11/25/2023 0 Comments 1996 lakers roster![]() ![]() where they'd bring the Celtics their 17th championship in 2008.Īllen would go on to become a Hall of Fame player, winning a second title with the Miami Heat and becoming one of the greatest three-point shooters in history. He would eventually get to play with Garnett. Allen would play six-plus years in Milwaukee before being dealt to Seattle. It didn't work out that way as Marbury was unhappy and forced his way out in three years. A year after drafting high schooler Kevin Garnett, the Wolves were pairing him with "Starbury" and setting up for a dynamic point guard-athletic forward duo that could vault the franchise to the next must-see team. Fifteen minutes later, the two would be swapped.Īt the time, Minnesota was the buzzworthy franchise. Soon after, the Minnesota Timberwolves took UConn sharp-shooter Ray Allen. With the fourth pick in the draft, the Milwaukee Bucks selected point guard Stephon Marbury from Georgia Tech. I don't think I have to mention what Big Shot Bob meant to the Lakers dynasty.After Marcus Camby and Sharif Abdur-Rahim went second and third in the draft, one of the biggest deals of the draft occurred. So within one month, the Lakers were able to acquire a guard many consider to be one of the five best players ever, a center many consider to be the most dominant ever, and a cherry on top in the form of Derek Fisher.Īnd if all of that wasn't enough to make the 1996-97 season a memorable one, the Lakers got a late Christmas present when they traded Cedric Ceballos for disgruntled, towel-throwing Robert Horry on January 10th of 97. I've often thought that the birth of my children was something I'll never forget and just the excitement of this, for us to sign him, really ranks right there with it." I called our office a little while ago and the response from bringing Shaquille O'Neal to the Los Angeles Lakers has been one that's unprecedented in our history. "I can't tell you how excited Southern California is today. "This is an incredibly exciting day for the Los Angeles Lakers," Executive Vice President Jerry West said during The Original Decision on TV. Worth mentioning, this deal happened days after the Orlando Sentinel published a poll asking if Shaq was worth $115 million for 7 years 91.3% of voters said "NO!" Then less than a month later, on July 18th of 1996, West worked his magic (no pun intended) on a frustrated Shaquille O'Neal and was able to steal the underrated (yes, he was underrated in Orlando!) 24-year-old center from the Orlando Magic with a 7-year, $120 million deal. They used their 24th pick to draft the fairly unknown Derek Fisher, who would play a giant role as a defensive stopper, leader and clutch playmaker during two stints with the franchise. Drafting arguably the greatest player to ever wear a prestigious Lakers uniform is probably enough to call the summer their best ever but Jerry West wasn't even close to being done. On June 26 of 1996, the Lakers traded flop-master Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets for their 13th pick in the NBA draft, which was used on 18-year-old Kobe Bryant. I have some fond memories of vacations, firsts and events, but as a Shaq and Lakers fanatic in the 90s, I'm going to have to go with the summer of 1996 and I think the Lakers organization will agree.
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