"I don't think about that season much," Byron Scott said on a Sunday morning, as he stood in a gym wearing Los Angeles Lakers issued shorts.
"That season" referred to the 1996-97 season. That season was also Scott's last season as an NBA player, and the way it ended was nothing short of memorable.
Against the Utah Jazz, rookie Kobe Bryant took the ball and launched up air-ball after air-ball after air-ball when the game was on the line. He infamously lost the game and the series ended with Shaquille O'Neal and Del Harris walking off the court pale faced and dumbfounded.
That infamous defeat went down as Scott's last game as an NBA player, so the current Lakers' coach had unique perspective to provide on Bryant's wild shots.
"You either grow up big time like he did or you don't--there no in between as far as I'm concerned," Scott said of Bryant's colossal failure in Utah. "Kobe was special. Even at 18 years old, you knew the kid was going to be special."
Scott explained, "First of all, he was brave enough to take the shots. He was put in that position, and he didn't fear it at all. He wanted to take the shots, and I just knew it would make him stronger--which he was, and has been ever since."
At NBCLA.com's request, Scott attempted to connect Bryant's failure as a rookie to the current Lakers' constant failures late in games:
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"With [Bryant's] work ethic, I knew that was going to drive him. You hope that does the same for certain guys you have on the team. Jordan [Clarkson], I know he has that type of drive. He wants to be good."
Scott admitted drawing those parallels did not entirely come naturally. So, why not finish with one more thought on the 18-year-old Bryant shooting air-balls, then?
"Some people can handle it. Some people can't," Scott said matter-of-factly. "I knew when he missed those three. I knew he could handle it. I knew that he would be fine. It was just something that was going to drive him."
