Bryant was a member of the 96 draft …

Bryant was a member of the 96 draft class, which remains one of the most talented in NBA history. All the best players from that class immediately played a lot of minutes for their teams, which frustrated Bryant, who was getting garbage minutes with the Lakers. During that period, he was actively questioning his decision to come to the NBA and not going to college, thinking he would at least play more minutes in NCAA. “I saw my peers playing 30-35 minutes per game doing their thing, and I am sitting here glued to the bench. I was getting really pissed off and ticketed off, thinking I should have just go to college. That was the hardest part.”