The annual staging of the NBA Draft is a thrilling and unpredictable time in the league. It's a time when young men who have dreamed of playing professional basketball finally see their dreams come true. But not all draftees are created equal. Some go on to have illustrious careers, while others fade into obscurity.
When the debate over the greatest NBA draft pick of all time arises, former NFL great Keyshawn Johnson is quick to point to the late, great Kobe Bryant . Picked 13th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft, Kobe's journey was anything but smooth. He powered past a rough rookie season to become one of the league's most decorated players, winning five NBA titles, a regular-season MVP, and two NBA Finals MVP trophies.
According to Keyshawn, the best part was how nobody except the late Jerry West recognized KB's potential for greatness.
Kids coming out of high school had raw talent
Bryant's emergence into a bona fide star was unheard of during that era. There was an exception in "The Big Ticket," Kevin Garnett, who was drafted from Farragut Career Academy and became an All-Star in his sophomore season, but KG and Kobe were exceptions, not the norm. Let's put it this way: for every Kobe, T-Mac, and Jermaine O'Neal who made it, there were players like DeSagana Diop and Korleano Young who never did.
"I didn't expect a kid out of high school at 18 years old, when kids weren't coming out of high school at that point in time, as the 13th pick, to go on to have such a celebrated career," the former Super Bowl champ said on "Undisputed." "They just started coming out of high school then. You had Jermaine O'Neal, KG, Al Harrington, and Kobe during that time span. To go on and have a celebrated career as the 13th overall pick, you didn't see it coming."
Kobe's journey to stardom didn't happen overnight. He spent most of his season trying to find his place on the team, and when he got an opportunity to make crucial shots in the NBA Playoffs, he flubbed them, shooting airballs versus the Utah Jazz. However, the fire that West saw in the young man was evident, and he used that to fuel his drive to become the player he was in his illustrious 20-year career.
"Think about it, Jerry West had Vlade and said, 'You know what? I want the high school kid. Don't say anything, we're getting ready to give up our guy for the high school guy,'" Johnson added, crediting West's tremendous eye for talent.
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Pierce picks "The Joker"
For co-host and former NBA champion Paul Pierce , the choice for the greatest NBA draft pick of all time was easy: Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic . The 7-footer was such an unknown player from Serbia the NBA showed an ad for Taco Bell when the Nuggets made their selection.
"This guy has been dominant. He's won three MVPs in the last four years. Look at these numbers right here—this is your 41st pick. Could you imagine this year, someone at the 41st pick being a player like this?" Pierce surmised .
As sophisticated NBA scouts are these days, a huge part of the NBA Draft will always be guesswork and luck. For every Jokic, countless players never make it off the bench or even out of the G League. But when a team strikes gold with a pick like Nikola or Kobe, it can change the course of their franchise for years to come.
Related: "It's not going to be the career I want for you" - Bill Fitch on what he told Kobe Bryant after his pre-draft workout
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