How the NBA Has Changed Around Kobe Bryant—And How Kobe Hasn't

Kobe Bryant has been the unmoving eye of the NBA hurricane for 19 seasons—its stubborn, static center orbited violently by a maelstrom of change.

There are lots of ways to illustrate how much the NBA has evolved during Bryant's two-decade tenure. Player turnover, trends in style of play, rule changes that morphed the game into something different entirely—all of these highlight Bryant as a solitary figure from another era.
Another option: simply looking at the names of the league's elite in Bryant's rookie year.
The All-Stars during the 1996-97 season all hail from a bygone era. In fact, a handful—Tim
Hardaway, Glen Rice and John Stockton—have since seen their sons on NBA rosters.

1996-97 NBA All-Stars

East	Retired Since	West	Retired Since
Anfernee Hardaway	2008	John Stockton	2003
Michael Jordan	2003	Gary Payton	2007
Scottie Pippen	2004	Shawn Kemp	2003
Grant Hill	2013	Karl Malone	2004
Dikembe Mutombo	2009	Hakeem Olajuwon	2002
Glen Rice	2004	Latrell Sprewell	2005
Vin Baker	2006	Mitch Richmond	2002
Christian Laettner	2005	Detlef Schrempf	2001
Terrell Brandon	2002	Tom Gugliotta	2005
Tim Hardaway	2003	Kevin Garnett	??
Chris Webber	2008	Eddie Jones	2008
Joe Dumars	1999	Chris Gatling	2002

Basketball-Reference.com

Kevin Garnett was an All-Star in 1997 as a sophomore, and he's the only player from that game who remains active today. He's also the only active player from a draft class before Bryant's; nobody else from Kobe's legendary 1996-97 class is still playing.
Here's a broader snapshot of what the NBA looked like when Bryant first joined it—compared to what it looked like last year:

NBA Leaders Then and Now

Player	Stat	Category	Stat	Player
Michael Jordan	29.6	Points	28.1	Russell Westbrook
Dennis Rodman	16.1	Rebounds	15.0	DeAndre Jordan
Mark Jackson	11.4	Assists	10.2	Chris Paul
Mookie Blaylock	2.7	Steals	2.3	Kawhi Leonard
Shawn Bradley	3.4	Blocks	2.9	Anthony Davis
Karl Malone	28.9	PER	30.8	Anthony Davis
Mario Elie	66.2	TS%	69.9	Kyle Korver
Michael Jordan	18.3	Win Shares	16.4	James Harden

Basketball-Reference.com

More perspective: When Bryant entered the NBA, the league's all-time scoring list was littered with all-time, old-timey greats. The NBA's top scorers through the 1995-96 campaign:

NBA Scoring Leaders Though 1995-96 | Create infographics