During the lockout-shortened 1999 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers were a chaotic mess.
Head coach Del Harris was fired early in the season after a poor start and was replaced by longtime assistant Kurt Rambis. The team traded fan favorite Eddie Jones and big man Elden Campbell for sharpshooter Glen Rice and it even experimented with Dennis Rodman for several weeks.
But one constant was the promise of Kobe Bryant.
Although he wasn’t a full-fledged star yet, every now and then he showed fans glimpses of what was to come.
On April 20, the Lakers headed north to Oakland to take on the Golden State Warriors — only to fall behind by 28 early in the second quarter. To make matters worse, Shaquille O’Neal was ejected.
But Bryant was there to save the day.
He put his team on his back by leading a comeback. With it trailing by two near the end of regulation, he tapped in a missed free throw by Glen Rice to force overtime.
Once there, L.A. put away the Warriors, 106-102. Bryant finished with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, five rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots.
It was a preview of what Lakers fans would enjoy on a regular basis for the next decade-plus.
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