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The NBA jersey advent calendar: 25 days of hoops history for the holidays

By Aaron Hertzog

Saint Mary'a Basilica and a traditional Christmas Market at the Main Square in Krakow, Poland, on November 25, 2017. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Saint Mary'a Basilica and a traditional Christmas Market at the Main Square in Krakow, Poland, on November 25, 2017. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – FEBRUARY 8: Kobe Bryant
CLEVELAND, OH – FEBRUARY 8: Kobe Bryant /

8. Kobe Bryant — Los Angeles Lakers

The purple and gold of the Los Angeles Lakers is another look this list would be incomplete without. The choice for the eighth day of the NBA jersey advent calendar season goes to none other than a young Kobe Bryant.

The nod goes to the fresh-faced, just took Brandy to prom, still got along with Shaq, pre-Black Mamba Kobe. A young player full of promise, still playing second fiddle to Shaq on those soon-to-be-juggernaut Lakers squads of the mid to late 1990s.

Eventually, Bryant would win the war for Los Angeles with Shaq, change his jersey number to 24, and fulfill his destiny as the closest Michael Jordan clone the league may ever see. He’d win five NBA titles, two Finals MVPs, two scoring titles, become an 18-time All-Star, a 12-time All-Defensive team member, would be named All-NBA 15 times, and won the MVP for the 2007-08 season. He’d be loved by many, and hated by just as many (or more).

This look is a classic, purple and gold reminder of the Showtime Lakers days before him, and a representation of the promise Bryant showed as a fresh out of high school and into the NBA fire kid. A promise that many who took his path during the preps-to-pros era never truly fulfilled, but Kobe certainly did.

The Lakers look has always remained basically the same, with a few tweaks and updates here and there but no radical changes. This allows the choice of Bryant here to be both a nod to the future and an homage to the greats that represented the franchise before him.

Honorable Mention: Latrell Sprewell (Minnesota Timberwolves), Bogdan Bogdanovic (Sacremento Kings), Tom Gugliotta (Golden State Warriors), Oliver Miller (Phoenix Suns), Quincy Pondexter (Memphis Grizzlies)

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