With five minutes left in the second quarter, the once brash Philly kid sank two free throws. It put Kobe Bryant’s name one notch higher in the record books, just above his idol, Michael Jordan.
Dec 14, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A fan holds up a sign for Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) passing Michael Jordan on the NBA All-Time Scoring list following the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Lakers defeated the Timberwolves 100-94. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
32,000+ points after being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996, a little bit older and a lot slower, Kobe Bryant became the NBA’s third leading scorer of all time. The record is indicative of his longevity, talent, skill, the core fundamentals, an insatiable curiosity to learn from others and a relentless work ethic.
19 years ago, Kobe Bryant was the poster child for dreamers. No shooting guard had ever dared enter the NBA after high school. There were a lot of “who does he think he is” snarky comments leading up to draft night. And yet, on June 26, 1996, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Kobe was the wild card. No one knew exactly where he would be drafted. Some thought he might go 2nd. Others thought he could drop to 20. It was a stacked draft with all the major schools represented: Kentucky, Georgetown, Connecticut, Memphis, Villanova, Syracuse. And two high school kids were eager to make their mark: Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O’Neal.
Almost two decades later, the 1996 draft is only surpassed in greatness by the 1984 draft of Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon and John Stockton.
10 of the first round picks in 1996 became All-Stars. 3 were MVP’s. One was Defensive Player of the Year. 8 played in the NBA Finals. It was a draft that produced 9 NBA titles. 8 first round picks were on at least one All-NBA team. Two first round picks were on at least one NBA All-Defensive team. 4 first round draft picks will become first ballot Hall of Famers.
#1–Allen Iverson (Georgetown): NBA Finals Runner-Up. Rookie of the Year. Most Valuable Player. 11 time All-star. 914 games played. 37,584 minutes. 24,368 points. 5,624 assists. All NBA- 7 times. 4th All-time minutes played. 4th All- time usage rate. 14 year career.
#2–Marcus Camby (UMass): NBA Finals Runner- Up. Defensive Player of the Year. 973 games. 28,684 minutes.9,262 points. 6,902 rebounds. 2,331 blocks. NBA All-Defensive-4 times. 8th All-time in block percentage, rebound percentage. 3rd All-time defensive plus-minus. 17 year career.
#3–Sharif Abdur-Rahim (California): All-Star. 28,882 minutes. 15,029 points. 6,239 rebounds. 12 year career.
#4–Stephon Marbury (Georgia Tech): Two-time All-Star. 846 games played. 31,891 minutes. 16,297 points. 6,471 assists. All-NBA- 3 times. 13 year career.
Jun 15, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Miami Heat guard Ray Allen (34) handles the ball against San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills (8) during the first quarter in game five of the 2014 NBA Finals at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
#5– Ray Allen (Connecticut): 2-time NBA Champion. 10 time All-Star. 1,300 games played. 46,344 minutes. 24,505 points. 5,272 rebounds. 2,973 three point shots made. All-NBA- 2 times. 1st All-time 3-point shots attempted and made. 5th All-time free throw percentage. 18+ years.
#6– Antoine Walker (Kentucky): NBA Champion. 3 time All-Star. 893 games. 31,531 minutes. 15,647 points. 6,891 rebounds. 12 year career.
#13– Kobe Bryant (Lower Merion High School): 5- time NBA Champion. 2-time NBA Finals MVP. Most Valuable Player. 16-time All-Star. 1,269 games. 46,421 minutes. 32,310 points. 6,043 assists. All NBA- 15 times. All NBA-Defensive- 12 times. 7th All-time in field goals made. 13th All-time in 3 point shots made. 3rd All-time in free throws made. 10th All-time in points per game. 3rd All-time in usage rate. 8th All-time in offensive plus-minus. 19+ year career.
#14–Peja Stojakavic (PAOK Greece): NBA Champion. 3-time All-Star. 804 games. 26,966 minutes. 13,647 points. 3,782 rebounds. 1,760 three point shots made. All NBA- 2nd team. 9th All-time 3 point makes. 3rd All-time free throw percentage. 13 year career.
#15–Steve Nash (Santa Clara): 2-time Most Valuable Player. 8-time All-Star. 1,217 games. 38,069 minutes. 17,387 points. 10,335 assists. All NBA- 7 times. 12th All-time 3 pointers made. 9th All-time 3 point percentage. 1st All-time Free Throw percentage. 3rd All-time Assists. 9th All-Time Assists per game. 18 year career.
#17–Jermaine O’Neal (Eau Claire High School): 6-time All-Star. 1,011 games played. 27,364 minutes. 13,309 points. 1,820 blocks. 7,261 rebounds. Most Improved Player. All NBA-2 times. 13th All-time block percentage. 18+ year career.
#20– Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Atletas Basketball Club): NBA Finals Runner-Up. Two-time All-Star. 843 games. 22,965 minutes. 10,976 points. 6,191 rebounds. 16th All-time offensive rebounding percentage. 13 year career.
#24–Derek Fisher (University of Arkansas, Little Rock): 5-time NBA Champion. 1,287 games played. 32,719 minutes. 10,713 points. 3,804 assists. 8th All-time free throw percentage. 8th All-time steal percentage. 18th All-time games played. 18 year career.