1996–97 Los Angeles Lakers season

The 1996–97 NBA season was the 49th season for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association, and their 37th season in Los Angeles, California. This season was mostly remembered for the Lakers signing free agent All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal to a seven-year, $120 million deal, and acquiring shooting guard, and high school basketball star Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets, who selected him with the thirteenth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft during the off-season.

The team also signed former Lakers guard Byron Scott from the "Showtime" era, signed free agents Jerome Kersey, and Sean Rooks, and acquired rookie center Travis Knight from the Chicago Bulls. In January, they traded Cedric Ceballos back to his former team, the Phoenix Suns, in exchange for Robert Horry, who won two championships with the Houston Rockets.

The Lakers played strong basketball as they had the best record in the Western Conference at the All-Star break with a 35–13 record, but soon slipped out of first-place, by finishing in second place in the Pacific Division with a 56–26 record, and earning the #4 seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers had the eighth best team defensive rating in the NBA.

O'Neal averaged 26.2 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, but only played 51 games due to a knee injury, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, while Eddie Jones averaged 17.2 points and 2.4 steals per game, plus contributing 152 three-point field goals, and Nick Van Exel provided the team with 15.3 points and 8.5 assists per game, and led the Lakers with 177 three-point field goals. In addition, Elden Campbell provided 14.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, while Kersey contributed 6.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Off the bench, Bryant contributed 7.6 points per game, while Scott contributed 6.7 points per game, Knight averaged 4.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and Corie Blount provided with 4.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Bryant and Knight were both named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

During the NBA All-Star weekend in Cleveland, Ohio, O'Neal and Jones were both selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, but O'Neal did not play due to injury, and Bryant won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. O'Neal also finished tied in ninth place in Most Valuable Player voting, and Jones finished tied in twelfth place in Most Improved Player voting.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1997 NBA playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in four games. However, in the Western Conference Semi-finals, they lost in five games to regular season MVP Karl Malone, John Stockton and the Utah Jazz. The Jazz would reach the NBA Finals for the first time, but would lose to the defending champion Chicago Bulls in six games.

Following the season, Scott went overseas and signed with the Greek Basket League giants Panathinaikos for the 1997–98 season, while Kersey signed as a free agent with the Seattle SuperSonics, and Knight signed with the Boston Celtics.

One notable highlight of the regular season was the Lakers holding the Dallas Mavericks to just two points in the third quarter, in an 87–80 home win on April 6, 1997. It was the fewest points scored in a quarter of a game in NBA history.