"Tomorrow you guys are carrying the ball": Lakers rookies pranked Kobe Bryant in 1996 as the Black Mamba ensured payback was sweet

Kobe Bryant's rookie days weren't without their share of fun, and even then, his teammates couldn't get one past the Los Angeles Lakers superstar. After being picked by the Charlotte Hornets as the No. 13 pick in the 1996 NBA draft, the Lakers acquired the guard following his brilliant workout with the team ahead of the draft.

The Lakers rookies on the team, though, decided to have fun with the new boy on the block, but only to have some payback heading their way. Speaking on Jay Leno's show, Bryant narrated a hilarious tale of how he pranked the other rookies when they tried to put one over him.

[Starts 1:22 onwards]

"You have these things called the rookie chores. On our first day of practice, they came up to me and said, 'Kobe, you know it's your job to carry the balls', so you know, it's like no problem, I carry the balls. During practice, I have to pick the balls, and after practice. We're sitting down and eating lunch and I'm thinking something... 'Wait a minute, everybody on this team is rookies, y'all trying for the team, you know what, tomorrow you guys are carrying the ball."

On the game front, Bryant's rookie year saw him come off the bench behind Eddie Jones, and he averaged 7.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 71 games in the 1996-97 season.

While his professional debut wasn't as scintillating as his idol Michael Jordan, who propped up 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting, Bryant still made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

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Kobe Bryant's draft workout left then Los Angeles Lakers GM Jerry West spellbound

Days leading up to the 1996 NBA draft, Kobe Bryant worked out with the Los Angeles Lakers, and at 17, his skills were on full display playing against former great Michael Cooper.

The Black Mamba drilled shots effortlessly while also getting his way past the former DPOY. In his column for The Athletic, analyst Pete Zayas detailed Bryant's workout with the team.

"His draft workout at Inglewood High was legendary. He dismantled Michael Cooper as a mere 17-year old, burying one fadeaway jumper after another as the former Defensive Player of the Year repeatedly took elbows to the ribs.

"Lakers general manager Jerry West left the experience declaring Kobe to be better than anyone the Lakers had, despite the presence of current All-Star Cedric Ceballos and future All-Stars Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones."

The Lakers perhaps pulled off one of the greatest moves in NBA draft history by acquiring him from the Hornets.

Kobe Bryant would go on to become the team's icon after Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor. He won five championships with the side, further heightening the franchise's status as one of the most decorated teams in the NBA.