I wish the NBA could back to the days when they could indisputably claim they had the best athletes in the world. Cuban spearheaded the rules change that screwed us all. I'm thinking 1996. Jordan was unquestionably the best athlete in the world. 9 June 1996, Kobe had the best draft workout in the history of sports as a 17 year old.
The consensus greatest pre-draft workout in American sports history belongs to 17-year-old Kobe Bryant during his legendary 1996 session with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Held at the Inglewood YMCA, Lakers General Manager Jerry West originally scheduled the session as a favor to Bryant's agent. To test the high schooler, West matched him up in a 45-minute, one-on-one session against Michael Cooper, a recently retired Lakers defensive legend, former Defensive Player of the Year, and 9-time NBA All-Defensive selection. Bryant dominated the veteran so completely that West famously stopped the session early, stating it was the "greatest workout I've ever seen" and immediately declaring, "He's better than anybody we have on our team right now." This singular workout forced West to orchestrate a trade for the 13th overall pick to secure Bryant, fundamentally altering NBA history.