On June 26, 1996, in the first round of the NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets drafted one of the greatest players to ever play in the league.With the 13th pick, the Hornets selected Kobe Bryant from Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia. He was then traded later that night to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac. What happened after that made NBA history.
Bryant played 20 seasons for the Lakers before retiring. He played in 1,346 games during his career, averaging 25 points. He won five NBA titles and voted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021 after he was killed in a helicopter accident with his daughter Gigi on Jan. 26, 2020 at the age of 41. Jerry West. the late Lakers general manager who passed away earlier this month, was enamored with Bryant. He pulled off a draft night coup with Bryant's agent, Arn Tellem.
In an interview with ESPN The Magazine in 2015, Bryant said Hornets Coach Dave Cowens told him he was not wanted. "Cowens told me, 'We really don't need you here."' Bryant said. "I mean, I had grown up watching basketball. I knew who Dave Cowens was and pretty excited . Then I was like, 'Oh, all right.' I quickly transitioned from smiley kid to killer instinct."'," Bryant said. "Cowens told me he didn't want me. It wasn't a question of me even playing there. They had a couple of guards already, a couple small forwards already.