On June 11th, 1996, a Pennsylvania high schooler named Kobe Bean Bryant was selected with the 13th overall pick of the NBA Draft . . . by the Charlotte Hornets. He didn't remain a Hornet for long. Less than a month later, Laker GM Jerry West, who'd become enamored with Bryant following a workout, traded starting center Vlade Divac to Charlotte in exchange for Bryant's rights.

Thirteen years later, Kobe has four championship rings and a pair of MVPs (one regular season, one Finals), and the Hornets are in New Orleans. And for whatever reason, Nike has chosen to exacerbate the Hornet pain with a limited version of the Zoom Kobe IV in Charlotte colors, complete with the Draft date on the back of the ankle collar. Similar to the Jordans in colorways of the teams Mike vanquished in the Finals, this is a shoe that celebrates something most fans would rather forget. What's next, a retro Len Bias signature shoe in Celtics colors? More pictures after the jump. [Via Kix and the City]