On July 11, 1996, the Los Angeles Lakers officially completed a trade with the Charlotte Hornets to acquire the late great Kobe Bryant.
Bryant first came onto the Lakers’ radar during his pre-draft workouts in L.A. that famously impressed general manager and Lakers legend Jerry West.
The only problem though was that the Lakers did not have a lottery pick and needed to complete a trade to acquire Bryant, which is where the Hornets came into play.
It’s no secret that the Lakers were courting free-agent center Shaquille O’Neal at the time, but in order to sign him, they have to clear some salary-cap space.