What was kobe drafted

With the rapid clickclickclick of shutters from photographers' cameras, he walks in with his familiar swagger-filled strut. Dressed in a splendid gray suit, he's accompanied by his wife, Vanessa, his children and family.

After 20 seasons and arguably the greatest basketball career the New York metropolitan area has ever seen, Kobe Bryant is ready to announce his retirement as the greatest New Jersey Net of all time. Sound insane? Sure, but what if the New Jersey Nets had just stuck with their gut and selected a high school kid out of Lower Merion Pa.

It is one of the great what-ifs in NBA history. The fortunes of one of the most star-crossed franchises in sports could have changed overnight. When you have a player like Kobe Bryant and what he can do, he would definitely have gotten talent. It was June and the No. Coincidentally, the Nets found themselves at their own crossroads. Calipari faced a dilemma as he entered his first NBA draft after being hired by the Nets' owners, known by many as the "Secaucus Seven.

The Nets had worked out Bryant three times and each time the high school guard wowed Nets management. O'Bannon was the team's ninth overall pick in after a decorated college career that included a national championship, the Final Four most outstanding player award and the John Wooden award. John Nash, the team's general manager, had deep Philadelphia ties and he knew all about the high school phenom who was creating a buzz throughout the Philadelphia basketball circle.

Nash used to have weekly conversations with former NBA player John Lucas, who oversaw some basketball workouts at the Sporting Club at the Bellevue in Philadelphia, where pros such as Jerry Stackhouse worked out. Lucas says, 'Oh, Kobe kicks his ass every day. Things changed rapidly in the hours before the draft and something didn't smell right to the Nets.

Having grown up a Lakers fan, Bryant wanted to be a Laker -- and he knew there was a good chance it could happen. A smitten Jerry West had already begun making plans to land Bryant with a deal involving Vlade Divac to Charlotte for the 13th pick. The teams between the Nets and Hornets -- Dallas, Indiana, Golden State and Cleveland -- didn't seem to be interested in Bryant and all would end up drafting big men.

The Lakers just needed Bryant to convince Calipari and the Nets that the high schooler wouldn't play for the Nets under any circumstance. According to Nash, Bryant's camp called him and Calipari and told them he wouldn't play for the Nets. Playing overseas in Italy was mentioned although Nash said he never bought it. There were, however, other factors conspiring against the Nets. There were so many variables.

We had a little bit of a falling out for a period of time after that because he and Kobe kind of misrepresented what was going on. But they did what they had to do. They bluffed and won. It was all a bluff. In his first big decision, Calipari was feeling the pressure from everywhere. Taub wanted a small forward like Syracuse's John Wallace to come in and play right away.

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It often indicates a user profile. Log out. US Markets Loading H M S In the news. Scott Davis. Meanwhile, powerful NBA agent David Falk told the Nets to draft Kerry Kittles, while Nets ownership expressed doubt about selecting a player straight out of high school. Bryant fell to 13th in the draft and was taken by the Charlotte Hornets, who then traded the rights to Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers for center Vlade Divac.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Get a daily selection of our top stories based on your reading preferences. Loading Something is loading. Nash would go second today. He's now the coach of the Brooklyn Nets. Allen Iverson went No. In a re-draft, Iverson would go third, narrowly behind Bryant and Nash. Iverson was an electric player who averaged Ray Allen was drafted fifth overall by the Wolves, but was traded to the Bucks.

Allen would go fourth overall today. The all-time leader in three-pointers was a time All-Star and two-time champion. He's now in the Hall of Fame. Stephon Marbury was taken fourth overall by the Bucks, who then swapped with the Timberwolves for Allen. Marbury would go fifth in the re-draft. His career started strong, averaging 20 points and 8 assists per game while making two All-Star Games between and Also read How much does an MLB umpire make?

Also read What teams passed on Steph Curry? Read more. Read on Read later. Answred by. Boyd Burnaugh November 1, Add Comment. Who is the number 1 goalie in the NHL?

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