Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant: A player.

You have to be very careful what you ask for in life-you just might get it. Just ask Kobe Bryant.

May 12th, '97. The Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT. Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Utah Jazz. Game Five.

There's 11.3 seconds left in regulation and the score is tied, 87-87. In the words of De La Soul, stakes is high. Not only because the Jazz are leading the Lakers 3-1 in the Western Conference Semifinals, but because things have gotten personal. It's the little things: a sneaky elbow here, a trip there, the hard stares, the merciless picks.

But for now, all that is secondary. The Lakers are in big trouble. A minute earlier, the big guy, Shaquille O'Neal, fouled out with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Harsh words were exchanged between him and Karl Malone after a flagrant foul committed by O'Neal early in the third quarter led to Malone receiving a technical. Robert Horry, meanwhile, gave Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek a rough forearm, earning himself an ejection. But this is nothing compared to the tension between Laker coach Del Harris and his point guard, Nick Van Exel. In Game Four, Van Exel had been pulled by Harris for waving off the coach's instructions, screaming vulgarities as Harris waved an admonishing finger in his face. Tonight, however, Van Exel is having a hell of a game, hitting key jumpers from all over the floor. His hot hand has saved them in clutch situations before, but now the ball is about to go to someone else for the game-winning shot.

The 18-year-old rookie, Kobe Bryant. The Golden Child.

A lanky, charismatic, 6-6, 200-pound prodigy, Kobe had led little-known Lower Merion High School to the Pennsylvania state title the year before. This year, he was being asked to carry an NBA team to the Finals. No problem.

"Give me the ball, coach," Bryant says. "I'll drain it."

The clock ticks, and Bryant takes the ball down the court, two players to his left, two on the right. With a scant few seconds left, he stops-14 feet out-and takes what will henceforth be referred to as The Other Shot.

The ball sails through the air with a high arc and...never makes the rim. Airball.

Utah fans go crazy. Overtime. In OT, Bryant throws up three more long bombs-all airballs. The Lakers lose, 98-93. As the Lakers leave the court, Shaq, who has taken a liking to the rookie, talks to the kid who hates to lose-especially with the eyes of the world on him.

"I don't want to see you hanging your head-you had a great season," he says. "Go home, work hard, and we'll come back next year."

But as Bryant walks off the court, the thoughts race through his mind, especially as he takes one more look at that elusive rim. "Am I really ready for all of this?"

Q: What's the most important lesson you learned last year?

Kobe Bryant: Patience.

What a difference half a year makes. Kobe Bryant is growing up before our eyes. It's more than the full head of hair, the extra inch, the added musculature and the goatee-he's becoming a man in this game.

He's lithe and tall, with long, sculpted arms like Michelange-lo's David. His face is aerodynamic, like that of a bird of prey. His crossover dribble is low to the ground and agile-he moves and twists, a challenge to guard. He can score from the perimeter but is becoming strong enough to power himself through the paint.

He's not forcing shots as much as he used to. He's learned to draw the double team-and dish the ball off to an open teammate. He won't automatically drive the lane, falling into traps that contain his game in ways that weren't possible when he was a high-school player. You still see that look of giddiness, the gee-whiz flair that has many people comparing him to Magic Johnson, but there's also cold determination, an undying competitive streak that's very reminiscent of Michael Jordan. Sure, Kobe Bryant still makes mistakes, but his overwhelming prowess makes them forgivable.

"It's amazing how smart this kid is-he's got a great personality and is very intelligent," says Horry. "He's got the whole world in his hands with this game, he can do everything-and he's still learning-which is bad news for his opponents. He's gonna be one of the greats, probably the [NBA's] all-time leading scorer."

Because of his age entering the League?

"Sheeeet!," Horry says with a laugh. "Because of how talented he is."

The talent was never a question. Kobe broke Wilt Chamber-lain's 40-year-old, Southeastern PA high-school scoring record of 2,359 points (with 2,883), and earned a No. 13 spot in the NBA draft without ever stepping on a college campus. He was USA Today's High School Player of the Year in '96, and the NBA Slam Dunk Champion and Rookie All-Star MVP in '97. Orlando Magic general manager John Gabriel called him "borderline sensational," and a scout suggested that he was "Grant Hill with a jump shot."

Then again, a lot of people saw his limited playing time as a rookie and his seven points per game, and figured that it was way too early to call this kid the next Jordan or Magic. It seemed easy to dismiss him as shoe company hype-more a clever marketing scheme than an effective player. But you can't judge a player by numbers alone. Michael Jordan only averaged 13.5 points as a freshman at North Carolina. David Robinson averaged 7.6 his freshman year at Navy. And they didn't have to play against mature versions of themselves night after night, as Kobe does.

The more minutes he plays, the more Kobe improves. He's a player who usually equals or surpasses the players who surround him. During the course of 15 games, from October 31st to December 7th of '97, Bryant doubled his scoring average to 16 points a game-making him the highest-scoring sixth man in the league at press time. More importantly, he changes the flow of games. The Lakers play faster, more fluid basketball when Bryant's in the mix-he moves up the court with blinding quickness, getting himself open for a fadeaway jumper or a spectacular dunk.

"The hardest thing to adjust to coming to the pros was the size of the players," Bryant says. "When I penetrated, I felt like I was going to the hole against a whole bunch of trees. In high school, I could see the whole court-like I was on top of a building, overlooking