The 1996–97 NBA season was the Los Angeles Lakers' 49th season in the National Basketball Association, and 37th in the city of Los Angeles. 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 high school basketball star Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets, who selected him with the 13th 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 had the eighth best team defensive rating in the NBA. 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 finishing second in the Pacific Division with a 56–26 record. O'Neal averaged 26.2 points per game, 12.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, but only played 51 games due to a knee injury. He was also named to the All-NBA Third Team. In addition, Eddie Jones averaged 17.2 points and 2.4 steals per game, while Nick Van Exel provided the team with 15.3 points and 8.5 assists per game, Elden Campbell contributed 14.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and Kersey provided with 6.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. O'Neal and Jones were both selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, but O'Neal did not play due to injury. Off the bench, Bryant contributed 7.6 points per game, and Knight averaged 4.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game; Bryant and Knight were both named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, while Bryant won the Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star Weekend in Cleveland. In the Western Conference First Round of the 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