In the 1990s, technology was not as advanced as it is today, and teams had to use VHS tapes to record workouts. That, of course, was the case when Kobe Bryant worked out for teams before the 1996 NBA draft.
In an interview with Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times, former Los Angeles Clippers assistant Rex Kalamian, was tasked with using the video camera during Bryant’s training session for the team. After the draft each year, the team would paste the footage because it was not necessary to keep recordings of a player that the team did not set up.
However, Kalamian eventually preserved Bryant’s video recordings and locked them away for safekeeping. Now a video of the workout has been released Los Angeles Times for the world to see.
“This one, I knew it would be something I would want to look back on one day,” Kalamian told the Los Angeles Times. “I kind of put it aside and kept it in a box for a very long time.”
While the video quality is not the best, it’s still phenomenal to see a glimpse of a 17-year-old Bryant who was fresh from an excellent four-year career at Lower Merion High School in the Philadelphia area. Bryant did a series of workouts, including one where he tried several layups in a row.
Kalamian, who is currently an assistant at the Sacramento Kings, recently showed the video to Luke Walton, a former teammate of Bryant’s head coach of Kings. Kalamian also asked a member of the Clippers’ video department to convert the video to a digital file.
“I walked to the video room about an hour later and there were probably eight people surrounding the monitor,” he said. “They were all amazed. They only watched Kobe Bryant for an hour. [17] years old doing a workout. “
Years later, Kalamian actually told Bryant that he still had the footage in his possession. Before one of the games between the Clippers and Lakers, Kalamian had a ball boy deliver a CD case to Bryant in the Lakers’ locker room.
It is unclear if Bryant ever looked at the footage, but Kalamian believes he probably did.
The Clippers will certainly regret not taking Bryant with the No. 7 pick in the fatal draft. Instead, the team selected Lorenzen Wright, who had a productive career of 14 years. However, there was only one Bryant and the world continues to cherish his memory.