11. Charlotte Hornets trade Kobe Bryant to the Lakers
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With the 13th overall pick in the 1996 draft, the Charlotte Hornets took a gamble on a talented high school kid from Philadelphia named Kobe Bryant. Unfortunately for them, negotiations with the 18-year-old went poorly, and the Hornets decided they were better off trading Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers for center Vlade Divac.
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The Hornets would make a nice playoff run with Divac on the team, but he would leave as a free agent just two seasons later. Bryant, on the other hand, won five NBA championships with the Lakers and developed into one of the best players of all time.
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