Earlier this week on the “Gil’s Arena” podcast, former NBA stars Gilbert Arenas, Rashad McCants, and others drew a striking parallel between Ace Bailey’s 2025 draft strategy and the Los Angeles Lakers’ move to secure the late Kobe Bryant in 1996.
They detailed that the scenario with Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey is similar to that of Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson in 1996. Referencing how then-Lakers’ head coach Jerry West orchestrated Bryant’s slide to the 13th pick, McCants said:
“This scenario with Cooper and Ace Bailey is the same with Kobe and AI in ’96. Kobe was supposed to go to New Jersey, who ended up getting Kerry Kittles because they wanted someone established and ready to play right away. They didn’t want to take a chance on Kobe. Calipari wanted Kobe, but Jerry West was the only one who knew in the whole draft that Kobe was gonna be something. The (New Jersey Nets) ownership didn’t want Kobe. But Jerry West had it in with the Hornets.”
“Somebody sees something in Ace Bailey they like to look, Copper is gone, that’s AI, he’s gonna be number one pick, but we feel like this dude is better than him,” McCants added, suggesting a team might have manipulated the draft to land Bailey, believing he’s a generational talent.
The 1996 NBA Draft class produced talents such as Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, Allen Iverson, and Steve Nash, to name a few. The Charlotte Hornets selected Bryant as the 13th overall pick, but he was traded to the Lakers for center Vlade Divac in a deal organized by Jerry West. McCants emphasized that West was the only one in the draft who knew that Kobe was going to be a hit.
The Lakers, with the 24th pick, faced a challenge. High school prospects were rare and risky at the time, with Kevin Garnett’s 1995 success only beginning to shift perceptions. West needed Bryant to slide past the top teams. The New Jersey Nets, picking eighth, were a threat, as coach John Calipari wanted Bryant.
However, wary of high schoolers, Nets ownership opted for Villanova’s Kerry Kittles, a safer choice who averaged 16.4 points as a rookie.
Reports indicated that Bryant’s agent, Arn Tellem, had discouraged the Nets, with the star threatening to play in Italy if selected. West’s deal with Charlotte, finalized pre-draft, saw the Hornets pick Bryant at No. 13, knowing they’d later trade him for Divac.
Ace Bailey’s Draft Journey and Utah’s Bold Bet
Projected as a top-five pick, Ace Bailey, a 6’8” wing from Rutgers, entered the 2025 draft as one of the debate subjects. Arenas’ podcast, which was recorded hours before the draft, speculated that a team might see him as a hidden gem, similar to West’s view of Bryant.
Arenas compared Bailey to Bryant and Duke’s Cooper Flagg to Iverson, the 1996 No. 1 pick. Bailey’s draft night reiterates the same narrative, though his slide was less dramatic than Bryant’s.
Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in his lone Rutgers season, shooting 46% from the field and 34.6% from three. He declined workouts with teams like Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Utah, reportedly preferring teams outside the top five, such as Washington or Brooklyn.
The strategy is similar to Bryant’s camp allegedly discouraging the Nets in 1996, but Bailey’s scenario backfired, as Utah still chose him. Utah’s decision to draft him without a workout can be said to mirror West’s faith in Bryant, but clearly in an entirely different context.
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