The Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief. . .We All Have Off Days! — Part 2
“If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.”-H.G. Wells
Welcome (back) to the Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief! Each week, I share insights and practical strategies to help us cultivate well-being and thrive — both personally and professionally. Live well! Lawyer well!
This week two of looking at the 1996 NBA Draft. The 1996 NBA Draft is widely considered to be one of the deepest and most talented NBA drafts in history, with one-third of the first-round picks later becoming NBA All-Stars. The draft class produced three players who won a combined four NBA MVP awards (Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash), seven other drafted players who became All-Stars (Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Ray Allen, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, Stephon Marbury, Jermaine O’Neal, Peja Stojaković, Antoine Walker), and one undrafted All-Star (Ben Wallace), for a grand total of 11 All-Stars. Moreover, eight players from this draft class have been named to at least one All-NBA Team, the most among any draft.
The Workout — Kobe Bryant’s 1996 pre-NBA draft workout with the Los Angeles Lakers
The Setting: The workout took place at Inglewood YMCA.
The Players: It involved Kobe Bryant, Jerry West Lakers Executive, Mitch Kupchak, Lakers GM, 1994–2017, John Black, Lakers VP of public relations, Raymond Ridder, Lakers PR staff, Norm Nixon, a former Lakers player, and a 40 year old Michael Cooper (who still played like a 25 year old) a former Lakers player and assistant coach.
The Drills: As they were running him through drills, Kobe would just go to the rim and dunk every ball. West said, “Kobe, we know you can dunk. Let’s see what else you can do.” West wanted to see him do other things rather than just tear the rim down every time. He wanted to see players put in situations they would find themselves in during NBA games. That’s when you saw the pull-up game, the jump hooks, the floaters. Kobe had every shot in his repertoire.
Going into the one-on-one against Cooper, Copper had the mentality of: “I thought I was going to go out there and whip his ass, to tell you the truth. That was my thought. I was like, OK, look, I don’t give a f — — how old I am, I’m not gonna let some f — -ing guy do anything.” Cooper acknowledged that Kobe had kicked his ass.
West’s Reaction: West stopped the workout after about 30 minutes declaring he’d seen enough. West asked, “Coop, what do you think?” And Coop was like, “Jerry, he’s f — -ing good, man.” West told the owner of the Lakers that Bryant was the best player in the draft. West also note that Kobe was better than anyone on the Lakers’ roster at the time.
West further noted, “That’s the best workout I’ve ever seen.”
Closing Thoughts
Reflecting on Kobe Bryant’s pre-draft workout with the Lakers and their bold decision to trade for the high school phenom that had been drafted by Charlotte, it’s clear that greatness often lies in the risks we take. The Lakers saw potential where others also saw potential, but also saw uncertainty. The Lakers decision not only shaped a career but a legacy that transcends the court.
Remember, we all have off days. Sometimes, betting on ourselves, and our raw talent and dedication can pays off in ways that we may not have foreseen.
Forward Always!
