Preparations Before the Summer League

Kobe's training shifted to the Lakers' practice facility. West and Harris cared greatly about his development, and they specifically assigned Gary Vitti to oversee his training.

Ever since Pat Riley had recruited Gary Vitti from the University of Portland to serve as a Lakers trainer in 1984, he had spent a full twelve years with the team. Over those twelve years, Showtime members like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and James Worthy had gradually exited the stage, while he had become the Lakers' head trainer and team physician.

"Thump, thump, thump." The moment Gary Vitti entered the court early in the morning, he heard the crisp sound of a basketball striking the floor.

He had always considered himself a workaholic. At a time when most team staff were on vacation, he had immediately returned to work after receiving West's call. The sounds coming from the gym that early in the morning surprised him; the Los Angeles sun had only just risen. The season had just ended, after all, and the players had all gone on vacation.

"Hey, Gary." Kobe greeted Gary as he entered the practice facility. Having already finished his mid-range shooting drills, he was now working on three-pointers.

"Oh, you're the overly familiar kid West told me to look after? You're up awfully early!" Gary had seen plenty of players who trained hard. Showtime had not been built on talent alone. He assumed Kobe was merely acting on a whim; players who showed up to train in a burst of enthusiasm were hardly rare.

"Old Gary, quit nagging and fetch the ball for me! I'm making 1,000 threes before breakfast."

This kid really didn't stand on ceremony! Gary thought to himself. He was going to train Kobe until he cried today and let him learn just how formidable Devil Gary was!

Night fell. Gary watched Kobe, still full of energy, drag him back onto the court to shoot after finishing strength training. He was close to breaking down. Did this kid not have fatigue nerves?

"You brat, give me the ball! I'm going home!" Gary Vitti had yet to realize that this summer had only just begun.

"Rob, I need you to find a few players to train with me." Kobe lay in the apartment provided by the Lakers. He and Pelinka had settled down in Los Angeles, while Joe Bryant and Pamela Bryant had returned to Philadelphia.

He found training with the staff every day somewhat dull, and the intensity was not high enough. So he wanted a few players to train alongside him. At this time of year, the big-name players had all gone on vacation. Wasn't enjoying life better? Who would be willing to bury themselves in hard training with a seventeen-year-old kid during the scorching summer?

Kobe had several candidates in mind. First was Derek Fisher, the point guard the Lakers had selected with the twenty-fourth pick this year. He would be Kobe's teammate for many years to come, and he had probably already settled in Los Angeles, though he had not yet reported to the team for training. That wouldn't do. Only hardworking people deserved to be teammates with Kobe Bryant!

Then there was this year's undrafted rookie, Ben Wallace. The future defensive anchor of the Pistons had actually gone completely unnoticed this year. The reason was simple: an older center listed at 2.01 meters who was actually only 1.98 meters tall was an interior player who would never command respect in any era. Kobe remembered that after going undrafted, Ben Wallace had joined the Washington Bullets' summer league before earning a contract. Kobe wanted to bring him over.

The final candidate was Bruce Bowen, an elite perimeter lockdown defender who would make the All-Defensive First Team five times and the All-Defensive Second Team three times. Unfortunately, he had gone undrafted in the 1993 NBA Draft. After playing four seasons in the Continental Basketball Association and the French basketball league, he should be looking for an opportunity to enter the NBA.

"Understood, BOSS. I'll find a way to get them here." What Kobe liked most about Pelinka was that he never asked unnecessary questions and handled tedious matters with perfect order.

Kobe did not yet have much influence within the Lakers. With no accomplishments to his name, it was difficult for him to affect the front office's decisions on signing players. So he planned to start with training partners, then have them participate in summer league and dominate together. Kobe believed that once West and Harris saw their performances, they would definitely sign them.

He was also preparing to build his own core group. A lone wolf would inevitably be constrained at every turn. To gain enough say, strength was one part of it, and having people under him was another. Those star Lakers players were hardly going to become the underlings of a seventeen-year-old high schooler.

Generally speaking, NBA salaries were paid on fixed paydays, usually the first and fifteenth of each month, starting on November 15 and continuing until the end of the regular season, for a total of twelve payments. In other words, there was no such thing as playoff salary, though there were playoff bonuses. Of course, many of those bonuses were not written into contracts and depended entirely on what the owner chose to give.

Although he had signed a three-year rookie deal worth $3.51 million, Kobe was still broke for the time being. That was also why he lived in the apartment provided free by the team. Several sports brands had offered him solid endorsement deals, but Kobe had not signed any of them. He knew that once he brought his talent to the NBA court, the current offers would become insignificant.

So Kobe was somewhat down-and-out financially at the moment, but he did not care much. After all, someone who spent every day in the practice facility did not need many expenses.

Just as Kobe trained for the summer league, earth-shattering news blasted across the pages of every newspaper and magazine.

On July 18, Shaquille O'Neal left the Magic after four years with the team and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for a total of $120 million over seven years.

July 18, 1996, was Penny Hardaway's twenty-fifth birthday. But that day, O'Neal did not throw a birthday party for his former close friend Hardaway, because he was doing something more important—signing with the Los Angeles Lakers.

There were many explanations for why O'Neal left Orlando, but many believed his departure was related to Hardaway. Or rather, that Hardaway had driven the Big Shark away.

Kobe had privately asked O'Neal about it and knew that was complete nonsense. O'Neal and Hardaway had worked together seamlessly. Hardaway was humble and mature by nature. He preferred to keep his own spotlight hidden and let O'Neal take the glory.

The problem lay with the Magic front office. They did not value O'Neal at all and had even wanted to re-sign him for a low price, completely confident that he would remain in Orlando. But that baseless confidence and the arrogance of the executives enraged O'Neal.

O'Neal longed for the exposure of Los Angeles and the sunshine of California, and he was drawn in by the future West had promised him. The Lakers agreed to provide O'Neal with thirty-five tickets for every game, while Magic Johnson was willing to give O'Neal his private garage at the arena—this was not just about money. The Lakers had given O'Neal the respect he needed.