Armel TRAORE of Blois during the French Betclic Elite Basketball match between Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 and Abeille des Aydes Blois Basket at Salle Marcel Cerdan on October 21, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Emma da Silva/Icon Sport via Getty Images) (Photo by Emma da Silva/Icon Sport via Getty Images)

Armel Traore Grew Up Kobe Bryant Fan

Originally posted on Lakers Nation | By Matt Peralta | Last updated Jul 1, 2024 9:34 AM ET

The 2024 NBA Draft has come and gone and the Los Angeles Lakers were pegged as winners of the two-day event.

First, the Lakers wound up standing pat and taking Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 pick, a surprising turn of events given that the sharpshooting wing was expected to go in the top-10. Knecht’s age and defensive struggles reportedly led to him falling down the board, though Los Angeles had no problem selecting him.

On Day 2, the Lakers made the expected move to draft Bronny James with the No. 55 pick. Bronny’s agent Rich Paul actively deterred teams from taking the young guard and now he’ll get a chance to suit up next to LeBron James during the 2024-25 season.

After the draft ended, Los Angeles then quickly came to agreements with Armel Traore and Blake Hinson as they signed them to two-way contracts. A few days after his signing was announced, Traore revealed he grew up watching Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and expressed how excited he is to get to work via, his personal X account:

I grew up as Kobe fan
Now it’s time for me to start my journey in the NBA with this amazing franchise and fans @Lakers Appreciate you for the opportunity I’m ready
I’m so blessed and thankful Al Hamdoulilah for everything
Let’s get to work !#RIPGPA 111-14 #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/nAYRqqQb0f

— Armel Traoré (@Armel_Traor35) June 30, 2024

Traore is currently 21 years old, which means he got to watch Bryant at the peak of his powers and towards the end of his career. During the latter stages of Bryant’s run in Los Angeles, the team won two championships which must’ve been inspiring for someone like Traore to see.

The France native is an interesting prospect to watch out for as he’s got good size at 6’9″ and is a versatile defender, though the outside shooting is a work in progress. However, two-way contract players are typically gambles anyway so using a spot on someone like Traore is worthwhile.

Traore and the rest of the undrafted free agents the Lakers signed will get their shot to prove their worth once the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League roll around.

Quincy Olivari, Mohamed Diarra and Sean East II signed Exhibition-10 contracts with Lakers

Aside from Traore and Hinson, Los Angeles also came to agreements with Quincy Olivari, Mohamed Diarra and Sean East II on Exhibition-10 contracts. These players will be on the Lakers’ Summer League roster and will also be present for training camp.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Lakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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