In the eyes of many, Kobe Bryant is the greatest player to ever wear a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. Joining the franchise as a 17-year old out of high school in 1996, fans saw Bryant grow up in front of their eyes over the course of his 20 year career in L.A.
And while there were countless amazing and memorable moments, there were also many rough patches as well with one of them coming in the mid-2000s. Kobe had grown frustrated with the Lakers struggles overall and would demand to be traded.
And not only did that almost happen, but terms were actually agreed upon between the Lakers and Detroit Pistons on a deal. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski appeared on the “Pardon My Take” podcast and noted that everything was in place before Kobe ultimately changed his mind and stuck with the Lakers:
“I’d say Kobe-Pistons, that was close. There was a deal with the Pistons where it was like Tayshaun [Prince], Rip Hamilton and a bunch of picks. They had agreed to it, essentially the two teams, but Kobe had to want to do it. And I think he went to Jerry Buss’ house. Kobe was in that period where like, ‘I want out of here,’ and I think he kind of pulled him back in. That trade was agreed to, like the two teams with the terms. But it was contingent on, the Lakers didn’t want to do it for obvious reasons, and then Kobe just said I don’t want to do this trade. But like it was, I mean think of how different the world would have been if Kobe lands on the Pistons, or the Bulls, or Dallas. That summer they talked with a bunch of teams, they were ready to do it. And looking back, I know he was obviously glad he played his whole career in L.A.”
It is weird to even think about the idea of Bryant being in a uniform that isn’t the Lakers, but it was extremely close to being a reality. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and we all know what would eventually happen.
The Lakers would swing a deal to bring in Pau Gasol and they would team to make three more NBA Finals, winning two more championships and cementing Kobe’s legacy as not only the greatest Lakers player, but one of the greatest NBA players period.
Lakers one of teams ready to make an offer for Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell
The Lakers are always a team built on stars. Years after Kobe Bryant retired, the team signed LeBron James and then traded for Anthony Davis. And the franchise has its eyes on another one of the league’s top guards as well.
They are reportedly one of the teams ready with an offer for Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell should they choose to trade the All-Star this summer.
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