Last Updated on September 4, 2024 by Mathew Diekhake

The 1996 NBA Draft is the one with the best draft class. It featured Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Stephon Marbury, and Steve Nash among other notable players. Here is the full list and where they were drafted:

1. Allen Iverson
2. Marcus Camby
3. Shareef Abdur-Rahim
4. Stephon Marbury
5. Ray Allen
6. Antoine Walker
7. Lorenzen Wright
8. Kerry Kittles
9. Samaki Walker
10. Erick Dampier
11. Todd Fuller
12. Vitaly Potapenko
13. Kobe Bryant
14. Peja Stojaković
15. Steve Nash
16. Tony Delk
17. Jermaine O’Neal
18. John Wallace
19. Walter McCarty
20. Žydrūnas Ilgauskas
21. Dontae Jones
22. Roy Rogers
23. Efthimios Rentzias
24. Derek Fisher
25. Martin Müürsepp
26. Jerome Williams
27. Brian Evans
28. Priest Lauderdale
29. Travis Knight

The most surprising name on the list is Jermaine O’Neal who was drafted 17th. I think if most people who followed the NBA didn’t know where Jermaine O’Neal was drafted, they would assume he was at least a top 5 pick. For him to not even be in the first half of the draft is very strange.

It’s somewhat understandable that Steve Nash was drafted as late as he was because he’s known for getting his success in the NBA from hard work rather than showing a lot of talent before being in the NBA. Nash also grew up a soccer fan and didn’t start playing basketball until he was a teenager (I think age 14 if my memory is correct).

Kobe Bryant is the biggest name on the list. The more I study Kobe’s game, the more I think he may have been as good as Michael Jordan. He certainly had a work ethic that matched Jordan’s.

My favorite player in this draft is actually Ray Allen, as I enjoyed watching him more than Kobe. Allen was the epitome of a basketball player. If every basketball player could be Ray Allen, I’d never get tired of watching the sport.

My second favorite player in this draft class is Allen Iverson. Both Ray Allen and Allen Iverson are in my top five favorite players to watch play basketball. Iverson was great because he could create any shot he wanted. There may not have been a better shot creator than Iverson — he literally had the freedom to do what he wanted whenever he wanted.