Biggest blunders in LA Clippers draft day history

1. Passing up on an all-time great

The draft-day history of the Clippers isn’t a pretty one. While they’ll be the first ones to admit that countless of their selections were erroneous, their 1996 draft will live on in infamy forever.

During said draft, the Clippers found the obvious talent of Kobe Bryant tantalizing. Behind the scenes, Clippers brass placed a 17-year-old Bryant through a grueling pre-draft workout. The future all-timer dazzled as he slammed home bucket after bucket and knocked countless 3-pointers down, including one left-handed.

Standing with the 7th overall pick in the draft, the Clippers knew that Bryant would be a terrific player but they were unaware and concerned of the public backlash they would receive for drafting a player who was fresh out of high school.

Ultimately, the Clippers would settle upon Lorenzen Wright out of Memphis. As we juxtaposed their careers, there’s simply no debate. Wright would play three seasons with the Clippers, averaging no higher than nine points. Bryant, of course, became one of the game’s all-time greats. In total, Bryant was named to 18 All-Star Games, was a five-time NBA Champ, two-time Finals MVP, former league MVP, and currently sits in the fourth spot on the all-time scoring list.

To make matters worse for the Clippers, Bryant racked up those achievements while playing right next door for the Lakers. He also made sure that he torched them every time they played, averaging 24.9 points per game in 69 career games against the Clippers.