Who Was the First Pick in the 1996 NBA Draft?
The answer may surprise you – it was Kobe Bryant! Check out this blog post to learn more about the first pick in the 1996 NBA Draft.
Introduction
The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th draft in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft was broadcast on radio station KNBR in San Francisco. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues.
Background
The 1996 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 1996, at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the Turner Network Television. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues.
The Shaquille O’Neal trade was also draft-day landmark: the Orlando Magic traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers for Penny Hardaway and three future first-round draft choices. It is considered one of the most one-sided trades in NBA history. These two draft picks spent all of their careers with their respective teams; O’Neal became one of the best centers in the league and was a perennial All-Star during his time with the Lakers, while Hardaway became an All-Star caliber player but was plagued by injuries later in his career.
The First Pick
The First Pick in the 1996 NBA Draft was Allen Iverson.
The Aftermath
The 1996 NBA draft was one of the most hyped up and talked about drafts in NBA history. It was the first draft in over a decade that saw multiple potential All-Stars and franchise cornerstones being selected. The draft also featured the first ever foreign player to be drafted first overall, as Nigerien-born French center
The draft had such high expectations because of the players available. These included future All-Stars Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, and Stephon Marbury. Along with those future All-Stars were players like Antoine Walker, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and Damon Stoudamire who were all thought to be very good players but maybe not quite on that All-Star level.
At the time of the draft, Iverson was considered the best player available. He was an electric scorer in college and had the potential to be a great player in the NBA. However, there were questions about his character and whether or not he would be able to transition from playing against college players to playing against the best players in the world.
The Charlotte Hornets ended up drafting Kobe Bryant with the 13th pick in the 1996 NBA draft.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the first pick in the 1996 NBA Draft was Marcus Camby.
