Can somebody explain to me why Charlotte traded Kobe to LA?

[Basketball Fan]

To me -- Guys like Kobe Bryant, Steve Francis, and Eli Manning are some of biggest marks in sports history for pulling their pre-draft antics.

Seriously, you're a young dude who's going to make millions of dollars where ever you play. Yet, you're going to try to dicate where you're drafted? Instead of being grateful for the oppritunity? Marks.

So if you had the choice to go to a place where you feel your fit in better or you'll have a better career you wouldn't try and do what you could (legally) to make it happen? Really?

I mean loyalty is a two way street. If any of these guys turned out to be busts these people who drafted them would dump them the next day and not look back they know it too so why not go to the place where you can do the most with your talent in the limited time frame that is their professional career.

I personally have no issue with it its their career after all.

And this is coming from a Colts fan who saw John Elway do the same thing and I'm not upset about it either he'd never win a ring with us anyways.

[flipogb]

they made the pick for the Lakers , if they weren't trading it they would have drafted someone else

[Swaggin916]

Good move by Kobe Imagine if he had to play for Charlotte.

I don't think they would have moved.

[32jazz]

Kobe was a young baller, they had no idea how good he was going to be..

Vlade Divac was a legit, proven center, 16/10 guy the year before he was traded.

At the time, in my opinion, it was a smart move by Charlotte and a risky one by LA. But, obviously, it paid off.

A risky move by L.A. my A**!

If Shaq hadn't already signed with the Lakers(summer of '96) he had basically given his word to Jerry West & it was no secret Shaq wanted to be a Laker (& out of ,in Shaq words, "that dried up pond" Orlando). Wanted to do movies/music & felt L.A. was the place to be.

With Shaq basically already signed the Lakers weren't taking much risk at all trading Divac (Elden Campbell would be Shaq's back up)& West loved Kobe's workout.

West says that Bryant was the best pre draft workout he had ever witnessed.

Kobe ,like me, was a huge Lakers/Magic fan. His mother used to get taped recorded Lakers NBA Finals mailed to Italy for Kobe & Kobe cried like a baby when his father told him about Magic being HIV positive.

[OmniStrife]

that being said, can anyone imagine Kobe in a Hornets jersey?

[JohnnySic]

So if you had the choice to go to a place where you feel your fit in better or you'll have a better career you wouldn't try and do what you could (legally) to make it happen? Really?

Really. Playing for a pro team is a privilege and guys should be happy when someone wants them, regardless which team it is. Saying that you wont play for this or that team and trying to cherry-pick your team reeks of premadonna-ism.

[mamba24]

The funny thing about this thread is that kobe was taken 13th overall just one spot before the last lottery slot.

1) no one thinks outside the top 2-3 players are anything legendary.
2)Kobe may have been a workholic but he did not arrive with a spoon in his mouth. ( he earned the spoon)
3)The only player in the NBA who was a sub for the lakers but was selected to start in the all star game.
4) he worked his arse off to get to where he is. he's not a natural talent he's worked on his skills.
5) still works on his game, Haters be hating and he still makes it to the finals 3rd year in a row ( would the lakers be here without him? NO)

I have not had the pleasure to see magic play live, i have watched him on tape and im sure he was amazing live. But my connection goes at looking at the lakers while MJ was making a kingdom and the lakers being a team of scrubs till shaq and kobe showed up, and to feel what others have felt when their team wins the title. Kobe has shown me 4 soo far and no5 could be on the way.

Im not going to bother with the best player on the planet or the nba argument. he is my favourite player for one sole reason. i was 12 when he was drafted and 26 now. He has been a part of my laker life for 14 years. outside my real family in sports he is the only player i have known for soo long and D-fish.

Lebron maybe king but i think prince kobe (if you will) is not doing soo bad in yet another nba finals.

[oh the horror]

There was much hype around this kid, even with him coming out of highschool. I remember it well....

[VIP2000]

Yeah, there was definitely a lot of hype around Kobe before he got drafted. Maybe not good enough to be drafted #1 but all the Jordan comparisons were legit. But Kobe was going to have his way and I doubt he would have played for Charlotte anyways.

Heck, he was already one of the most popular players by his sophomore year. He was voted to start the All-Star game despite not even starting for his OWN TEAM.

[MiseryCityTexas]

Charlotte is stupid, and Kobe is a frontrunner. That is how it happened.

like you predicted kobe to be that good without ever watching him play in 96. get the fack outta hear man.

[icemanfan]

Just the Lakers . Kobe grew up a Laker fan. Wanted to play for them. Agent made it possible. Lakers wanted Kobe. Calipari took Kittles instead of Kobe because Kobe had no intentions on playing there.

-just read wang posts, what he said





The hell it wasnt.

its called a ***** move for a reason. If I had the money the owners have I would have drafted Kobe and when he refused to play for them I would have road out the entire length of time I could. **** me **** you.

[Basketball Fan]

Really. Playing for a pro team is a privilege and guys should be happy when someone wants them, regardless which team it is. Saying that you wont play for this or that team and trying to cherry-pick your team reeks of premadonna-ism.

So how is that worse than free agency? Do you not get to pick where you go?

The "privilege" card is so played out yes its a great opportunity but so are a lot of other jobs out there that aren't even in sports. Regardless you'd only care about said player unless they were on your team if they weren't you don't care what happens to them as far as their legacy is concerned. They care about their legacies and want to have some control over how its defined its the only control they'll ever have because in the end father time will determine how long it lasts.

[GOBB]

So if you had the choice to go to a place where you feel your fit in better or you'll have a better career you wouldn't try and do what you could (legally) to make it happen? Really?

Defeats the purpose of the draft. The approach is to be thankful you are drafted. Not sit there and dictate where you want to go/not go. Otherwise why not give every prospect a sheet of paper and ask where they would like to play. But before that have a panel rank prospects 1 thru whatever.

For example Wall, Turner, Favors are the top 3 prospects people have. Ask each where they want to play. Wall lists the teams with the first being the team that takes him and so on. Once Wall first team is selected? He goes there. If Evan Turner had Wall's first team as his destination of choice? He loses out and has to pick the 2nd destination on his wish list. You keep doin that until the end of rd 1. The last pick in the first rd really has no choice because he is left with the final team to go to. So maybe he can complain and refuse to play. Then dictate where he wants to go giving a team more than 1 first rd pick.

By this time you'll see how stupid it is. And do not try and say the prospect choosing can do so because they are so good. No one in that draft besides Kobe pulled that. And the guys that went in the draft most were studs. They wasnt just great HS'ers, they were studs in college.

[Lamar Doom]

that being said, can anyone imagine Kobe in a Hornets jersey?

semi-relevant, I bought these shoes last summer, they are "draft day" kobe's and they're in old charlotte hornets colors





(6-11-96 was draft day for Kob')

[GOBB]

Those are sick. Tell me you atleast scored in them.