Bruins

The 2023 NBA Draft could go down as a special class, with talented prospects such as Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller and the Thompson twins as well as some interesting depth pieces.
But will it ever be considered one of the best draft classes in NBA history? That remains to be seen.
Today, we're going to identify the cr&egrave;me de la cr&egrave;me of NBA draft classes.
The 2003 NBA Draft
The 2003 NBA Draft featured multiple generational talents that would come to define the NBA for the next two decades. Led by LeBron James, this class also included household names such as Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Not only did this draft have star power, it was also very deep. Twenty-seven players from the 2003 class played at least 10 seasons in the NBA: James, Wade, Anthony, Bosh, Kyle Korver, David West, Zaza Pachulia, Nick Collison, Boris Diaw, Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, James Jones, Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich, Dahntay Jones, Steve Blake, Mo Williams, Luke Ridnour, Willie Green, Matt Bonner, Travis Outlaw, Keith Bogans, Darko Milicic, Mickael Pietrus, Sasha Pavlovic, Josh Howard and Luke Walton. This class featured nine All-Stars and plenty of quality role players.
The 1984 NBA Draft
The 1984 NBA Draft stands as a legendary class, and some might argue that it's the greatest draft of all-time. Two of the top three picks &mdash; Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon &mdash; would ultimately etch their names in the annals of basketball history and redefine greatness. In addition to Jordan and Olajuwon, players like Charles Barkley, John Stockton and Alvin Robertson showcased their immense talent as well. This class produced five Hall-of-Famers and seven All-Stars.
The 1996 NBA Draft
The 1996 NBA Draft changed the landscape of the league, heralding the arrival of future Hall-of-Famers and icons. Led by the legendary Kobe Bryant and the enigmatic Allen Iverson, this class boasted an array of talent that reinvigorated the game. This class also featured Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal, Ben Wallace, Stephon Marbury, Peja Stojakovic, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Antoine Walker, Marcus Camby, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Derek Fisher. The 1996 NBA Draft was deep, producing 10 All-Stars and five Hall-of-Famers. Jon Finkel recently revisited this star-studded class in his book "1996," and he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/revisiting-the-starstudded-1996-nba-draft-kobe-bryant-ray-allen-steve-nash-allen-iverson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ran a terrific excerpt on Basketball News</a>.
The 1985 NBA Draft
The 1985 NBA Draft was certainly special. This class featured 10 All-Stars including Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, Joe Dumars, Detlef Schrempf, Xavier McDaniel, Charles Oakley, &nbsp;AC Green, Terry Porter and Michael Adams. The class also featured Arvydas Sabonis, an overseas legend and terrific Portland Trail Blazer. Like the 1996 NBA Draft, this class has the star power and depth to be considered one of the best drafts in NBA history.
The 2009 NBA Draft
While not as immediately illustrious as some of the other classes on this list, the 2009 NBA Draft proved to be a treasure trove of talent. This class exemplified the importance of patience and player development, as Stephen Curry, James Harden, Blake Griffin, DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague would all go on to become All-Stars. Griffin missed his rookie year with an injury, but dominated as soon as he stepped on an NBA court. Curry battled injuries early in his career, but would become a four-time champion and two-time MVP. Harden went from being an elite sixth man to an MVP once he got the opportunity in Houston. This class also featured Brandon Jennings, Ricky Rubio, Tyreke Evans, Darren Collison, Ty Lawson, Patty Mills, Danny Green, Taj Gibson and Patrick Beverley among others.
Which class is the greatest in NBA history? <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tweet us your thoughts</a>!&nbsp;

Basketball News examines the crème de la crème of draft classes throughout NBA history.

Exploring the 5 best draft classes in NBA history

Shareef O'Neal has signed a six-figure deal with the G League Ignite for the 2022-23 season, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1551673177268527112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.
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After playing for the Lakers in Summer League, Shareef O&rsquo;Neal &ndash; the son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal &ndash; is signing a six-figure contract with the NBA G League Ignite, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Stadium</a>.
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1551673177268527112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The 22-year-old son of Shaquille O'Neal went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft and played with the Los Angeles Lakers during NBA Summer League. In four games, he averaged 4.8 points, 3.8 rebounds in 11.5 minutes.
In 14 games with LSU last season, O'Neal averaged 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per contest.
Several years ago, during his freshman season at UCLA, O'Neal was diagnosed with a a right anomalous coronary artery &mdash; a heart issue that required open-heart surgery.
Fortunately, O'Neal was able to resume his basketball career after he healed, and now he'll have a chance to show what he can do against NBA G League competition.

Shareef O'Neal has reportedly signed a six-figure deal with the G League Ignite for the 2022-23 season.

Shareef O'Neal signs with G League Ignite for 2022-23 season

Leave it to the NBA to add some drama to a setting where wins and losses don't matter.
Cam Thomas, one of my studs for Sunday's roundup, left some very interesting comments after he scored 26 points against the Philadelphia 76ers.&nbsp;
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Reporter: "I was talking to your coach Steve Nash &amp; he's encouraging you to look for your shot &amp; your teammates" Cam Thomas rolls eyes "It is what it is" Seems even sophomore Cam Thomas is tired of Steve Nash "coaching"<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NetsWorld?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NetsWorld</a> <a href="https://t.co/CDfNxHVUzS">pic.twitter.com/CDfNxHVUzS</a>
&mdash; Jeri Tsai (@JeriTsaiNets) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeriTsaiNets/status/1546247206868590592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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And in the final game of the evening, we even got a fan fistfight! What a bizarre environment.
I saw one dud performer from Saturday bounce back with a phenomenal game on Sunday. Several 2021 draftees, and one undrafted 2021 classmate, also showed out in Las Vegas. Here's who stood out to me from another frenetic day of young hoopers.
STUDS
Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings
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No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray was HOOPING today for the <a href="https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SacramentoKings</a> 👑 He dropped 23 PTS and 3 AST <a href="https://t.co/EkqkTkIbFy">pic.twitter.com/EkqkTkIbFy</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1546251129721393152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 23 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 7/16 FG, 4/12 3PT
The fourth overall pick has already flexed his long-range muscles, so his lukewarm day from deep struck me less than the rest of his offensive impact. Murray went 3-for-4 inside the arc. His makes came via a mid-range floater, a slipped screen he took all the way to the rim and a backdoor cut he used to finish strong through contact.
Though he only had 3 assists, Murray's passing also caught my eye. His first assist resulted from attacking a closeout, recognizing the help defense and kicking back out to an open Frankie Ferrari. Murray caught another transition pass in the first quarter that was too late for a layup, so he swung it along the baseline with his right hand to Keon Ellis, who drained the corner three. It feels like most of Summer League offense is coming easy to Murray so far when he isn't facing too much physicality.
Cam Thomas, Brooklyn Nets
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I don't even think this is a foul, but Cam Thomas does such a fantastic job of making it a tough decision for the refs. And when he does take contact, he is strong enough to get most shots up on the rim and convert many into makes. <a href="https://t.co/UHyCb5VZ40">pic.twitter.com/UHyCb5VZ40</a>
&mdash; Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/AC__Hoops/status/1546235440189030402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 26 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 5/17 FG, 1/3 3PT, 15/15 FT
Thomas played a great game on Sunday, even if his low field goal percentage and aforementioned <a href="https://twitter.com/JeriTsaiNets/status/1546247206868590592?s=20&amp;t=hxCrypsk46rMrH7y1P_GHQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eyebrow-raising postgame comments</a> distracted viewers. Of his 7 assists, 5 came in transition, where Thomas successfully reeled in defenders before making the right play with the ball.&nbsp;
Love or hate it, many of today's great scorers possess a knack for getting to the free-throw line. Thomas drew a whopping 11 fouls and knocked down all of his free throws. When he feels contact, the second-year guard gets in the air quickly (like above), and with some body control and a bit of gamesmanship, can make life difficult for refs and defenses.
Quentin Grimes, New York Knicks
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Quentin Grimes: hooper. His statline today: 24 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/6Qj7Km6bJj">pic.twitter.com/6Qj7Km6bJj</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1546278275076526081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 24 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 7/14 FG, 4/9 3PT
The "too good for Summer League" label gets thrown around a bit too much for my liking, and I don't know if any one player has shown that kind of dominance this summer. Grimes is certainly the closest to the moniker so far.
Grimes is just so confident as a shot-maker. His touch was back on Sunday, and he was unfazed on deep triples, even through contests. The 6-foot-5 wing also had two strong takes to the basket. His 4 assists included a sweet behind-the-back dump-off that even caught recipient Jericho Sims off-guard. Grimes and Sims later connected on another pick-and-roll finish; they have very apparent chemistry through the first handful of games in Vegas.
Mac McClung, Golden State Warriors
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OKAY, MAC! 👀 Mac McClung is HOOPING right now on NBA TV <a href="https://t.co/bakO1R1VmB">pic.twitter.com/bakO1R1VmB</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1546283969234325505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 22 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 9/15 FG
Jonathan Kuminga deserves fair praise for his game-high 28 points, but I want to highlight McClung because he floored me with his aggression on both ends. The undrafted guard was locked in as a defender off the ball and picked up 2 steals by reading the ball-handler and positioning himself in passing lanes. On offense, he constantly tried to play fast, and used his handle and shiftiness to change speeds and get to the basket.&nbsp;
McClung played just two NBA games last season and mostly spent time with the South Bay Lakers. He's had a phenomenal Summer League to date though, and has played his way to at least a two-way contract with a franchise, in my opinion.
Peyton Watson, Denver Nuggets
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Peyton Watson put up 19 PTS and 7 REB to lead the <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nuggets</a> to a W tonight ⛏️ <a href="https://t.co/bOnz7fkFMC">pic.twitter.com/bOnz7fkFMC</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1546311564575313920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 8/12 FG, 1/4 3PT
Watson was loud and authoritative in his breakout Summer League game. The No. 30 pick threw down some putback slams and finished off cuts in Denver's win over the Cavaliers.
Watson also notched an unassisted driving layup, and his lone assist was a nice pick-and-roll feed to rookie teammate Ismael Kamagate. Denver has given Watson some decent burn on the ball, offering brief glimpses into his potential as a playmaking, 6-foot-9 forward.
Santi Aldama, Grizzlies
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Santi Aldama starred on both sides of the ball tonight in the <a href="https://twitter.com/memgrizz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@memgrizz</a> win. 22 PTS, 8 REB, 6 STL, 2 BLK 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/2jxOCRaKLm">pic.twitter.com/2jxOCRaKLm</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1546336632332238848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Box score stats: 22 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals, 2 blocks, 11/22 FG, 0/4 3PT
This is the Santi Aldama experience. After a listless performance on Saturday, the second-year forward put together perhaps the game of the day against the Timberwolves. He switched well on defense, picked off some transition passes and, on one play, skied over from the paint to the weak-side corner for a huge block.&nbsp;
Memphis fed the former Loyola Maryland Greyhound against a smaller Minnesota frontcourt. Aldama feasted in the post, on timely cuts and on some short roll plays. He's definitely best utilized as a cutter as his three-point shot remains a work in progress, but it's a joy to see Aldama active and moving all over the court.
Other deserving shoutouts: Neemias Queta (Kings), Terry Taylor (Pacers), Blake Wesley (Spurs), Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors), Collin Gillespie (Nuggets), Ty-Shon Alexander (Hornets), LJ Figueroa (Hornets), Cole Swider (Lakers), Cassius Winston (76ers), Day'Ron Sharpe (Nets)
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DUDS
Marko Simonovic, Chicago Bulls
Box score stats: 1 point, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 0/5 FG, 7 fouls
This was a rough crash back to Earth for Simonovic after his impressive showing on Friday. The center was simply not an impactful defender, often slow to help and recover and a non-threat to block shots. His trio of three-point misses were ugly, and his only attempt at the rim was a missed second-chance tip. The Bulls need some help at center behind Nikola Vucevic, but this game is not helping Simonovic make his case for minutes.
Louis King, Phoenix Suns
Box score stats: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2/11 FG, 0/5 3PT
King won last year's Summer League Championship Game MVP with Sacramento, but that did not translate to playing time in the regular season. He's still a pure scorer at this stage, so when the shot does not fall as it did not on Sunday, King's offensive impact plummets. He committed 3 turnovers as a result of predetermining some passes and only tallied a single assist. Kings has played for two NBA teams since going undrafted in 2019, so hopefully he turns this around and lands a third opportunity.
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Jake LaRavia, Memphis Grizzlies
Box score stats: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1/5 FG, 0/4 3PT
Several Grizzlies players were off the mark on Sunday. LaRavia just did not have his touch from long range, and some of the misses were surprisingly well off the mark. He also displayed some instances of hesitancy attacking closeouts. LaRavia's lone bucket was a great vertical cut rewarded with a pass and a layup. Hopefully Memphis finds more ways to get him involved and build some confidence.
Mark Williams, Charlotte Hornets
Box score stats: 3 points, 7 rebounds, 1/5 FG
Is it mildly concerning that Williams has made just 3 of his 13 shots in Summer League so far? Williams struggled to work in the post on Shareef O'Neal, and couldn't convert one layup on an out-of-bounds play despite receiving a quality chance. The No. 15 pick did only play 17:41 against the Lakers and has come off the bench in both of his contests. Again, it's just Summer League, but I'd like to see Williams assert himself more as a play-finisher going forward.

Cam Thomas, Quentin Grimes and Santi Aldama put the 2021 draft class in the spotlight on Sunday.

10 studs and duds from Day 4 of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas

Keep track of where the top 2022 undrafted free agents are headed after draft night.

2022 NBA UDFA Tracker: Latest news on undrafted free agents

For the first time since suffering a stress fracture in his foot that ended his sophomore college season at LSU prematurely in February, Shareef O'Neal is back on the basketball court at the returning Drew League in Los Angeles.
Shareef, the son of Shaq, is looking as healthy and energetic as ever, running the floor and skying for alley-oops from his teammates. The 21-year-old forward had multiple highlight-reel moments in the first two weeks of action at St. John Bosco High School.
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DAMN SHAREEF! <a href="https://twitter.com/SSJreef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SSJreef</a><a href="https://twitter.com/DrewLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrewLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/vwntpkL33g">pic.twitter.com/vwntpkL33g</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1408994777350033413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Shareef with the mean block and the strong finish on the other end! <a href="https://twitter.com/SSJreef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SSJreef</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrewLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/mT9Tsj7vCS">pic.twitter.com/mT9Tsj7vCS</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1409190315412529163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>

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The moments of brilliance are a taste of the talent Shareef possesses and should bring to the Tigers next season as a junior in Baton Rouge.
Shareef's perseverance through this injury is admirable, but nothing compares to his unbreakable spirit in coming back from open-heart surgery that forced him to miss his first college season at UCLA due to an anomalous coronary artery, one that his mother Shaunie said he "<a href="https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/27013346/ucla-f-oneal-died-due-heart" target="_blank" rel="noopener">could've died from.</a>" He went on to play 13 games for the Bruins in 2019-20 before transferring to his father's alma mater the next year.
In the 2020-21 season, Shareef played in 10 games for LSU before the aforementioned foot injury.
If he continues to perform at a high level at the Drew League and keeps his body healthy, there's no reason that Shareef shouldn't play a larger role for the Tigers in the upcoming 2021-22 campaign.

Shareef O'Neal, the son of Shaq, is looking as healthy and energetic as ever at the Drew League in Los Angeles.

Shareef O'Neal looking strong, healthy at the Drew League

The following is an excerpt from "1996: A Biography &ndash; Reliving the Legend-Packed, Dynasty-Stacked Most Iconic Sports Year Ever" by Jon Finkel. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/1996-Reliving-Undefeated-Undisputed-Greatest/dp/1635767504/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The book is available now on Amazon.</a>
To borrow a song title from Green Day (the perfect mid-90s band), picks seven through 12 of the 1996 NBA Draft were a boulevard of broken dreams for NBA executives. They contain a collection of men that run the gamut from &ldquo;solid pro&rdquo; to &ldquo;absolute bust&rdquo; and no matter how defensible the selection was at the time, within 24 months it was clear that, to be blunt, these six franchises missed. This isn&rsquo;t 2021 revisionist history. This is 1997-1998 near-immediate regret.
It&rsquo;s one thing as a general manager to look in the mirror and know that taking Allen Iverson or Marcus Camby or Shareef Abdur-Rahim or Stephon Marbury or Ray Allen or Antoine Walker with one of the first six picks of the &rsquo;96 draft was the right basketball call at the time. They all made the &rsquo;96-&rsquo;97 All-Rookie Team (1st or 2nd) and there were two bona fide Hall of Famers (Iverson and Allen) several all-stars (Abdur-Rahim, Marbury and Walker) and Camby was a 4x All-Defensive Team player.
It&rsquo;s quite another thing to know that from the seventh through 12th picks, you took one of these half-dozen guys:
<ul>
<li> Lorenzen Wright &ndash; L.A. Clippers</li>
<li> Kerry Kittles &ndash; New Jersey Nets</li>
<li> Samaki Walker &ndash; Dallas Mavericks</li>
<li> Erick Dampier &ndash; Indiana Pacers</li>
<li> Todd Fuller &ndash; Golden State Warriors</li>
<li> Vitaly Potapenko &ndash; Cleveland Cavaliers</li>
</ul>
Over Kobe Bryant. Or Steve Nash. Or Jermaine O&rsquo;Neal. Or even Peja Stojakovic. That&rsquo;s a clean 35 All-Star selections from picks 13 to 17 versus none from picks seven to 12.&nbsp;
Ooooof.
Even in the moment, there was a lack of, let&rsquo;s say, sexiness, to picks seven through 12. In person, Kittles was the fastest coast-to-coast player in basketball (my opinion but I&rsquo;m right) and showed flashes of excellence, but few projected him as an All-Star-caliber talent. Wright, Walker, Dampier and Potapenko became serviceable, and in some cases, solid NBA players. But as they came off the draft board, Hubie Brown and other 1996 NBA draft analysts used phrases like &ldquo;will help shore up the defense&rdquo; and &ldquo;this helps them get bigger&rdquo; and other vague, roster-rounding-out terms, rather than things like &ldquo;game changer&rdquo; and &ldquo;potential superstar&rdquo; and &ldquo;special talent&rdquo; which he, and other draft gurus, reserved for the man picked after all of these guys: Kobe Bryant.
It&rsquo;s worth noting here that just because Bryant wasn&rsquo;t discussed as a #1 overall pick, it&rsquo;s not as if nobody knew how good Bryant could be. In fact, a lot of people suspected he could be the prize of the draft: they just didn&rsquo;t have the guts to put their jobs on the line for a high school kid, or they got talked out of it, or bullied out of it, or both.
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John Calipari really, really, really wanted him. He worked him out three times, each time becoming more and more convinced that Bryant was going to be special. So why didn&rsquo;t he take him with the eighth pick? There are three versions: one of them involves Calipari, a first-time NBA head coach, pleading with ownership to take him, but getting turned down. He described the scenario like this:
&ldquo;I had the eighth pick in the draft, and everyone thought I was nuts,&rdquo; Calipari said. &ldquo;A 17-year-old kid, a high school kid who&rsquo;s just now getting to the NBA? It shows you don&rsquo;t know what you&rsquo;re doing.&rdquo;
Version two was described in Jeff Pearlman&rsquo;s excellent book, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-shaquille-oneal-shaq-los-angeles-lakers-best-teammate-jeff-pearlman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Three-Ring Circus</a>, and it involves Kerry Kittles&rsquo; agent strong-arming Calipari and telling him that if he didn&rsquo;t take Kittles&rsquo; (instead of Bryant), he&rsquo;d never let any other clients sign with the Nets.
Version three involves Kobe Bryant&rsquo;s agent, Arn Tellem, talking to Calipari and telling him that if he drafted Bryant, the teenager would never suit up for the Nets.
&ldquo;It was a calculated gamble," Tellem <a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/article239760573.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The</a><a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/article239760573.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&nbsp;Charlotte Observer</a>.&nbsp;"I remember meeting with John Calipari and John Nash, pressing them not to take him if he fell. I left not knowing if they would pass. I thought they would pass, but didn't know.&rdquo;
In the end, it really doesn&rsquo;t matter which version is right, or even if it&rsquo;s a combination of all three. Calipari and the Nets didn&rsquo;t select Kobe Bryant and neither did the next four teams in line or any of the top-12 teams in the draft. It was only at Jerry West&rsquo;s urging, after a trade involving Lakers center Vlade Divac, that Kobe went off the board and found his way to the Lakers.
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West coveted Bryant like card collectors covet the Honus Wagner T206 and he planned to do whatever it took to land him. He worked with Tellem to limit Bryant&rsquo;s&rsquo; workouts. He massaged Vlade Divac&rsquo;s hesitation about going to Charlotte (Vlade once threatened to retire if traded).&nbsp;
As Bryant fell in the draft, West realized that his plan was coming to fruition when the Hornets selected him. And then the whole thing almost fell through because, well, someone on the Hornets said, &ldquo;Holy sh*t, we just got Kobe Bryant.&rdquo;
&ldquo;There was such excitement about the pick that Charlotte didn&rsquo;t want to go through with the deal,&rdquo; Mitch Kupchak, Los Angeles&rsquo; assistant general manager in 1996, said. &ldquo;There was a time there, whether it was Vlade (Divac threatening to retire) or just pressure on the franchise, where the deal was actually in jeopardy.&rdquo;
But it got done.
And instead of Bryant joining Anthony Mason, Glen Rice, Dell Curry and Muggsy Bogues in Charlotte, he teamed up with Shaq in Los Angeles and you know the rest.
***
With 25 years having passed since that epic day in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the legacy of the draft has been solidified.
Looking back on his class, Ray Allen says, &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to remember where our mindset was. We&rsquo;re walking into a league with Jordan, Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen. There were some horses in this league that we were stepping into that we had been watching forever. We didn&rsquo;t think we were the next coming or next generation, but we were excited to be there.&rdquo;
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Allen explains that the toughest part about being drafted is balancing your excitement with any inclination to sit back and say, &ldquo;I made it." Guys who do that don&rsquo;t go far. He goes on to say that one thing that &rsquo;96 draft class shared was the mentality to keep pushing yourself and to self-motivate like you&rsquo;re on a mission.
&ldquo;When you look at myself, Nash, Kobe, Iverson, Marbury, Camby, Shareef, Jermaine, Peja, [Derek] Fisher, Walker, all these guys, they were all good to great in college [or high school] and scored a lot of points,&rdquo; Allen says. &ldquo;But they weren&rsquo;t in it to be famous or liked by everybody. It was evident in someone like Steve Nash, a white kid from Canada out of Santa Clara, he was on a mission. Kobe came in from high school and he was on a mission. Marbury wanted to prove what the legacy of New York City ballers could do, and he was on a mission. I came from meager beginnings and I was on a mission.&rdquo;
That was the big differentiator between past &ldquo;great draft classes." Rather than two or three or even five guys with the mindset to chase greatness, the &rsquo;96 class had a dozen.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the reason the &rsquo;96 draft class is thought of as one of the best,&rdquo; Allen says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the mentality we had. We were all on a mission to be better than we were. For all of us, there was a constant search to win. Every year, the championship was a carrot we were chasing. I didn&rsquo;t win until my 12th season. It comes down to watching basketball in June or playing basketball in June. This class had a lot of guys play in June. We knew what it took.&rdquo;
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Jon Finkel looks back at the 1996 NBA Draft, which included Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Jermaine O'Neal, etc.