Maybe not best ever, but close.
hornets drafted kobe just because the lakers wanted him. they basically got divac, who at the time was a decent big man. that was the purpose of drafting him.
not sure if you guys remember, but kobe essentially said the only way he was going to the nba was if he got drafted by the lakers. he won't play for any other team. if he didn't get drafted by the lakers, he was going to college. so that is why he got drafted in mid-round, otherwise he would've being a top 10 pick.
not sure if you guys remember, but kobe essentially said the only way he was going to the nba was if he got drafted by the lakers. he won't play for any other team. if he didn't get drafted by the lakers, he was going to college. so that is why he got drafted in mid-round, otherwise he would've being a top 10 pick.
I know what you are saying, its fun to talk about.
Yea I know, if kobe played for the hornets 3 years ago they would have won more than 18 games and Paul would have played for someone else.
You are so correct.
I am not sure where you heard or read that but I do not think it is accurate... Back then once you enter draft you cannot go to college so he would have to play for any team that took him...
Jerry West has an eye for talent and saw that he would be a stud and was willing to take a big risk and offered a starting big man for a high school talent.
there were a couple of years where guys could go back to college after the draft if they didn't sign with an agent. The only guy I remember taking advantage of it was Voshon Lenard, although I am sure a number of guys that never were drafted did as well. I don't, however, know the years during which this could be done and if one of them was Kobe's year. Kobe was drafted two years after Lenard, so it is possible. I don't remember Kobe pulling any crap like that though, I remember it more the way you do.
It is different now. There is a date by which they have to withdraw their name. The date is before the draft. Back when Lenard did it, they could go through the draft, and even be drafted liked Lenard was, and then go back to school with the team retaining their rights to the player.
His wiki entry doesn't talk about the rule, but does reference him being drafted after his junior year and going back to school:
Lenard played college basketball at the University of Minnesota, where he was a star. After his junior season, he decided to test the waters of the NBA, and declared himself eligible for the draft. The Milwaukee Bucks selected Lenard in the second round of the 1994 NBA draft. Lenard subsequently opted instead to return to Minnesota to play out his senior season. He finished his career with the Golden Gophers as the school's second all-time leading scorer with 2,103 points.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference">[1]</sup>
