On This Day In 1996, Kobe Bryant Was Drafted By The Charlotte Hornets

Kobe Bryant was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th selection in the first round out of Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia. He was then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac in a move that would defy history.

Nov 9, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) reacts to a basket in the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Staples Center. Lakers won 107-92. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

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.

Unfortunately for the Hornets, that player never played for them.

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 [was] pretty excited [to play for him]. Then I was like, 'Oh, all right.' I quickly transitioned from smiley kid to killer instinct."'

Bryant wasn't finished with his description of that night.

"Charlotte never wanted me," 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. So it wasn't like I would be off the bench much."

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Scott Salomon is a contributor to Back In the Day NBA. He can be reached at scottsalomon67@gmail.com