SALT LAKE CITY >> The ball left Kobe Bryant’s fingertips, the Lakers’ guard confident about his touch, release and final result.
But the game-defining plays Bryant had always dreamed about turned into a nightmare. With the Lakers’ season in the balance, an 18-year-old Bryant took four shots that did not come close to going in the basket. They all airballed. The Lakers lost in five games to the Utah Jazz in the 1997 Western Conference semifinals, leaving Bryant with a humbling rookie moment that affected the rest of his 20-year NBA career.
“It was an early turning point for me in being able to deal with adversity, deal with public scrutiny and self-doubt,” Bryant recalled.