“Full circle moment” — Hood-Schifino says he grew up a fan of Kobe and the Lakers

IU coach Mike Woodson has been around a lot of young, talented basketball players through the years.

And he told Lakers VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka there was something different about Jalen Hood-Schifino compared to most players his age.

He has traits that might be familiar to Los Angeles fans.

“I had a couple conversations with Mike Woodson as part of the (draft preparation) process. Mike said he’s never really been around a 19-year-old that approached the game, and just life and his body like Jalen Hood-Schifino,” Pelinka said to the media after the Lakers selected the former IU star with the 17th pick in the first round.

“He said he was incredibly focused on his nutrition. He was incredibly disciplined with his lifting and taking care of his body, and getting in the extra work on the court. He said in his opinion, he’s figured out how to be a pro before he’s a pro.”

When Kobe Bryant entered his first NBA game in 1996 at just 18 years and 76 days, he was the youngest player to ever log a minute in the league. But in many respects, he had already figured out how to be a pro too.

Despite his age, Bryant averaged 7.6 points, 1.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds as a rookie while appearing in 71 games. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team. He would go on to play 20 seasons, win five NBA titles, and he was named an All-Star 18 times. Bryant is the all-time leading scorer in Lakers history.

After his illustrious NBA career, Bryant said something that laid a foundation for Hood-Schifino. And it seems to explain the unusual focus Woodson saw in his young point guard.

“You have to enter every activity, every single time, with a want and need to do it to the best of your ability,” Bryant wrote in his memoir called The Mamba Mentality: How I Play. “The mindset isn’t about seeking a result. It’s more about the process of getting to that result. It’s about the journey and the approach. It’s a way of life.”

Throughout his high school recruitment and at Indiana, Hood-Schifino would bring up Bryant when asked about players he watched or tried to emulate on the court. There was little doubt the former Lakers star was someone Hood-Schifino modeled not only his game after, but his approach to life.

He talked about Bryant with the Lakers staff when he worked out with the franchise during the spring.

“His Mamba Mentality is a code (he has) lived by,” Pelinka said. “You could tell he didn’t throw that out because it was a Lakers interview; it felt from the heart.”

Hood-Schifino was widely expected to be chosen in the pick 10-20 range on Thursday evening at the 2023 NBA Draft.

So he knew there was a possibility he’d follow in the footsteps of his late idol.

“Throughout the whole process, I knew the Lakers had the 17th pick, and the Lakers were the first team I worked out for,” Hood-Schifino said on a conference call after being selected. “Great visit, great workout, great meeting. Just hearing my name called by the Lakers was kinda crazy, because I’ve always been a Kobe fan. It was a full circle moment for me.”

Now Hood-Schifino goes to Los Angeles to join another of the all-time greats in NBA history.

“For me to get drafted there, I’m going to bring it every day, like I said, try to impact as much as I can and learn from the guys that are there, especially from one of the all-time greats, LeBron James, and AD (Anthony Davis) and the rest of the guys,” Hood-Schifino said. “It’s going to be great.”