In 2000, who was the 21-year-old Kobe in the league?

Recently, McGrady talked about Kobe on the "The Arena" program hosted by Arenas.

Arenas said: "Bryant did pose a threat to Jordan's legendary status during the three consecutive championships, partly because of the media's exaggeration." After hearing this, McGrady expressed his agreement with Arenas's viewpoint, and he said: "As a player, I am still very excited when I recall the NBA Finals in 2000. In that game, Shaq was sent off for a foul, and Kobe, who came on the court, took over the game. Even in my own living room, I It can't suppress the excitement in his heart." McGrady continued: "Watching my brother show his style on the court, I really feel extremely excited. At that moment, I realized that he is not just Shaq's assistant, but definitely the core of a team. Although he fought side by side with O'Neal, the excellent data he handed over made me admire his abilities."

McGrady said that Kobe in 2000 was not only O'Neal's helper, but could become the core of a team.

So, which player was Kobe in the league in 2000?

Bobby, born on August 23, 1978, was only 21 years old in 2000.

1999-2000 season is the fourth season of Kobe's career.

Data

Regular season 99-00, Kobe played 66 games for the Lakers, averaging 38.2 minutes per game, scoring 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.9 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 46.8%, and a three-point shooting percentage of 31.9%.

ranked 12th in the league in scoring per game

Playoffs

Kobe played 21 games for the Lakers, averaging 39 minutes per game, scoring 21.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks, shooting percentage of 44.2% and three-point shooting percentage of 34.4%.

Individual Honor

The Second Team of the Best Team (the first team guards are Jason Kidd and Gary Payton)

The Best Defensive Team

The All-Stars

MVP Ranked 12th in the 12th place

The Best Defensive Player ranked fifth

The Finals Performance

6 games in the Finals, Kobe played 5 games, and in one game failed to play due to injury. Kobe averaged 35.2 minutes per game, scored 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1 steal, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 turnovers, with a shooting percentage of 36.7%, and a three-point shooting percentage of 20%. In the fourth game of the finals, after O'Neal was sent off, Kobe performed well and led the team to win the game. In the 99-00 finals G4, the Lakers led 2-1. With 2 minutes and 30 seconds left in the game, O'Neal, who scored 36 points and 21 rebounds in the whole game, left the game due to rebounding and accumulated six fouls. The Pacers thought that the Lakers would lose their offensive and defensive core and would take the initiative in the game. However, Kobe, who was only 21 years old, stood up and took over the game. He made two consecutive jump shots, and then slapped Crohill's layup on the defensive end, destroying the Pacers' counterattack again and again. In the last 30 seconds, the Lakers, who had the ball, were only 1 point ahead, while Kobe was unable to catch the ball when he encountered the opponent's close-fitting force. Brian Shaw made a layup, but Kobe actively fought at the basket, hitting a key tip-in with 5.9 seconds left before the end of the game, helping the Lakers narrowly defeat their opponents by 2 points, and the total score in the series reached 3-1.

Full game, Kobe made 14 of 27 shots, scoring 28 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. At the age of 21, Kobe showed the world his talent with a game.

Summary

The MVP rankings in the 99-00 season are relatively fair. Kobe ranked 12th, with the top 11 being O'Neal, Garnett, Alonzo Mourning, Carl Malone, Tim Duncan, Gary Payton, Allen Iverson, Grant Hill, Chris Webber, Vince Carter, and Jason Kidd.

Kobe was also selected for the second team in the league.

Kobe's technical characteristics are both offense and defense, with averaging scores per game in the league. The defense is the first team of defense in the league. In the defending position, no one dares to say that he can be more defensive than Kobe.

To sum up, in 2000, the 21-year-old Kobe was probably a 10-12 star in the league.

ESPN announced that the 11th player in the 2025-26 season was Jaylen Williams, Cad Cunningham, Mobri, 13th, Anthony Davis, and 15th, Donovan Mitchell.

The second in command of the championship team, 21-year-old Kobe's position is similar to Jaylen Williams this season.