Imagine a world where the Charlotte Hornets never traded Kobe Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers at the 1996 NBA Draft. Now, snap back to reality and comprehend the deal’s ramifications.
The Hornets traded Bryant to the Lakers for center Vlade Divac, who spent just two seasons with Charlotte before signing with the Sacramento Kings in free agency. Bryant, meanwhile, spent the next 20 years in purple and gold as a generational player who brought five NBA titles to his franchise.
But that’s hardly where things stop. As Steven Ruiz of USA TODAY’s For the Win outlined Sunday on the 20th anniversary of the trade, the NBA’s entire landscape changed in the years following the draft night swap, to the point where a franchise not even involved in the trade ended up relocating based on events that might not have transpired if not for the Hornets’ ill-advised decision.
The Hornets went 54-28 and 51-31 in the two years immediately after the trade, but they didn’t advance past the second round of the playoffs in either season. If the Hornets kept Bryant, perhaps they would have taken that next step and established a winning culture, thus improving Charlotte’s attendance numbers and eliminating the need for the franchise to relocate to New Orleans.
If the Hornets stayed in Charlotte, as Ruiz surmised, the Charlotte Bobcats never would have become a thing. And with no team in New Orleans, Oklahoma City never would have become a temporary home for the Hornets immediately following Hurricane Katrina. That’s huge, as Ruiz notes, because the short, successful stint in OKC led to Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett later bidding on the Seattle SuperSonics and ultimately moving the franchise to his hometown.
So looking for someone to blame for there being no NBA team in Seattle? Start with the Hornets’ front office, which screwed up big time in 1996.
h/t to For the Win for getting the wheels turning on the 20th anniversary
Thumbnail photo via Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports Images
