1. Kobe Bryant 13th overall, 1996 draft
This is a bit of a questionable selection. By technicality, the Charlotte Hornets drafted Kobe Bryant. However, the Hornets and Lakers had agreed to a trade the day before the draft and it was Los Angeles who gave the Hornets their selection five minutes before the deadline. The selection was Kobe Bryant.
We know what the future held for Bryant. Five titles, two Finals MVPs, countless All-Star selections, hundreds of Black Mamba moments, and over 30,000 points later, Bryant etched his name atop the greatest Lakers of all-time and has a storied career as a Laker.
However, it wasn’t such a cut-and-dry selection.
There was a lot of risk with Bryant, a raw 17-year old coming straight out of high school. Evidenced by 12 teams passing him up, Bryant was seen as too much of a risk for most teams and was passed over and over draft night. With Bryant falling right into their laps, Jerry West and the Lakers snatched up the young Black Mamba and the rest, as they say, is history. Bryant proved the doubters wrong to say the least and proved himself to be the Lakers greatest draft pick of all-time.