That was 27 years ago now. On May 12, 1997, the Lakers are on the verge of elimination, in the conference semi-finals against the Jazz. Trailing 3-1, the Californians held on and were even able to bring down John Stockton and Karl Malone at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
But Robert Horry was ejected for attacking Jeff Hornacek and Shaquille O'Neal came out for six fouls. As a result, coach Del Harris must rely on a rookie for the winning shot. At only 18 years old, the one who is not yet the “Black Mamba” tries to eliminate Bryon Russell and shoots…
A year later, Michael Jordan would enter the legend in an almost identical situation. But Kobe Bryant he completely misses the circle: “air ball”.
Heading into overtime for the two franchises and, while his teammates seem petrified by the stakes, the 13th choice of the 1996 Draft continues shots from distance, in order to avoid the elimination of his team. The kid has courage, but he multiplies the “air balls” and Los Angeles leaves the stage through the back door…
“ This is something I struggle to understand. This rookie, Kobe Bryant, chained four 'air balls' and Del Harris continued to rely on him in these moments. And he didn't answer “, declared Ron Boone, the Jazz commentator.
Jerry West: “I really think this is the defining moment of his career”
This episode could have destroyed the one who was just coming out of adolescence. Some never really recovered from similar situations. Except that Kobe Bryant already has this desire to be the hero, this confidence that immense champions need to think that they cannot fail at anything, this feeling that his destiny is exceptional.
So, instead of dwelling on this failure, the future Hall of Famer returned to training the next day and spent the summer working on his shot.
“ I really think this is the defining moment of his career “, Jerry West recently explained, the GM of the Lakers at the time. “ You know why ? Because if a guy had shot one air ball on this team, then a second, he wouldn't have taken a third. But he wasn't afraid. And I think that's one of the things that led him to greatness. He didn't allow himself to fail. Despite all the negative comments and criticism about Del Harris, for letting him on the field, I thank him for doing it, when no one wanted to play or even fight. Nobody wanted to take three shots on this team, but [Kobe Bryant] did it. And I guarantee you, the next year, when he came back after the summer, he was a different person. He didn't want this to happen again. »
At training camp, Kobe Bryant actually used this episode of “air balls” as a source of motivation.
“ The people around me, the media and the staff, see these shots as a real turning point. I just see it as a way to give myself confidence. Even though I didn't make those shots, I know my teammates have enough confidence in me to take them », he confided to the Los Angeles Daily News.
“It shaped me”
For his part, Del Harris confirmed at the time that he was never afraid of burning the wings of his very young rookie.
“ When you know his mentality, you know that one or ten failures are not going to stop him. I knew I didn't have to worry about him. He wanted to take that shot the next day and again today. »
During the 2015/16 season, a few days before scoring 60 points against the same Jazz, Kobe Bryant returned to this episode of “air balls” and he finally recognized the importance of this Game 5 in Utah and these missed shots, as he faced elimination.
“ It was really a turning point for me. Being able to deal with adversity, public comments and doubts was a good way to see if I had it in me. Now I think about it fondly but at the time it was hell. It shaped me. Often, when you're young, you don't see how a situation like that can ultimately have positive outcomes. But if you use it to motivate yourself, you can think about it from where I am right now with fondness. »
| Kobe Bryant | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 1996-97 | LAL | 71 | 16 | 41.7 | 37.5 | 81.9 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 7.6 |
| 1997-98 | LAL | 79 | 26 | 42.8 | 34.1 | 79.4 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 15.4 |
| 1998-99 | LAL | 50 | 38 | 46.5 | 26.7 | 83.9 | 1.1 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 19.9 |
| 1999-00 | LAL | 66 | 38 | 46.8 | 31.9 | 82.1 | 1.6 | 4.7 | 6.3 | 4.9 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 22.5 |
| 2000-01 | LAL | 68 | 41 | 46.4 | 30.5 | 85.3 | 1.5 | 4.3 | 5.9 | 5.0 | 3.3 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 28.5 |
| 2001-02 | LAL | 80 | 38 | 46.9 | 25.0 | 82.9 | 1.4 | 4.1 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 25.2 |
| 2002-03 | LAL | 82 | 42 | 45.1 | 38.3 | 84.3 | 1.3 | 5.6 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 30.0 |
| 2003-04 | LAL | 65 | 38 | 43.8 | 32.7 | 85.2 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 24.0 |
| 2004-05 | LAL | 66 | 41 | 43.3 | 33.9 | 81.6 | 1.4 | 4.5 | 5.9 | 6.0 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 4.1 | 0.8 | 27.6 |
| 2005-06 | LAL | 80 | 41 | 45.0 | 34.7 | 85.0 | 0.9 | 4.4 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 35.4 |
| 2006-07 | LAL | 77 | 41 | 46.3 | 34.4 | 86.8 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 5.4 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 3.3 | 0.5 | 31.6 |
| 2007-08 ★ | LAL | 82 | 39 | 45.9 | 36.1 | 84.0 | 1.2 | 5.2 | 6.3 | 5.4 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 28.3 |
| 2008-09 | LAL | 82 | 36 | 46.7 | 35.1 | 85.6 | 1.1 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 26.8 |
| 2009-10 | LAL | 73 | 39 | 45.6 | 32.9 | 81.1 | 1.1 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 0.3 | 27.0 |
| 2010-11 | LAL | 82 | 34 | 45.1 | 32.3 | 82.8 | 1.0 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 25.3 |
| 2011-12 | LAL | 58 | 39 | 43.0 | 30.3 | 84.5 | 1.1 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 4.6 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 27.9 |
| 2012-13 | LAL | 78 | 39 | 46.3 | 32.4 | 83.9 | 0.9 | 4.7 | 5.6 | 6.0 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 3.7 | 0.3 | 27.4 |
| 2013-14 | LAL | 6 | 30 | 42.5 | 18.8 | 85.7 | 0.3 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 6.3 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 5.7 | 0.2 | 13.8 |
| 2014-15 | LAL | 35 | 35 | 37.3 | 29.3 | 81.3 | 0.7 | 4.9 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 0.2 | 22.3 |
| 2015-16 | LAL | 66 | 28 | 35.8 | 28.5 | 82.6 | 0.6 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 17.6 |
| Total | 1346 | 36 | 44.7 | 32.9 | 83.7 | 1.1 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 25.0 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
