When the Trail Blazers made this decision, both of them were stunned.
Especially when news came during the draft that the Trail Blazers made a trade to get the ninth pick, after the Dallas Mavericks selected Kobe.
Little O'Neal knew the Trail Blazers would select him with the tenth pick, and his heart couldn't stop pounding.
Was he going to play with Kobe Bryant and start a professional career together?
Would the Trail Blazers select him at the tenth pick, or did they change their minds, because no team would select two high school players consecutively, right?
Little O'Neal found himself in extreme inner turmoil, but fortunately, the time between the ninth and tenth picks was only two minutes, sparing him from long agony.
When David Stern announced, "The Portland Trail Blazers select, from Ouclair High School, Jermaine O'Neal, with the tenth pick," Little O'Neal finally put his restless heart at ease.
