Kobe Bryant’s 20-year NBA career began on this day in 1988, when he scored his first point for the Los Angeles Lakers. On November 5, 1996, at the free throw line, this happened during a game against the New York Knicks.

That Bryant collected the first point of his career at Madison Square Garden and on the charity stripe were both symbolic. The late Lakers legend frequently spoke about his love for the “Mecca of Basketball” and wrote one of his career-best performances there.

When Kobe Bryant made history in 1998 by becoming the youngest player to ever start in an NBA All-Star Game, it was against the backdrop of Madison Square Garden.

Free throws played an important role in Bryant’s career, as he scored the final point of his career there, he passed Michael Jordan on the NBA all-time scoring chart, and he famously made a pair after tearing his Achilles.

The game versus the Knicks in November of his rookie year was Bryant’s second ever. Bryant made his NBA debut two days previously, in a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played for six minutes and recorded one rebound and one blocked shot.

Bryant only played for three minutes against the Knicks and missed his only shot for the second game in a row. Bryant’s rookie season fizzled out against the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semifinals as he threw several air balls in 71 games (6 starts).

While it may have hurt badly at the time, it ultimately fueled the eventual five-time winner.