Kobe Bryant was the 13th player selected in the 1996 NBA Draft. Who were the 12 players chosen before the Lakers’ great, who died on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash with his daughter GiGi and seven other people?
12. Cleveland: Vitaly Potapenko
Nicknamed “The Ukraine Train,” Vitaly Potapenko played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Sacramento Kings of the NBA, as well as MMT Estudiantes in the Spanish ACB.
11. Golden State: Todd Fuller
Todd Fuller played in the NBA from 1996-2001 for the Warriors, Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, averaging 3.7 ppg. Fuller is considered by many to be one of the NBA Draft lottery’s biggest “busts.”.He also played six seasons overseas, on pro teams in Spain, Poland Greece and Australia.
10. Indiana: Erick Dampier
Erick Dampier played for the Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks. He started 771 of his career 987 games and led the NBA in rebounding at 12.0 per game in 2003-04.
9. Dallas: Samaki Walker
Samaki Walker was drafted in by Dallas, where he played until 1999. Walker then spent time with with the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, and Indiana Pacers. Walker also played in various international and minor leagues.
8. New Jersey: Kerry Kittles
After seven seasons with the Nets, Kerry Kittles was traded to the Clippers. After one injury-riddled year with them, Kittles retired. He currently is an assistant coach at Princeton.
7. LA Clippers: Lorezen Wright
Lorenzen Wright was murdered in 2010. During his time in the NBA he played played 13 seasons. He was drafted by the Clippers, and also played for the Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers.
6. Boston: Antoine Walker
Antoine Walker had a bumpy NBA career, going through more than $100 million in career earnings. Walker played for the Celtics, Mavericks, Hawks, Heat, Timberwolves, the BSN’s Mets in Puerto Rico and the NBA D-League’s Stampede before retiring in 2012. Walker, a three-time NBA All-Star, won an NCAA championship with Kentucky in 1996 and an NBA championship with the Heat in 2006.
5. Minnesota: Ray Allen
Ray Allen was selected by Milwaukee and traded to Milwaukee for Stephon Marbury. Allen played for the Bucks, Sonics, Celtics and Heat. A great shooter, Allen was a 10-time All-Star and two-time NBA champ.
4. Milwaukee: Stephon Marbury
Stephon Marbury was selected out of Georgia Tech by the Milwaukee Bucks but was traded shortly thereafter to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played in the NBA from 1996-99. In addition to the Wolves, he was a Net, Sun, Knick and Celtic. He was an NBA All-Star with the Suns in 2001 and ’03, and was voted into the All-NBA Third Team in those seasons Marbury played in the Chinese Basketball Association from 2010-18, winning three CBA championships with the Beijing Ducks in 2012, ’14 and ’15.
3. Vancouver: Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Shareef Abdur-Rahim played for the Grizzlies, Hawks, Blazers and Kings. he made the All-Star team in 2002.
2. Toronto: Marcus Camby
Marcus Camby played 17 seasons and was named Defensive Player of the Year during the 2006-07 season, leading the league in blocked shots per game. Camby is also a four-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team.
1. Philadelphia: Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson played 14 seasons at both the shooting guard and point guard positions. Iverson was an 11-time NBA All-Star, won the All-Star game MVP award in 2001 and ’05, and was the MVP in 2001. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
13. Hornets: Kobe Bryant
Oh, if Charlotte could have had a do-over. The Hornets sent Kobe Bryant, drafted out of Lower Merion (PA), High School to the Lakers in a deal that involved an aging Vlade Divac. History tells us it was an awful trade as Bryant went on to become one of the all-time greats.
