second place in Coach of the Year voting. However, in the Eastern Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Hornets were swept by the New York Knicks in three straight games. The Hornets led the NBA in home-game attendance for the eighth, and final time during their history in Charlotte. They also had the best three-point percentage in NBA history shooting 42.8% from beyond the arch. Following the season, Pierce re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Milwaukee Bucks during the next season, and Smith was released to free agency. NBA Draft In the 1996 NBA Draft, the Hornets selected Kobe Bryant with the 13th overall pick. Before he was chosen by the Hornets, the 17-year-old Bryant had made a lasting impression on then-Lakers general manager Jerry West, who immediately foresaw potential in Bryant's basketball ability during pre-draft workouts. West even went on to state that Bryant's workouts were some of the best he had seen. Immediately after the draft, Dave Cowens expressed that the Hornets had no use for him. Fifteen days later, West traded his starting center, Vlade Divac to the Hornets for the young Kobe Bryant. Roster Roster Notes Power forward Tom Chambers was waived on April 8. Regular season Season standings Record vs. opponents Game log Regular season |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | November 2, 1996 | Toronto | W 109–98 | | | | Charlotte Coliseum | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | November 3, 1996 | @ New York | L 86–113 | | | | Madison Square Garden | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | November 6, 1996 | L.A. Lakers | W 88–78 | | | | Charlotte Coliseum | 2–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | November 8, 1996 | @ Washington | W 102–87 | | | | US Airways Arena | 3–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 5 | November 9, 1996 | Milwaukee | L 98–100 | | | | Charlotte Coliseum | 3–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 6 | November 12, 1996 | @ Miami | L 72–93 | | | | Miami Arena | 3–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 7 | November 14, 1996 | @ Orlando | L 89–96 | | | | Orlando Arena | 3–4 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 8 | November 15, 1996 | Chicago | L 87–110 | | | | Charlotte Coliseum | 3–5 |-