"That kind of talent simply doesn't happen" - Del Harris said 17-year-old Kobe was 'slightly better' than 24-year-old Eddie Jones
Kobe Bryant's pre-draft workout has become a genre in itself. When the Lower Merion High School standout declared for the 1996 NBA Draft, teams were skeptical if a 17-year-old could handle the physical and mental challenges in the league.
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Several organizations were keen on getting a closer look at him, while others had no interest.
Already a pro
The Los Angeles Lakers were one of those teams that wanted to see Bryant up close and personal. They invited him to two private pre-draft workouts in the summer of 1996. Lakers coach Del Harris was right there to evaluate the young stud — his conclusion: the kid could ball and was NBA-ready.
"When Kobe worked out for us (in two private pre-draft workouts in the spring of 1996), his physical skills at that time graded out to be about even or slightly better than Eddie Jones at that time," Harris said in 1998, via the Deseret News.
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"That kind of talent simply doesn't happen," Del added. "At least not in my experience."
Eddie Jones was in his second year with the Lakers at that time. He had grown into a formidable shooting guard for Harris and gained favorable comparisons with Lakers defensive legend Michael Cooper. It seemed that Jones needed more time to unlock his full potential.
Related: "After much consideration, I am now prepared to rule" - When Utah judge ruled Michael Jordan pushed off in his final shot in '98
Bean vs. Coop
However, Bryant's excellence in those pre-draft workouts prompted the Lakers to keep an open mind. Jones could become a two-way star, but Bryant's youth and advanced skillset were too enticing to ignore.
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Part of the Lakers' pre-draft workout with Bryant was a one-on-one duel with Cooper, who was well-retired but still equipped with the defensive instincts that made him one of the best stoppers in history.
The final score of that duel hasn't been disclosed, but Coop himself has never shied away from divulging what went down in that epic workout: the young Black Mamba made him sweat.
"That was probably, other than playing, one of the hardest things I've ever done," Coop said.
"A young Kobe, and there were certain things they wanted him to do. They wanted him to work off pick-and-rolls, they wanted him to get to the elbow, they wanted him to post up. I had to try and take that away," Cooper recalled.
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Cooper was impressed with Bryant's strength. Obviously, he had spent countless hours in the gym while his peers were out enjoying their youth. According to Michael, strength and technical skill enabled Kobe to go to his spots with relative ease. And when Bean got to those sweet spots, he almost always knocked down the shot.
Those workouts pretty much decided Bryant's and the Lakers' fate. Then, Purple & Gold's general manager, Jerry West, called it the greatest workout he ever saw. The Logo traded their trusty center, Vlade Divac, for Kobe, a move that caught everyone by surprise. However, in just a few years, pundits realized why West made the trade. Bryant wasn't just good; he was the real thing.
When Kobe formally joined the team, Del discovered that the workout was not a fluke. It was just a preview of what his new shooting guard could do. Harris set up parameters to allow Bryant to grow, and it was all that the Black Mamba needed.
"My basic philosophy is get a guy into a spot where he can be successful 90 percent of the time, not 65 or 70 percent," Harris said.
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"With Kobe, he's so talented he can often succeed even when he doesn't do the right thing," he concluded.
Related: "There were two reasons" - Lakers journalist reveals why Eddie Jones was traded shortly after Kobe Bryant was drafted
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
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