How Del Harris Handled an 18-Year Old Kobe Bryant?

Del Harris' coaching career spread from the high school ranks up to the international scene. While he had multiple stops during his coaching run in the National Basketball Association (NBA) both as a head coach and as an assistant coach, you cannot talk about Dell Harris without talking about his stint as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers from 1994 to 1998. Not only did Harris win the Coach of the Year award of the 1994-1995 season, but he was also actually the first NBA coach to handle then 18-year old rookie,  Kobe Bean  Bryant. 

How did Del Harris handle the young Kobe Bryant back then?

That's a question that was asked by a listener to Harris during Friday's episode of Off the Record with Migs Bustos.

"There has never been a time when I had to discipline him," Harris said of his then-rookie who only started six games during his rookie season with the Lakers. Explaining how he handled Kobe Bryant's wanting to play, "I told him that his day would come and just keep working. I gave him the minutes whenever I could. I could put him in the game at the beginning but he wasn't just ready as an 18-year old NBA starter on a 56-win team. I told him that he would become a starter one day the day he knocked out the person I had it on with. I always believed in the importance of the sixth man's role,"

Harris knew back then that Kobe Bryant was born to become one of the greatest finishers in the game back then. "I think most fans as they follow the game closely will know that there are starters and there are finishers and every player wants to be a finisher. And coaches are likely to find out who can handle the finish of the game, who's not afraid to take the big shot, and I will promise you. Kobe was not afraid to take any shots,"

Trie enough, the Black Mamba did things that we'll never see anyone do again. 

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