It's ONE of the reasons why he's loved by even more than just his own generation. His sometimes-brutal honesty is another. He's honest no matter what. Even at his own expense. That takes a level of humility that a lot of people don't even recognize as humility. Which is ANOTHER reason why he's so loved.
LARGE Heart is Ben Wallace The Man went undrafted and went on to Win Multiple DPOY 🥇🥇 2x 🥇🥇 Back to Back NBA Finals A Championship 🏆 HOF & most of all that …. A LARGE LIFE CHANGING PAYDAY 💰 💰💰💰💰💰💰
I love how they titled it "Ready or Not" the name of the Fugees Hit Single also released in 1996, ALSO THE BEST YEAR OF HIP HOP HISTORY! So many CLASSIC albums released that year!
@@sonnyday6727 I was 15 in 1996, right in the thick of my Teenage years. That's actually the target audience for entertainment promotion. Because we're at the age we're can dedicate all our time into obsessing over whatever there marketing to us 😂
Allen Iverson said he looked forward to an opportunity to answer a question we've all had for almost 25 years...and this man's answer was..."I don't know." Love this dude.
u could tell thes "young men" actually loved college and hated to leave to go to the nba... they "needed" to go to 💯% help their families etc. this was the era when u stayed average 3/4 yrs in college.. also made college ball waaaay better game to watch an root for. dang I miss those days as a kid 😊💪🏾
I’m surprised they didn’t get an interview with Peja Stojakovich. I hear he’s pretty casual in Sacramento. I would’ve liked to hear his perspective being an international player
Ben Wallace was ok but he wasn't that great of a player he's not even in the same class of the rest of these guys he couldn't score 4'points if I spotted him 3 points
@@t_mfn_y Ben Wallace is a defensive beast and a 4 time DPOY, HOFer, champion and the best player of the Pistons championship team that beat the Lakers. wtf are you on? There's 2 sides to basketball. You must be the guy nobody wants to play with in the park cause you take all the shots and don't play D.
Kobe was already super confident but having Jerry West be that invested in getting Kobe and saying how good he thought he was gonna be has gotta be a good feeling having the logo believe in you.
It’s no coincidence Kobe went to the Lakers and with Shaq The drafts are where You can really see how much there is an agreement between the teams behind the scene that the public is not and most likely will not ever be privy to Just like with the refs and putting certain refs in certain games to make sure of a certain outcome . It may not be completely scripted and they’re too smart to have to leave any trails But there’s definitely nods & handshakes that happen between owners & The League to do what’s best for the entire League so that players and everyone involved with NBA ,MLB, NFL, etc. to make sure they continue to generate the most revenue possible So players have what they have now Which is Why Mike was going to Win no matter what as long as He was playing. Mike is why NBA is what it is now Started with Magic & Bird but Mike is what BLEW That thang UP Mike was Must See TV Always
This is easily the best and most balanced draft in the history. So much talent and specialists. You have some of the greatest scorers in NBA History with Kobe and Iverson. One of the best facilitator with 2 x MVP Steve Nash. Ray Allen and Peja Stojakovic remains as one of the deadliest shooters in all era. And this class had a playground legend in Stephon Marbury who in my opinion was the second most skilled player of the draft. Just imagine if Marbury fell into a great organization, he’d be another Hall of Famer from this group. Then the rest became either All Stars, Defensive Player of the year or were key pieces in championship teams; Marcus Camby , Jermaine O’Neal, Antoine Walker, Derek Fisher and Zydrunas Ilgauskas and though he was not drafted, 3 x DPOY and NBA Champion Ben Wallace was also part of the 1996 NBA Class. Just insanely talented and deep. Wish Kobe’s still alive. Sad we didn’t see him partake in the Top 75 NBA players anniversary and his HOF enshrinement.
It’s crazy to see how spot on Jerry “The Logo “ West had Kobe’s back and helped him get drafted and foresaw his greatness way back then! He has the best eye for talent in the league!!
Kobe ended up being better at basketball then everyone else but just listening to how his mind works he was also smarter then everyone else. It’s to bad what happened to him a real tragedy.
There are a lot of tear-jerking moments in this video. In fact, the whole video made me shed some tears for its nostalgic effects on me since I witnessed this happen when I was in high school and was also hoping to play basketball professionally. However, the part about Marcus Mann really made me so emotional, being the somehow religious man that I am. This is great content.
This really was an incredible draft. But even bigger - think about how HUGE the "Big East" was. It was like a golden year in college basketball. Georgetown with Iverson, Nova with Kittles, UConn with Shuttleworth ;), Wallace at Syracuse. I see some guys saying 84 and while it did give you Hakeem, Barkley, Stockton and Jordan the depth of 96 kind of sets it apart. There weren't just standouts but I think more guys that had careers in the NBA. And by 'careers', I mean they contributed to the 'annual Jordan fodder replenishment plan'.
The documentary I didn’t know I had to see. I wasn’t trying to watch it, it came on after another video and I was busy to press skip. I got the chills the goosebumps and even tears numerous times throughout this. I was 16 in 96. Boy do I regret stopping collecting cards after 93 with Webber and Hardaway. I do have a few Shaq rookies though. Thanks for putting it up.
Man so incredibly deep. People forget how freaking good Shareef (one of my favorite players), Antoine Walker, Peja, Camby, Marbury, Kittles, Jermaine were beyond the obvious all time legends. I have rookie cards of Kobe, AI, Antoine, Nashy, and Marbury.
Um, no. 1984 is the best year ever. Jordan, Olajuwon, Stockton, Barkley, plus Kevin Willis, Otis Thorpe, Alvin Robertson. You could assemble a team that could compete against any in history: Stockton-MJ-Barkley-Thorpe-Hakeem, with Willis and Robertson coming off the bench at forward and guard, respectively.
Kerry Kittles was my favorite player at the time.. I actually remember creating this draft class on (NBA live 95). You could create up to 32 players. And if you typed in a legedary players name . The game would automatically create em . For you.. #Good ole days☺️
Nice. I too got Nba live 95 - whats interesting is that I went to the shops looking to buy an NBA encyclopaedia CD I saw but then when I got there it was missing, and noticed NBA live 95 and got that instead!! What a game!!!!
Isaiah is a real sleazy sleaze snake snake His own coach was the dream team coach and he even left Isaiah off the team. MJ refused to play with that snake
back then even in the lotterie they sometimes chose fit over talent, thats what the nets did. they wanted instant impact with the more matured kittles. now nobody would choose fit over talent anymore.
It's easy. Back then, Kobe didn't show as well in workouts and looked overmatched. That was the word amongst GMs so he went from top 7 to top 20. That's how his stock fell. It wasn't incompetent GMs he really just didn't show as well. Kittles had accolades and was a great prospect. No fault on the pick. Kobe just grew up, evolved and turned into an incredible player. Not a lot of guys turn into what Kobe did.
I’ve read a lot of comments talking about Kobe, Nash, Iverson, Allen, Shareef, Camby, Peja, Walker, Wallace and I agree with them all. But I’m just here to show some love to big Z! Ilgauskas was a fundamentally sound, impactful center for nearly his entire career.
Ray Allen responding with the “Minnesota’s a good city.” 😂 I think it’s safe to say Ray had no interest in or belief that he would be drafted by the T’Wolves, even if it was short lived. 😂
This draft marked that period in the NBA where Mike Fratello traded in his Sicilian afro for a Marv Albert inspired hairpiece. John Calipari fully embraced his Pitino cosplay. Tony Braxton was in the process of breaking up a core in Dallas. Fans witnessed the coming together and subsequent breakup of a Marbury-Garnett 1-2 in 'sota. John Wallace was the first Karl Kani endorsed NBA player. Iverson played the first half of his rookie year with a fro before the first iteration of his signature rows. Many folks thought Eddie Jones was on the cusp of stardom before Kobe came. The Raptors was the place to get your numbers up before skating. The Grizzlies as a franchise skated to Memphis. *Sidenote: Marbury should be a Hall of Fame inductee due to his status as a global ambassador of the sport of basketball.*
I had to fight back tears several times, I'm proud to be a member of one TOP generations to ever grace America. Generation Xers amplified what the boomers started, it's far from over and i hope we continue to make them proud.
Unknown fact. The Raptors won the 1996 draft lottery. They were not allowed to pick #1 due to their expansion agreement with the NBA. So they ended up drafting Marcus Camby at #2.
@@AirKangLocker AI at point guard. Vince at shooting guard. T-Mac at small forward. The problem would have been Damon Stoudamire who was the franchise point guard. They would have had to trade him.
Man Iverson took a team of subs to the finals....with just a little help Phi would have been a dynasty....bad front office when you have a mvp, scoring champ year after year and the best you can do is Ratliff, snow, 70 yr old mutumbo and Derrick Coleman? They couldn't even keep Larry Hughes ,the only other talented player, what a waste.
This draft class was literally the changing of the guard literally. Plus these were athletes in my age range, the culture shifted drastically...What a time...
Lol it can be a debate.., but I don't think nobody knows the game better than Jerry West, most GM go after the best players but Jerry knows how to facilitate a team.., the players he has put together...WOW.
The one thing that made Iverson such a crowd favorite was that he NEVER layed down on the job. To the contrary, he gave everything during every minute of every game. Lots of respect for AI!
I'm from Va. I seen Bubba Chuck play in high school and was so mad when Ray hit that shot to win the Big East! After all the drama this state put him through as a kid he was suppose to shine!
You can tell that they were all appreciative of getting a chance to play at the highest level. Players nowadays just take it for granted. These older guys were grateful for their opportunity to join the league. Just a better class of athlete back then.
Crazy how humble Marbury was but then when contract time came he left to go to jersey smh…the wolves would of won a chip kg marbury Googz that was my fav team to watch back then.
Can argue on many things but John Wallace proved the scouts well... He got so much screen time that he was in the end in the NBA, can name at least 10 better players after him
Watching this it’s tough to see and ponder how many potential Hall of famers over the years weren’t able to break through to the NBA level. This shows how tough the business was and continues to be for so many people. Seeing Ben Wallace given a second chance, goes a long way for those that fall out of the draft.
If Duncan had gone in 96 instead of 97, which he could have and still been #1 overall, the 96 draft would be the GOAT draft. Still had some legendary players, but some of the stars flamed out quick.
35:04 as a Minnesota fan, just imagining KG and Kobe together is insane. We could have been a dynasty for real. Understand why McHale didn't want to take the chance, but man that would have been something to see.
besides kg n Marbury was on they're way to becoming something special til Marbury had to fuck it up n demand a trade home back to new york n went to the NJ nets
At that time the raptors had really bad management, isiash thomas was our presadent and wanted Kg to join with carter. Would have been crazy with kg t mac and carter but its a shame our management was bad. I am sure if Kg had been with another star he would have had a much better younger career in minnasota.
Pausing to comment: Those stories about playing 3rd base the day Cal Ripken sat out and the other guy pitching Ken Griffey's 600th homerun were what really makes the 96 Draft absolutely nuts
He actually was recruited by Kentucky and during that summer he got caught tryna pawn a stolen gold chain so he transferred to a juco and never played then declared for the draft
Allen showing love to his guys is why A.I is loved by his generation. Unapologetically real
Kobe & Shaq weren't gonna be stopped tho.. AI is my 3rd ever so respects bro
What’s crazy why 76ers not letting him be apart on the operations made the 76ers
@@jerellthompson2150 WTF.
fesgseheshg
It's ONE of the reasons why he's loved by even more than just his own generation. His sometimes-brutal honesty is another. He's honest no matter what. Even at his own expense. That takes a level of humility that a lot of people don't even recognize as humility. Which is ANOTHER reason why he's so loved.
Mad respect for Ben Wallace. NBA Champ, multiple time DPOY and now a Hall of Famer
shows how deep this draft class is, undrafted thats wild
LARGE Heart is Ben Wallace
The Man went undrafted and went on to Win Multiple DPOY 🥇🥇 2x
🥇🥇 Back to Back NBA Finals
A Championship 🏆 HOF
& most of all that ….
A LARGE LIFE CHANGING PAYDAY 💰 💰💰💰💰💰💰
As a pacers fan that man was a problem!! Much respect he was a dog on defense
BET THAT💪💪💪💪
I love how they titled it "Ready or Not" the name of the Fugees Hit Single also released in 1996, ALSO THE BEST YEAR OF HIP HOP HISTORY! So many CLASSIC albums released that year!
I graduated Highscool in 96
1996 was a magical year, so much greatness came out of that year.
@@sonnyday6727 the PEAK of creativity. So much Talent and fashion.
@@sonnyday6727 I was 15 in 1996, right in the thick of my Teenage years. That's actually the target audience for entertainment promotion. Because we're at the age we're can dedicate all our time into obsessing over whatever there marketing to us 😂
someone pin this comment now!
Allen Iverson said he looked forward to an opportunity to answer a question we've all had for almost 25 years...and this man's answer was..."I don't know." Love this dude.
That’s “The Answer”
He was prolly hemmed up in bad news, va.
Allen wasn’t in in being picked.
Time stamp?
I’m the franchise player and y’all are talking about a slam magazine photo shoot 😂😂😂😂
u could tell thes "young men" actually loved college and hated to leave to go to the nba... they "needed" to go to 💯% help their families etc. this was the era when u stayed average 3/4 yrs in college.. also made college ball waaaay better game to watch an root for. dang I miss those days as a kid 😊💪🏾
The 1st undrafted player to reach the basketball Hall of Fame is "Big" Ben Wallace. He made history for the 1996 NBA Draft class!
I have a big penis too. I call him Big Benn.
First 1 drafted in the NBA. There were a few from the time of the BAA but that’s nitpicking.
#TogetherEvery1AchievesMore TEAM‼️
cant be undrafted and in the draft class lol
@@JayK07 he was in the draft class but no one picked him so he is undrafted
I’m surprised they didn’t get an interview with Peja Stojakovich. I hear he’s pretty casual in Sacramento. I would’ve liked to hear his perspective being an international player
His son is good he will be a pro in 2years
The fact that Ben Wallace was not selected in this draft tells how deep this class is
He and Marcus Mann held it down for the HBCU FAMILY
Ben Wallace was ok but he wasn't that great of a player he's not even in the same class of the rest of these guys he couldn't score 4'points if I spotted him 3 points
Ben Wallace needed time to become what he became. He would have busted out if he was under too much scrutiny too early
@@t_mfn_y and still made the HOF
@@t_mfn_y Ben Wallace is a defensive beast and a 4 time DPOY, HOFer, champion and the best player of the Pistons championship team that beat the Lakers. wtf are you on? There's 2 sides to basketball. You must be the guy nobody wants to play with in the park cause you take all the shots and don't play D.
Kobe was already super confident but having Jerry West be that invested in getting Kobe and saying how good he thought he was gonna be has gotta be a good feeling having the logo believe in you.
and the Logo was right when everyone was having doubts
Well the early teams needed help right away. Still should of picked The Mamba. 5xchampion
Tim Duncan could have been part of this class too, but he stayed in college for his senior year
classic Timmy really haha
He's overrated
So what haha!
@Miesha I choked my friend Holly unconscious Tate! Where would you rate him?
@@josephreubenfuller probably top 10 or 20?
I remember I was 14 yrs old watching this..this was one of the best Draft Class in NBA history!
Jerry West came up with the all time top draft steal.
I don't believe in giving the 13th like outta superstition, but you are 100 percent correct!
My goodness! That Kobe post draft interview gave me goosebumps! Ernie described Mamba Mentality at its humble beginnings right there.
It’s no coincidence Kobe went to the Lakers and with Shaq
The drafts are where You can really see how much there is an agreement between the teams behind the scene that the public is not and most likely will not ever be privy to
Just like with the refs and putting certain refs in certain games to make sure of a certain outcome .
It may not be completely scripted and they’re too smart to have to leave any trails
But there’s definitely nods & handshakes that happen between owners & The League to do what’s best for the entire League so that players and everyone involved with NBA ,MLB, NFL, etc. to make sure they continue to generate the most revenue possible
So players have what they have now
Which is Why Mike was going to Win no matter what as long as He was playing.
Mike is why NBA is what it is now
Started with Magic & Bird but Mike is what BLEW That thang UP
Mike was Must See TV Always
but where is he now? DEAD. he let fame consume him and became a rapist. so he ate humble pie
You mean immature ball hog mentality. I watched Kobe his entire career. It's a lot different from watching highlights on CZcams.
@@noncomplacent I think you just watched Kobe's "entire career" as a Sacramento King's fan👍🏼
@@flexman70 ...
That slap to the back of Shareefs head is funny everytime 😂
As I read your comment it happened on my screen which made it funnier
Get him out of crying. That was emotional to me lol
The height of sports, music, tv shows, etc. Truly the golden era. Now everything is watered down
I been saying this for a while now. It was the golden era of everything!
This is easily the best and most balanced draft in the history. So much talent and specialists. You have some of the greatest scorers in NBA History with Kobe and Iverson. One of the best facilitator with 2 x MVP Steve Nash. Ray Allen and Peja Stojakovic remains as one of the deadliest shooters in all era. And this class had a playground legend in Stephon Marbury who in my opinion was the second most skilled player of the draft. Just imagine if Marbury fell into a great organization, he’d be another Hall of Famer from this group.
Then the rest became either All Stars, Defensive Player of the year or were key pieces in championship teams; Marcus Camby , Jermaine O’Neal, Antoine Walker, Derek Fisher and Zydrunas Ilgauskas and though he was not drafted, 3 x DPOY and NBA Champion Ben Wallace was also part of the 1996 NBA Class. Just insanely talented and deep.
Wish Kobe’s still alive. Sad we didn’t see him partake in the Top 75 NBA players anniversary and his HOF enshrinement.
Imo for me it’s 84
Tim Duncan would've been apart of this draft class too.. but he decided to go back to wake forest for his senior year
Well. MJ an the dream were in same class .. Yaa. Shush
NO WAY 84 IS THE BEST DRAFT BY FAR
@@Biggrittz nah
“We waited 20 years for this day… 20 years to put a smile on my momma face” That was REAL!!!
It’s crazy to see how spot on Jerry “The Logo “ West had Kobe’s back and helped him get drafted and foresaw his greatness way back then! He has the best eye for talent in the league!!
Kobe and Iverson alone in 1 draft is enough to make it 1 of the best
Kobe ended up being better at basketball then everyone else but just listening to how his mind works he was also smarter then everyone else. It’s to bad what happened to him a real tragedy.
Very sad day. That shook everybody
There are a lot of tear-jerking moments in this video. In fact, the whole video made me shed some tears for its nostalgic effects on me since I witnessed this happen when I was in high school and was also hoping to play basketball professionally. However, the part about Marcus Mann really made me so emotional, being the somehow religious man that I am. This is great content.
The Kobe part at the end gave me goosebumps
96 Ray Allen Marbury Kobe A.I. Nash J.O'neal Camby Peja Abdur-Rahim Ben Wallace already knew that draft was loaded but he kept grinding
He was trash vs the bigs in 96 97 98 classes but stayed in the gym and det was the team 4him just def was asked and he killed it at 6"7 6"8
Man, Kobe is so cerebral. You can see an immediate difference between him and everybody else just on how he presents himself
I got chills looking at Lorenzen Wright..so sad what happen to him years later! RIP
Damn he was on this list smh rip
I'm still hurt about Lo as well smh. He didn't deserve what happened to him. ❤
Ben Wallace's story is completely insane when you think about it.
Looking back at it now pretty crazy but he got a last laugh cuz he won
This was the next generation of basketball, these players made the nba go to next level.
Exactly the 96’ class was the future it’s was like the past vs the new generation
I like how Iverson actually defended Ray Allen and wasn't scared too these players now don't want to get embarrassed and be all over social media
This really was an incredible draft. But even bigger - think about how HUGE the "Big East" was. It was like a golden year in college basketball. Georgetown with Iverson, Nova with Kittles, UConn with Shuttleworth ;), Wallace at Syracuse. I see some guys saying 84 and while it did give you Hakeem, Barkley, Stockton and Jordan the depth of 96 kind of sets it apart. There weren't just standouts but I think more guys that had careers in the NBA. And by 'careers', I mean they contributed to the 'annual Jordan fodder replenishment plan'.
Well said and all facts!
The documentary I didn’t know I had to see. I wasn’t trying to watch it, it came on after another video and I was busy to press skip. I got the chills the goosebumps and even tears numerous times throughout this. I was 16 in 96. Boy do I regret stopping collecting cards after 93 with Webber and Hardaway. I do have a few Shaq rookies though. Thanks for putting it up.
Hands down the best draft class ever
84 IS THE BEST BY FAR
Absolutely! Top to bottom the most stacked class in nba history
Tim Duncan would have likely went to Toronto instead of Marcus Camby. As good as Duncan was, I can't see Philly not still taking Iverson number 1.
Man so incredibly deep. People forget how freaking good Shareef (one of my favorite players), Antoine Walker, Peja, Camby, Marbury, Kittles, Jermaine were beyond the obvious all time legends. I have rookie cards of Kobe, AI, Antoine, Nashy, and Marbury.
Agreed! Shareef was so underrated - he was a beast! The other one who you missed was Ilgauskas, big Z was an excellent center for a long time.
i always forget walker and kittles when listing down players in this draft. shareef was very good and consistent.
96 class is all about hearts! Hearts for the game and fans!! Truly unique and most talented and successful draft ever
When Stephon used the word "vicariously" got me to respect him more as a man and his life journey.
This is why I say NBA live 2003 was the best basketball game ever
No doubt this is the greatest draft in NBA History, the amount of generational talent that came out..
Man Ben Wallace was a BEAST! Always loved that dude I swear he epitomized hard work = success
Marcus Camby drinking an empty cup @11:15. Man, he was nervous.
Real talk lol, nice observation. 👍🤙
Best year hands down. Including best team being the Chicago bulls record breaking year. Best Jordan shoe aswell patten leathers were 🔥
Um, no. 1984 is the best year ever. Jordan, Olajuwon, Stockton, Barkley, plus Kevin Willis, Otis Thorpe, Alvin Robertson. You could assemble a team that could compete against any in history: Stockton-MJ-Barkley-Thorpe-Hakeem, with Willis and Robertson coming off the bench at forward and guard, respectively.
This was a beautiful piece.
I have to agree 96 was by far the Best ever Draft class Ben Wallace and Steve Nash was after thoughts my God
I remember I had the '96' draft class poster on my wall growing up.
Yeah, the 96 draft was crazy! Question, are you interested in winning prizes in exchange for listening to one song?
AI being like I have no idea where I was during the slam magazine photo shoot was hilarious 🤣
Kerry Kittles was my favorite player at the time..
I actually remember creating this draft class on (NBA live 95).
You could create up to 32 players.
And if you typed in a legedary players name . The game would automatically create em . For you..
#Good ole days☺️
I remember my classmates looking for his rookie card back then
Im 39 u gotta be a 80s kid too
@@Joshua-xg7pg i had the jersey
@@mehal5529 1983👶
Nice. I too got Nba live 95 - whats interesting is that I went to the shops looking to buy an NBA encyclopaedia CD I saw but then when I got there it was missing, and noticed NBA live 95 and got that instead!! What a game!!!!
No corny ass hair back then, Pure talent, pure charisma and Pure Professional players
Awe s t f u. Ppl were saying the same shyt about corn rows back then
R.I.p Kobe & Lorenzen wright 🙏🏾🕊️🫡
It’s still weird seeing RIP next to Kobe’s name 😢
Stojakovic was something else man.
Top to bottom this is the best draft class . Crazy how many Hall of Famers and all stars in this draft .
Aside from muscles, Kobe's appearance remained the same since he was a very young man. Amazing.
Isaiah claims to know everything about Kobe and still did not selecting him 🤡
Isaiah is a real sleazy sleaze snake snake
His own coach was the dream team coach and he even left Isaiah off the team. MJ refused to play with that snake
imagine being the guy who drafted kittles over kobe 😂
back then even in the lotterie they sometimes chose fit over talent, thats what the nets did. they wanted instant impact with the more matured kittles. now nobody would choose fit over talent anymore.
@Jshadows The dumbest move was Bob Bass trading Kobe to the Lakers for Vlade Divac
You can't predict injuries and kobe said he was going to play for any team besides the Lakers wasting a pick on a H.S. kid with that class
Kittles coming out of Villanova played better competition than Kobe. Kittles was the safe pick
It's easy. Back then, Kobe didn't show as well in workouts and looked overmatched. That was the word amongst GMs so he went from top 7 to top 20. That's how his stock fell. It wasn't incompetent GMs he really just didn't show as well.
Kittles had accolades and was a great prospect. No fault on the pick. Kobe just grew up, evolved and turned into an incredible player. Not a lot of guys turn into what Kobe did.
Stephon Marbury @24:49 always crack me up.
Ben Wallace had a list like Arya stark 😂😂😂😂😂
I’ve read a lot of comments talking about Kobe, Nash, Iverson, Allen, Shareef, Camby, Peja, Walker, Wallace and I agree with them all. But I’m just here to show some love to big Z! Ilgauskas was a fundamentally sound, impactful center for nearly his entire career.
Of course, much respect go to the7’3 Center that played for Cleveland. He was good.
that one dude got into an argument with people at one of his workouts and was surprised he didn't get drafted earlier 🤣
Thank You so much for uploading this I’ve been dying to see this!!! Hopefully it doesn’t get taken down. Thanks bro 👍🏾
A.I, just pure natural talent, you get what you see from A.I, that's what made him a super star.
I like how these agents are protecting and taking care of their guys. It's good to see.
Then they proceed to rob them lol
@@williamdavis9562😂
Ray Allen responding with the “Minnesota’s a good city.” 😂 I think it’s safe to say Ray had no interest in or belief that he would be drafted by the T’Wolves, even if it was short lived. 😂
This draft marked that period in the NBA where Mike Fratello traded in his Sicilian afro for a Marv Albert inspired hairpiece.
John Calipari fully embraced his Pitino cosplay. Tony Braxton was in the process of breaking up a core in Dallas. Fans witnessed the coming together and subsequent breakup of a Marbury-Garnett 1-2 in 'sota.
John Wallace was the first Karl Kani endorsed NBA player. Iverson played the first half of his rookie year with a fro before the first iteration of his signature rows. Many folks thought Eddie Jones was on the cusp of stardom before Kobe came. The Raptors was the place to get your numbers up before skating. The Grizzlies as a franchise skated to Memphis.
*Sidenote: Marbury should be a Hall of Fame inductee due to his status as a global ambassador of the sport of basketball.*
#40 pick, Marcus Mann won the biggest prize in my eyes.
I've always had mad respect for Ben Wallace. To go from not being drafted to becoming a NBA Champion and member of the HOF is CRAZY!
damn right ✊🏿
I had to fight back tears several times, I'm proud to be a member of one TOP generations to ever grace America. Generation Xers amplified what the boomers started, it's far from over and i hope we continue to make them proud.
Could you imagine if min woulda drafted Kobe and had Kobe and kg in their primes...things worked out for both, but damn
No. This shows how dope Kobe was. He still was selected top 20 in a loaded draft year as a highscooler!
5 Hall Of Famers when you add Ben Wallace
To say this draft shaped the NBA is an understatement, both good and bad!
When basketball was basketball and exciting !!
Yep.
FACTS
No it just ages you, anytime I see a comment like this I know that’s the era they grew up. You think kids today look back at this era as the greatest.
Best era for sure… basketball nowadays is straight trash 🗑 3 point shooting bozos… I barely even watch NBA unless it’s the finals
Forsure
Super nostalgia they had hitters in that draft my high school graduation year what a time to be alive will never be a more legendary decade
Unknown fact. The Raptors won the 1996 draft lottery. They were not allowed to pick #1 due to their expansion agreement with the NBA. So they ended up drafting Marcus Camby at #2.
So wait, that had to be awkward at some point before or after Croce bursting with joy lmao
still a pretty good pick cuz if they drafted AI, then they wouldnt have a spot for Vince and Tmac
@@AirKangLocker AI at point guard. Vince at shooting guard. T-Mac at small forward. The problem would have been Damon Stoudamire who was the franchise point guard. They would have had to trade him.
@@TimWong49152 you know those 3 would not mash well... AI is a shooting first point guard, you need a facilitator like kidd, nash or billups
@@TimWong49152 Tmac did not receive alot of playing time with the Raptors. He got a shot due to Vince Carters impact.
What a difference listening to these guys compared to players today.
Man Iverson took a team of subs to the finals....with just a little help Phi would have been a dynasty....bad front office when you have a mvp, scoring champ year after year and the best you can do is Ratliff, snow, 70 yr old mutumbo and Derrick Coleman? They couldn't even keep Larry Hughes ,the only other talented player, what a waste.
This draft class was literally the changing of the guard literally. Plus these were athletes in my age range, the culture shifted drastically...What a time...
Imagine if TD joined this draft class.. This class is insane 🤯
Jerry West should be protected in the city of LA. Man gave us Kobe.
Lol it can be a debate.., but I don't think nobody knows the game better than Jerry West, most GM go after the best players but Jerry knows how to facilitate a team.., the players he has put together...WOW.
The one thing that made Iverson such a crowd favorite was that he NEVER layed down on the job. To the contrary, he gave everything during every minute of every game. Lots of respect for AI!
Love pastor Manns story. God bless you my brother. We will play ball through out eternity.
Yeah that was crazy never even suited up
This just gave me goosebumps.
I was just thinking how stacked the NCAA was during that time. The tournaments were off the hook!
Hell yeah Georgia Tech UMass Wake Forest
I'm from Va. I seen Bubba Chuck play in high school and was so mad when Ray hit that shot to win the Big East! After all the drama this state put him through as a kid he was suppose to shine!
“I wasn’t ready to deal with that, shame on me” - Larry Brown. Both of their comments on each was tremendous but at same time sad
This is incredible reliving this. I'm a Milwaukean and we won in a Milwaukee fashion.…. hard work.…It was poetry.
You can tell that they were all appreciative of getting a chance to play at the highest level. Players nowadays just take it for granted. These older guys were grateful for their opportunity to join the league. Just a better class of athlete back then.
Allen is funny af. He's like the one person thatr can get aw shucks off every time lmao
36:08 Ray Allen's response was so professional at such a young age.
Crazy how humble Marbury was but then when contract time came he left to go to jersey smh…the wolves would of won a chip kg marbury Googz that was my fav team to watch back then.
😂 right never should've left KG
@Nino Waves, not sure any team with Starbury running the show could have won a title.
The guy was a cancer on and off the floor.
facts
Can argue on many things but John Wallace proved the scouts well... He got so much screen time that he was in the end in the NBA, can name at least 10 better players after him
Everybody happy in the beginning and saying all the right things...😏😏
Watching this it’s tough to see and ponder how many potential Hall of famers over the years weren’t able to break through to the NBA level. This shows how tough the business was and continues to be for so many people. Seeing Ben Wallace given a second chance, goes a long way for those that fall out of the draft.
Imagine if Kevin mcHale would have picked Kobe, and not Ray it would have been KG and Kobe instead of Shaq and Kobe
But who knows maybe the lakers would have got mcgrady or some other good guard the lakers were destined regardless
If Duncan had gone in 96 instead of 97, which he could have and still been #1 overall, the 96 draft would be the GOAT draft. Still had some legendary players, but some of the stars flamed out quick.
35:04 as a Minnesota fan, just imagining KG and Kobe together is insane. We could have been a dynasty for real. Understand why McHale didn't want to take the chance, but man that would have been something to see.
not like they would have had a bigger impact than shaq n kobe kg was great but was not on shaq level at all
besides kg n Marbury was on they're way to becoming something special til Marbury had to fuck it up n demand a trade home back to new york n went to the NJ nets
At that time the raptors had really bad management, isiash thomas was our presadent and wanted Kg to join with carter. Would have been crazy with kg t mac and carter but its a shame our management was bad. I am sure if Kg had been with another star he would have had a much better younger career in minnasota.
Ray Allen my all time fav!!!
Those Zoom Flight '96 on Shareef was fire🔥
Ben Wallace was a beast on the court even just casually taking the ball up for a dunk.
Seeing Kobe unbothered by meeting the commissioner is rich
Marbury with those NYC chains. Nice bracelet he's got on when he shakes Stern's hand
Pausing to comment: Those stories about playing 3rd base the day Cal Ripken sat out and the other guy pitching Ken Griffey's 600th homerun were what really makes the 96 Draft absolutely nuts
Why does everyone forget about Shawn Kemp when they're talking about high school players?
Didn't he go to a community college?
He went to juco entered at 19
Never played.
He didn't declare out of HS
He actually was recruited by Kentucky and during that summer he got caught tryna pawn a stolen gold chain so he transferred to a juco and never played then declared for the draft
Yep the best draft class, I agree. My generation. I was born in 75 and was 21 in 96'.
Koby did go to college online , but because he never played for a college team it never received any press. Can't remember what he studied though.
It was Boston College.
They all did online classes
RIP Jerry West, he did an absolute masterclass this draft.