J-Speaks: What If the Nets Drafted Kobe Bryant?

Perhaps the biggest regret a team can is drafting a certain player that ended up being a bust or not drafting a certain player for whatever the reason that ends up being a once in a generation talent. Back in the 1996 NBA Draft, what many consider one of the greatest in league history the Nets were in that position and they passed on a player that would go on to have one of the greatest runs in NBA history for the Los Angeles Lakers. 

The 1996 NBA Draft at the Continental Airlines Arena, home of the then New Jersey Nets, who now reside in Brooklyn, NY as the Brooklyn Nets was one of the deepest drafts ever to that point with the class consisting of a lightning quick lead guard, a long athletic center, and an intriguing crop of international prospects. 

But perhaps the most intriguing prospects of them all was the second youngest, a skinny 6’6” guard from Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia, PA named Kobe Bryant. An explosive offensive guard that was just 17 years of age. 

Ian Eagle, the Nets play-by-play announcer since 1994 said that while the Nets were intrigued about selecting Bryant, drafting a high school player was a huge risk, even though the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Kevin Garnett the year prior in the Top 5. 

“Garnett had a good rookie year, but you didn’t sense at that this was a once in a lifetime player,” he said. 

According to then NBA on TNT Insider Peter Vecsey, the Nets were going to draft Kerry Kittles out of Villanova. However, then Nets head coach John Calipari fell in love with Bryant and wanted to coach him. 

When the Nets hired Calipari that off-season after his brilliant career at the University of Massachusetts, he was not only hired to be the head coach, but in charge of player personnel.  

“They loved Kobe Bryant,” Eagle said of the Nets when they worked the 17-year-old phenom out on three occasions. “They were blown away by his talent, but they didn’t pull the trigger.”

With that No. 8 overall pick, the Nets selected Kittles instead of Bryant. NBA on TNT sideline reporter and NBATV Insider David Aldridge said that the Nets passed on Bryant because his agent then Arn Tellem scared them out of taking him. 

Bryant made it very clear through his agent in Tellem who was at that time was the most powerful agent in the NBA that the Nets should not draft him and if they did according to Aldridge that he would go play in Europe for a year and re-enter the 1997 draft the next June. 

“They wanted to take him. Everybody wanted to take him. Calipari wanted to take him. John Nash as GM wanted to take him,” Aldridge said. “But he [Bryant] did not want to go to New Jersey, he didn’t want to play for the Nets.” 

New York Times NBA writer Frank Isola added, “Your job is to take the best player you can and John Calipari knew that Kobe Bryant even though he was coming out of high school looked like he could be a special player.” 

After the selection of Kittles, Calipari in being interviewed by TNT’s Ernie Johnson, Hall of Fame coach and color analyst Hubie Brown, who now works for ESPN and then University of Kentucky head coach Rick Pitino said that the Nets got the player they wanted even though there were other guys in mind they wanted to take with that No. 8 pick. 

When asked by Johnson if he heard Vecsey say that Bryant was their guy and where he entered the equation, Calipari with a smile said, “Well, we really liked Kobe and I think he’s going to be a terrific player, and I think he’s going to be a terrific player in the NBA.” 

“But for us right now, where we are and what we needed I felt in the end it was Kerry Kittles.” 

Five picks later the Charlotte Hornets drafted Bryant, but within an hour of him being drafted reports came out that Bryant was going to be dealt. He was as Bryant’s draft rights were dealt to the Lakers for center Vlade Divac.

Alongside Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal and head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers won three straight Larry O’Brien trophies from 2000-02 and won five titles total in 20 NBA seasons with the Lakers. 

What if though, Bryant was drafted by the Nets and played alongside future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd? 

If Bryant had become the once in a generation talent that he showed with the Lakers, players across the league would have been clamoring to play with him. The “Garden State” would have done everything in its power to create revenue to build a new arena for the Nets. Calipari would still be the head coach and not move on to coach collegiately at Memphis and currently the University of Kentucky.

Back on Feb. 13, 2001, the Lakers won at the Nets 113-110 in overtime. Bryant and All-Star guard Stephon Marbury had a scoring duel that was the talk of the league as Marbury scored 50 points and 12 assists on 17 for 29 from the field, including 4 for 8 from three-point range and 12 for 16 from the line. Bryant finished with 38 points with eight boards on 14 for 25 from the field. 

After the game, Bryant when asked during a postgame interview by Eagle when asked flat if he would have accepted the Nets drafting him answered, “Well it’s pretty much my agent, Arn Tellem just being Arn Tellem. I love to play so much I would’ve played on Mars. But they didn’t draft me, so I’m a Laker, but if they would’ve drafted me I’d been playing for the Nets.” 

Four years after missing out on drafting Bryant, they traded for Kidd in the summer of 2001, who immediately helped turn them around leading them to two straight NBA Finals appearances with Kerry Kittles as his backcourt partner. 

He gave the Nets things they never had since the days of Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J.” Erving when the Nets played in Long Island, NY. Stability, credibility, leadership, and a high up tempo offensive style. 

They lost both of their appearances in The Finals to ironically enough Bryant and the Lakers. The next season, the Nets lost in the 2003 Finals against the San Antonio Spurs led by Hall of Famer David Robinson and future Hall of Famers Tim Duncan and head coach Gregg Popovich in six games. 

What if had Bryant played alongside both Kidd and Carter, who the team acquired during the 2004-05 season?

You would have three of the best perimeter players on one team, who can score, create for others, and rebound. Also, three players who are the most competitive in the history of the NBA.

Carter, who played with the Nets from 2004-09 said, “It’d been amazing. The phenomenon I think of just of Kobe Bryant how he evolved into what he is and knowing Jason Kidd like I do as a former teammate of mine, I think he would have [Bryant] scored 40,000 points in his career just because Jason would put him in position to succeed.”   

That said, the best of Kobe Bryant at the height of his greatness came when he had Shaquille O’Neal alongside him and was being coached by Phil Jackson

On top of that if he is not traded to L.A., they probably do not win five titles. It is very likely Jackson does not come to the “City of Angels,” in the summer of 1999. 

If the Nets took the gamble, drafted Bryant and he becomes the star he did on the West Coast, the Nets history might have been completely different.

Maybe a new arena is built in Newark, NJ. Calipari is not fired, but then he does not go back to college and coach some of the best talent in the country at Memphis and Kentucky and have that slew of players be high draft choices as they were over the last several years. 

In terms of the what would have happened for the Lakers, they might not have just 12 championship banners instead of the 16 they have hanging from the rafters of the Staples Center.

Back in 1996, the New Jersey Nets had a chance to draft a high school phenom in Kobe Bryant who had all the potential in the world to be one of the best despite just coming out of high school. Because of a powerful agent speaking on his behalf in Arn Tellem and the fact that drafting a high school player was very risky did not happen. That resulted in the one team the Los Angeles Lakers trading for his draft rights from the Charlotte Hornets and him becoming one of the greatest to ever play on the hardwood of the NBA. 

The Lakers took the gamble the Nets did not and they were rewarded with five titles in 20 seasons with Kobe Bryant and now his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys are in the rafters of Staples Center for the rest of time. 

“Kobe Bryant was still a risk because of his age, his youth, his lack of experience and just his physical stature at the time was not that of an NBA player,” NBATV studio analyst, former Knicks head coach and Grizzlies general manager at that time of the 1996 draft Stu Jackson said. “So, who knew that he would be as great as he was. Have a Hall of Fame career and fortunately for the Los Angeles Lakers it turned out that he was.”

Information and quotations are courtesy of 6/14/18 NBATV original, “What If ‘Draft Stories’” hosted by Chris Miles; “2006-07 Official NBA Guide,” by Sporting News; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlade_Divac; and https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/20010213NJN.html.