Being a second-round pick, Bronny James’ selection was the highlight of the night. Reports suggested that agent Rich Paul called other teams to not draft Bronny. Thus, LeBron James and his son became the first active father-son pairing in league history. And talking about history, it was not the first time the Los Angeles Lakers have used the player’s agent to secure the pick. The story of Kobe Bryant not being allowed to be picked by another team is shared by the former NBA player.
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Drafted a year later after Kobe, Alvin Williams spoke about the stories he heard about the draft of 1996. He heard that Arn Tellem who was Kobe’s agent at the time started calling teams “Don’t draft him,” Williams said on The Mark Jackson Show. “I remember the New Jersey Nets really liked him at seven. They end up drafting Kerry Kittles who was a great player,” said Williams.
Once Tellem found out about the Nets’ interest in Kobe they said, “Don’t draft him or he’s going over to Italy to play for a year.” Williams’ story was confirmed by the host Mark Jackson. “Oh you’re right it, was on Tellem and it was Jerry West with the Los Angeles Lakers at the time that they basically dictated to the New Jersey Nets to not draft Kobe Bryant.”
Williams had no problem with agents being in control or “manipulating” certain teams. According to him, it has been going on since the beginning of time that the agents are in power. Plus, he feels it’s good for Bronny to be in that situation to have that type of support.
Even Uncle Shaquille O’Neal was tired of the scrutiny and wished his nephew the best for the upcoming season. “I would like the scrutiny to get off Bronny James.” Speaking of scrutiny after the draft of Bryant to the Lakers, the former Nets head coach spoke about the 1996 draft day.
Kobe Bryant’s alternate career possibility
The Nets had the #8 pick in 1996 and the then head coach John Calipari was sure to pick the young Kobe Bryant. Kobe had worked out with the Nets thrice and every time they were impressed by the 17-year-old’s performance. In fact, on the night before the draft, Kobe’s parents had dinner at the Radisson in Secaucus with the Nets management.
Things changed at the draft day, as Kobe got the assurance from Jerry West that there were plans in place. “Everybody knows I was talked out of that,” Calipari told Ian O’Connor in 2011. Kobe having no desire to play with the Jets was a key factor for Calipari to not select him. But that did not strain any relation between the two.
“To my man Cal, Keep leading our young men to GREATNESS. You are more than a coach. You are a teacher of life. Much love to you my brother,” Coach Cal shared the image on his X that was signed off by Bryant.
Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.
Pranav Kotai is an NBA beat writer at EssentiallySports. With a master’s in sports management and a lifelong passion for basketball, Pranav has an indepth understanding of the sport like no other. Pranav is an open encyclopedia of all storylines, with a well-rounded approach to his writing, especially for his favorites like NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley.
