Kobe Bryant scored his first NBA point on November 5th, 1996, against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in his second taste of NBA action. Selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick of the 1996 Draft, the former Lower Merion High School standout was immediately traded to the Lakers, where the career of the preps-to-pros trailblazer blossomed into an indelible Hall of Fame legacy. While Bryant’s career started as a substitute, the second-generation NBA athlete began to kick into high gear with his first of 18 All-Star selections in 1997-98. In 1996-97, Bryant appeared in 71 games, starting six, as he averaged 7.6 points per game for the 56-win Lakers despite being younger than many college freshmen in his inaugural campaign.

Against the Knicks, Bryant scored his first NBA point on a free throw in the second quarter. Bryant would soon be accustomed to a higher degree of scoring, averaging 25.0 points per game in his career. The 2007-08 NBA Most Valuable Player, Bryant’s career came to an emotional end in 2016 with a 60-point deluge against the Utah Jazz in the final game of his storied career. Bryant was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020. The ticket offered in this lot is a stub for a courtside seat in New York’s 50th Anniversary season. The stub is in good condition. It has been encapsulated and authenticated by PSA (46231426).

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