBA Lakers center Pau Gasol in his native tongue during their tenure together.

Bryant, drafted straight out of high school, was renowned for his dogged work ethic with Los Angeles. An 18-time All-Star and 15-time All-NBA honoree, he led the Lakers to seven NBA Finals berths, including five titles in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2010. He earned Finals MVP honors during those last two titles.

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