The Best NBA Draft Ever? 1996 Throwback feat. Kobe Bryant & Allen Iverson

The 1996 NBA draft is considered to be one of the greatest drafts of all time. It was the first NBA draft for new expansion teams the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies.

Of the class, eleven players have become NBA All-Stars including one undrafted player, three players having become NBA MVP’s and eight players being named to at least one All-NBA team.

Let’s revisit some of the top picks from the 1996 NBA Draft class as well as some honorable mentions. You’ll soon notice just how deep the draft really was.

 Allen Iverson was taken first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers

In the 1996 NBA Draft Iverson was selected 1st overall becoming the shortest first overall pick ever at 1.83m in the process.Nicknamed ‘The Answer’ he was the 1997 Rookie of the Year, an 11x NBA All-Star and 2001 NBA MVP. He is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history and of the greatest shooting guards ever.Although a controversial figure at times Iverson is a cultural legend and is responsible for a cultural merger between hip-hop/rap culture and the NBA

Stephon Marbury was taken fourth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks  

Shortly after being drafted he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was traded by the Bucks for the draft rights of Ray Allen and a future first-round pick.He is a 2x NBA All-Star and made 2x All-NBA Third Teams. After 13-years in the NBA he finished his 22-year career in China and is owner of the Beijing Lions in the Chinese Arena Football League.

Ray Allen was taken fifth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves

Allen (aka Shuttlesworth) was traded to the Bucks after being drafted. He is a 2x NBA Champion and 10x NBA All-Star. He quickly gained a reputation as an efficient and deadly long ranged shooter.He is often considered to be one of the best shooters of all-time and is ranked 1st of all-time for 3-pointers scored.Allen is also best known for his role as basketball prodigy Jesus Shuttlesworth in the 1998 film He Got Game. 

Kobe Bryant was taken thirteenth overall by the Charlotte Hornets

You read that right. The Hornets traded the rights to Kobe for the Lakers centre Vlade Divac. The Lakers informed the Hornets to draft Kobe as a part of the deal.Kobe is considered one of the greatest basketballers of all time. His long list of achievements include 5x NBA Championships, 2x Finals MVP, 18x NBA All-Star and was crowned the 2008 MVP.

Steve Nash was taken fifteenth overall by the Phoenix Suns

Following the draft announcement of Nash, Sun’s fans booed in disapproval due to his relative anonymity. In contrast to this, Nash became an 8x NBA All-Star, 7x All-NBA Selection and 2x NBA MVP.Nash was an elite playmaker, shooter and had exceptional ball handling skills. He led the NBA in assists five times in his career.He is considered one of the best point guards in NBA history and has the best all-time career free-throw shooting average (90.4%). 

Shareef Abdur-Rahim was taken third overall by the Vancouver Grizzlies. Nicknamed The Reef, he is a 1x NBA All-Star. Despite his solid stats he shares the NBA record for the most number of games played without making a playoff appearance.

Žydrūnas Ilgauskas was taken twentieth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is a 2x NBA All-Star and is currently a special adviser for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Antoine Walker was taken sixth overall by the Boston Celtics. Walker is a 3x NBA All-Star and won the 2006 NBA Championship. Although he earned more than $108m in NBA salaries between 1996-2009 he declared bankruptcy in 2010. He announced he was debt free in 2013 and now works as a television basketball analyst.

Jermaine O’Neal was taken seventeen overall by the Portland Trailblazers. He is a 6x NBA All Star and won the NBA Most Improved Player award in 2002. 

Peja Stojaković was taken fourteenth overall by the Sacramento Kings. He is a 3x NBA All Star and won an NBA Championship in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks.

Derick Fisher was taken twenty fourth overall by the Los Angeles Lakers. He is a 5x NBA Champion and the all-time NBA record holder for playoff games played with 259 in total.

Ben Wallace was taken as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Bullets. He is a 4x NBA All-Star, 2004 NBA Champion and a record equaling 4x NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Marcus Camby was taken second overall by the Toronto Raptors. He is 12th on the NBA’s all-time career blocks list and was the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year. When you consider the players that preceded him in the draft, he may be considered to be some what of a bust. 

I hope you enjoyed my blog post my fellow Steemians. You can check out the original post at Wolf Gang Sport.