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Selected with the 13th overall pick
Before you go up in arms about Kobe Bryant going after Antetokounmpo in this ranking, just know that he’s third here because there was a lot of talent available after Bryant was selected, including three All-Stars (one of them a two-time league MVP) in the four picks immediately following Kobe. On the other hand, the Antetokounmpo draft had three All-Stars total: Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert and Victor Oladipo, who was no longer on the board the Milwaukee made its choice. If the Lakers had missed on Bryant, there’s a very good chance they could have gotten a star with one of the picks after him, Peja Stojaković, Steve Nash or Jermaine O’Neal. The same cannot be said for the Bucks had they not drafted Antetokounmpo.
Either way, originally drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 draft, Kobe saw his draft rights get traded to the Los Angeles Lakers the night he was selected by Charlotte in exchange for big man Vlade Divac.
The rest, as they say, is history, as Bryant would embark on the second-greatest career the NBA has ever seen from a shooting guard, winning league MVP once, bringing L.A. five championships, winning one Finals MVP, earning 11 1st Team All-NBAs and making 18 All-Star appearances while winning two scoring championships over his 20-year career. Bryant also ranks fourth all-time in NBA history in points scored (33,643) and owns a multitude of Lakers franchise records.
The Lakers, led by Jerry West at the time, were enamored with Bryant after working him out pre-draft and were ultimately able to land the then-high school via draft-night trade with Charlotte. With a legacy like the one Bryant laid down in Los Angeles, there’s no question he’s one of the best draft picks in NBA history.
Players selected right before him: Samaki Walker, Erick Dampier, Todd Fuller, Vitaly Potapenko
Players selected right after him: Peja Stojaković, Steve Nash, Tony Delk, Jermaine O’Neal