Arn Tellem: Unlike every other draftee who wanted to be picked as high as possible, Kobe was more concerned with where he’d wind up. His dream was to play for the fabled Lakers, which I did my best to accommodate. Basically, I kept other teams from picking Kobe by not giving their coaches access to him. I knew teams would be reluctant to take a chance on a high schooler without first talking to him and working him out. On draft day, Kobe was picked 13th overall by Charlotte and shortly thereafter traded to the Lakers. In the 1996-97 season, he was the second-youngest player in NBA history. He would go on to become the youngest All-Star in league history in his second season.