onthisday – Page 2 – Syndication Server

On this date: Kobe scores 52, including 30 in third quarter vs. Jazz

In the fall of 2006, Kobe Bryant had one of his greatest but most underrated offensive explosions.

Coming off their near upset of the second-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2006 NBA Playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers looked solid to start the 2006-07 season, winning nine of their first 14 games.

On Nov. 30, they hosted the Utah Jazz, a team on the rise that was 13-3.

Los Angeles had lost to them six days earlier, and it looked like it would be another difficult contest.

Kobe Bryant scored 10 points in the first quarter as the Lakers managed a two-point lead, but it seemed like nothing out of the ordinary for him.

Even after he scored 12 more points in the second quarter and helped L.A. to a 53-41 halftime lead, no one likely thought much of his output to that point.

But in the third quarter, the Black Mamba went into supernova mode.

He made all nine of his field goal attempts and all 10 of his free throw attempts, putting up 30 points in the period. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Lakers were on top, 95-73, and the game was virtually over, as they won 132-102.

Bryant finished with 52 points on a phenomenal 19-of-26 shooting, but even though it was one of his highest-scoring games ever, it has somehow fallen between the cracks.

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On this date: Kobe Bryant scores his first point in the NBA

On Nov. 5, 1996, Kobe Bryant scored his first of 33,643 career points in the NBA.

When the Los Angeles Lakers traded center Vlade Divac for the draft rights to a 17-year-old named Kobe Bryant in 1996, few outside of team executive Jerry West could have envisioned it as a franchise-changing moment.

At the time, most figured it was merely a salary dump to free enough cap space to sign Shaquille O’Neal, and that L.A. was gambling on the Philadelphia-area native.

As a rookie, Bryant was played inconsistently by head coach Del Harris. He didn’t play in the team’s season opener, and he went scoreless in its second game versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.

But on Nov. 5, 1996, Bryant scored his first career point on a free throw, and he did so in what some refer to as the Mecca of Basketball: Madison Square Garden in New York City.

1 of 33,643.

Today marks the 24th anniversary of Kobe's first points. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/TuWEIyrqjW

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 5, 2020

Little did anyone know at the time the thrills and the roller coaster ride Lakers fans were in for over the next two decades.

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On this date: Lakers win 2020 NBA championship

After a turbulent season the likes of which no one had ever seen, the Lakers won their 17th NBA championship to give it a happy ending.

The year 2020 was a tumultuous one, not just for the Los Angeles Lakers but for the entire nation.

It started with the tragic death of the legendary Kobe Bryant and continued with the COVID-19 pandemic hitting critical mass in March, along with several other big news-making events outside of sports.

As the world seemingly screeched to a halt in March due to the pandemic, the NBA delayed its season as it figured out what to do and how to safely continue in order to crown a champion.

It seemed like a cruel twist of fate for the Lakers, who, with a 49-14 record at the time, were having a marvelous season. They had just come off a statement-making weekend in which they defeated both the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers.

Despite lots of doubt about whether it was even possible, the NBA resumed its season at Walt Disney World Resort, and it was a huge success, as everyone was able to stay safe from the novel coronavirus.

But for the Lakers, it was even more of a success, as they captured their 17th world championship on Oct. 11 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals versus the Miami Heat.

L.A.’s defense was suffocating, as it held the gutsy Heat to just 36 first-half points, and by that point, the end result was a foregone conclusion.

It won by the final score of 106-93, and with 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, LeBron James earned his fourth NBA Finals MVP.

It was a storybook Hollywood-style ending to a season that was filled with a few decades-worth of adversity.

Many still discount the Lakers’ title since it came inside of the “bubble,” but with all the restrictions their players had to endure for three full months, they certainly earned the right to call themselves world champions.

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On this date: Lakers trade Shaquille O’Neal to Miami Heat

On July 14, 2004, the Lakers made a trade that was very controversial at the time but turned out very well in the end.

Although Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were one of the greatest and most successful duos in NBA history, their relationship was always tenuous.

When they were winning three straight world championships, they seemed to be friends, at least on the surface. At other times, they seemed to be at each other’s throats.

By the 2003-04 season, the tension had reached a breaking point. With Bryant nearing free agency, then-owner Dr. Jerry Buss decided it was time to pull the plug and retool around Bryant.

Weeks after the Lakers lost the 2004 NBA Finals in disastrous fashion to the Detroit Pistons, they sent O’Neal to the Miami Heat for Brian Grant, Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, a future first-round pick that became Jordan Farmar and a future second-round pick.

At the time, many Lakers fans were disgusted at the deal, and just about everyone around the league believed L.A. lost the trade and would regret it for many years.

The aftermath was ugly, and it started right away.

For the next three seasons, Bryant was left to wallow with a very weak supporting cast. Somehow, he willed the Lakers to the playoffs in 2006 and 2007, but he was public enemy No. 1. Most believed he ran O’Neal out of town as part of an egotistical power grab.

But the trade was justified when, in February 2008, L.A. landed All-Star big man Pau Gasol in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies.

The team was instantly a title contender again, and it reached the championship series three straight times right away, winning back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

Dr. Buss, being a real estate magnate and standout poker player, clearly knew what he was doing in the summer of 2004.

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On this date: Lakers officially acquire Kobe Bryant

On July 11, 1996, Kobe Bryant officially became a Laker, and the storied franchise had its newest legend and icon.

The summer of 1996 was an inflection point that forever changed the fortunes of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Five years after Magic Johnson announced he had tested positive for HIV, the team had remade itself into a young and exciting squad while missing the playoffs only once. But something was missing.

The team wasn’t close to being a championship contender, and it lacked a true superstar.

In ’96, the biggest and baddest of superstars, Shaquille O’Neal, was available, and the Lakers went all-in on him.

That meant clearing cap space to get him, necessitating trading Vlade Divac, their starting center.

In the meantime, general manager Jerry West worked out a 6-foot-6 high school player from the Philadelphia area named Kobe Bryant. At first, it was merely as a favor to friend and agent Arn Tellem, but West brought the 17-year-old in for a second workout and saw he was special with a capital S.

The executive decided to kill two birds with one stone by trading Divac for a draft pick high enough to net Bryant. West finally found a taker in the Charlotte Hornets, who had the 13th pick.

After a brief scare from the New Jersey Nets, who had interest in Bryant with the eighth pick, the Hornets agreed to draft Bryant as part of the deal.

On July 11, 1996, the deal became official, and Bryant became a Laker.

26 years ago today, Jerry West traded for Kobe Bryant during the 1996 NBA Draft.

“The Logo” knew what was to come next. 🐍 pic.twitter.com/F1bpuId4Ck

— Kobe Highlights & Motivation (@kobehighlight) June 26, 2022

At first, he seemed like nothing more than a by-product of going after O’Neal (who signed with the Lakers days later). But no one, other than perhaps West himself, knew the team had just acquired arguably its greatest player ever.

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On this date: Lakers draft Julius Randle

The 2014 NBA Draft was the Lakers’ first foray into the lottery in nine years, and it yielded future All-Star Julius Randle.

After Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles in April of 2013, the mystique of the Los Angeles Lakers had all but disappeared.

Bryant returned, but his last three seasons were marred by serious injuries and extremely subpar play. The team missed the playoffs in 2014 for the first time in nine years.

Longtime Lakers fans sensed a long drought was starting, but the one positive byproduct was the fact they would have several lottery picks, starting in 2014.

That year, with the seventh overall pick, L.A. took Julius Randle, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward out of the University of Kentucky.

Randle was an interesting prospect. He could post up and play old-school, 1990s-style bully ball, but he could also handle the ball and create his own shot.

Early in his career, he looked like a bull in a china shop. He had trouble avoiding charging fouls, but the talent and potential were undeniable.

Unfortunately, Randle’s rookie season was a disaster. He suffered a fractured tibia in his very first game and missed the rest of the year.

He started to emerge afterward,. In 2018, his fourth season, he was up to 16.1 points and 8 rebounds a game while shooting an impressive 55.8% from the field.

But with LeBron James joining the Lakers that summer, Randle decided to leave as a free agent. He spent a year with the New Orleans Pelicans before heading to the New York Knicks.

Last season, he finally became the best version of himself, putting up 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6 assists per game while hitting 41.1% of his 3-pointers. It earned him his first trip to the All-Star game.

It would’ve been a lot better if the Lakers had gotten something in return for Randle when he left, but at least fans can be happy he has seemingly fully matured in the Big Apple.

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On this date: Lakers take Kobe Bryant in 1996 NBA draft

With the 13th pick in the 1996 NBA draft, Lakers general manager Jerry West took Kobe Bryant, laying the foundation for a new dynasty.

In the mid-1990s, the Los Angeles Lakers were a good team, but they were a far cry from the transcendent team they had been not even a decade earlier.

They needed a superstar to get to the next level, and fortunately, in the summer of 1996, perhaps the biggest one was available: Shaquille O’Neal.

Signing him as a free agent meant they needed to clear cap space, which meant they needed to trade Vlade Divac, their starting center.

In the meantime, general manager Jerry West worked out a high school senior from the Philadelphia area named Kobe Bean Bryant. At first, West did it as a favor to Bryant’s agent, Arn Tellem, a friend of West’s who was based in Santa Monica.

West was impressed enough to invite Bryant back for a second workout, during which he schooled Michael Cooper, who had been one of the greatest defensive players ever for the Showtime Lakers.

The cunning and resourceful West figured he could kill two birds with one stone, and he dealt Divac to the Charlotte Hornets for the 13th pick in the 1996 NBA draft.

It looked like Bryant would be available there, but at the last minute, the New Jersey Nets wanted to take him at No. 8.

Tellem told the Nets that there was no way in hell Bryant wanted to play for them because Jersey was “too close to home.” Actually, the Nets played in East Rutherford, which is in the New York City area and about two hours away from Philly.

But the Nets backed off, and just like that, West made Bryant a Laker. Weeks later, O’Neal also joined the Purple and Gold, forming the NBA’s new superpower.

Little did anyone, other than West himself, know how transcendent Bryant would become in the years to come.

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On this date: LeBron James wins first NBA championship

LeBron James led the Miami Heat to a win in Game 5 of the 2012 NBA Finals and took home his first world championship ring.

When LeBron James joined the Miami Heat in 2010 and teamed with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, just about everyone expected them to become the NBA’s next dynasty.

Instead, James and his mates collapsed in epic fashion in the 2011 NBA Finals, and many began to question if he had what it took to win it all.

But he silenced his critics with a monster performance in Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Conference finals to drive his team back to the championship series.

In the fifth contest of the NBA Finals versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, James finally had the opportunity to win the sport’s greatest prize.

The Thunder featured a young Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden, but they were only able to win Game 1 while dropping multiple close games afterward.

Game 5 saw the Heat build a double-digit lead in the second quarter, and the Thunder never threatened.

Miami’s 121-106 win finally gave James his first world championship ring nine years into his career. He also won the Finals MVP award and put up 26 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists and two blocked shots to put the Heat over the top.

After two years of harsh criticism, James could finally hold his head high in victory.

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On this date: Showtime Lakers win back-to-back NBA championships

In Game 7 of the 1988 NBA Finals, the Lakers held off the vicious Detroit Pistons to win their fifth world championship of the 1980s.

In 1988, the Los Angeles Lakers went for back-to-back NBA championships after their head coach, Pat Riley, guaranteed they would do so after winning the previous year’s world title.

But the road was rocky. They were taken to the full seven games by the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks in the second and third rounds of the playoffs.

Then, in the NBA Finals versus the Detroit Pistons, L.A. fell behind 3-2, and it had to earn a gutsy win in Game 6 to force a winner-take-all showdown.

In Game 7, the Lakers’ offense was a bit off-kilter in the first half, and although Isiah Thomas was playing on a badly sprained ankle, he scored 10 points to give the Pistons a 52-47 halftime lead.

Just when it seemed the Lakers might go out without achieving glory, they came out and blitzed Detroit with peak Showtime.

L.A. hit the Pistons with a massive third-quarter run, stifling them with its defense and fast break. The Lakers went up by 10 at the end of the period and increased their lead to 15 early in the fourth quarter.

Thomas and company staged a frantic comeback in the final comeback, coming to within two points, 102-100, with 1:17 left, but a couple of miscues allowed L.A. to go up 106-102 with 14 seconds remaining.

The Pistons weren’t done. Bill Laimbeer hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one. But on the ensuing inbound pass, Magic Johnson spotted A.C. Green downcourt for a breakaway layup that broke Detroit and ended its championship hopes.

With a 108-105 win, the Lakers won their second straight NBA world championship and their fifth in nine years, making them, beyond any doubt, the team of the 1980s.

James Worthy was the man of the hour. He posted a triple-double with 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. It earned him the Finals MVP award, and it was arguably the greatest individual performance in Game 7 of a championship series.

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On this date: LeBron James powers Miami to back-to-back NBA titles

LeBron James solidified his legacy big-time by leading the Heat to a win in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals and back-to-back championships.

When LeBron James finally won his first NBA championship in 2012, the question was how many championships he would ultimately win.

The following June, he had the opportunity to get his second ring, thanks to the heroics of Ray Allen, which took the Miami Heat to Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

On June 20, 2013, the Heat and San Antonio Spurs met at AmericanAirlines Arena in South Florida to decide the 2013 world championship.

Tim Duncan and company jumped out to an early 11-4 lead, but Miami fought back fast, and the rest of the contest was fought on relatively even terms.

Duncan had 24 points, 12 rebounds and four steals, while Kawhi Leonard added 19 points and 16 rebounds to keep the Spurs on Miami’s heels.

With less than a minute left and the Heat clinging to a two-point lead, Duncan missed a short hook shot, as well as a tip-in attempt, and moments later, James calmly sank a long jumper to give Miami insurance.

The Heat held on for a 95-88 victory, giving them back-to-back NBA championships.

James made it happen with one of the greatest performances ever in a Game 7 of the Finals: 37 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Dwyane Wade also made his presence felt with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

This title essentially proved that James’ first was no fluke, and it seemed to place him firmly in the discussion for perhaps being the greatest ever, at least among some fans and observers.

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