The fact that 13 teams (including the Charlotte Hornets) passed on Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in the 1996 NBA Draft will always be remembered as one of the biggest draft mistakes in league history despite all the other notable names picked ahead of him. While Bryant's illustrious career is widely celebrated, whatever happened to the man who was picked just before him? The answer lies with the Cleveland Cavaliers and their selection of Ukrainian big man Vitaly Potapenko.
Why did the Cavs Select Vitaly Potapenko?
The Cavs found themselves in a unique position during the 1996 NBA Draft. They made the playoffs for five consecutive seasons (eight out of their last nine), but never made it past the second round. The only reason they acquired the rights to the No.12 pick in the first place was because they made a trade before the start of the 1995-96 season with the Washington Wizards where they had to give up veteran Mark Price.
Considering their lack of success in the postseason, the last thing they wanted to do was to pick a high school player like Kobe Bryant who presumably needed time to develop. Instead, their focus was on finding a player who could make an immediate impact, particularly in a supporting role. Since Potapenko had two years of professional basketball experience in Ukraine before heading to the US for college, this strategy led them to take the 6-foot-10 center.
The Cavs believed his size and skills would provide much-needed depth at the center position, especially since their starting center was heading into unrestricted free agency.
Did the player drafted ahead of Kobe Bryant ever live up to the hype?
Unfortunately, Potapenko's stint with the Cavaliers was not what the team expected. In his first two seasons as a backup, he averaged under eight points and less than five rebounds per game. By the middle of his third season, Potapenko was shipped to the Boston Celtics.
On a team in the middle of a rebuild, the move to Boston offered Potapenko a fresh start. With lesser expectations, he found more opportunities to showcase his abilities. For a brief period, it seemed like Potapenko might even revive his career. However, as the Celtics began to emerge as contenders in the East, his role diminished. Over his 11-year career, he'd only play for two more teams after the Celtics: the Seattle Supersonics from 2002 to 2005 and the Sacramento Kings from 2006 to 2007.
What did Vitaly Potapenko do after his career in the NBA?
After retiring in 2007, Potapenko transitioned into coaching two years later. He began his coaching career as an assistant with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in 2009. After one season, he was added to the Indiana Pacers coaching staff. After a few one-year stints as an assistant for different G-league teams, Potapenko finally got his big break. When he returned to Cleveland as a player development coach, he worked on the team from 2013 to 2019.
In 2019, Potapenko joined the Memphis Grizzlies coaching staff and still works for them as of 2024. His career as a player may not have panned out, but his future as a coach remains to be written.
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