See Kobe Bryant really did want to be a Sixer.

Philadelphia fans have given Lakers star Kobe Bryant a hard time for years - the perception has always been that he didn't want to play for the Sixers and would rather play in LA and be a Laker.

Not so fast.

According to an article in today's Washington Post, Kobe wanted the Sixers to draft him back in 1996 when they had the first pick in the draft.

“A little bit. But I was really upset the Sixers didn’t take me No. 1 in ’96. Because I’m in their back yard. I was a little [bitter] about that. Still am a little bit. I’m a competitor, right? They viewed Allen [Iverson] as being a better player than me, so that was something that always fueled me.”

As we know, the Sixers went with Allen Iverson with the top pick in the 1996 NBA draft - the two faced off in the 2000 NBA Finals with Bryant's Lakers getting the better of Iverson's Sixers.

So Sixers fans, should the Sixers have taken Kobe with the top pick or was Iverson the right choice?

Hindsight is always 20/20....

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