The 1996 Draft class is arguably one of the greatest classes of all time. While many argue that the 1984 or 2003 Draft classes may be better, nothing can be taken away from the name value of this class. Headlined by Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant, it also featured players like Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Antoine Walker, Steve Nash, Peja Stojakovic, among others.
Back when the draft happened, Iverson was a stand-out college prospect that was not a surprising No. 1 pick. Bryant went No. 13 to the Charlotte Hornets as he was fresh out of high school and the youngest player in the entire draft. Kobe Bryant was immediately traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Los Angeles Lakers for big man Vlade Divac. He played only 15.5 MPG in his rookie season, averaging 7.6 points per game.
However, Iverson dropped a bomb on a recent podcast appearance and said that if he was in Philadelphia’s shoes, he would have selected Bryant with the first pick instead of himself.
Over the course of the conversation, Iverson proclaims the ’96 Draft Class as the best ever. The podcast hosts reasoned with him about Bryant falling to #13 by saying that he was too young and not scouted enough, but Iverson dismissed that, shocked at how one wouldn’t scout a talented player like Bryant.
Looking back, it is fair to assume the 76ers didn’t go that far down the board to see whether Kobe would be worth the first pick. Kobe was a raw prospect and Iverson was more complete at the time. It is a shame though, as Kobe would have loved being drafted to his hometown team.
Iverson has always had immense love and respect for Kobe, so it is not surprising to see him make this claim with hindsight showing how amazing Bryant would end up being as a player.
