Back in the 90s, when Jerry West the Los Angeles Lakers GM, there was a theory about the team signing Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen to team up with their two superstars, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. At that time, rumors suggested Pippen wanted to be traded to the Lakers after the 99′ season following a tumultuous stint with the Houston Rockets.
Well, according to West himself, that never was a real possibility for the team. Talking with Bill Oram and Jason Quick of The Athletic, the Logo explained he always admired Pippen, but bringing him to the Lakers was not part of his plans during his time with the franchise.
“There wasn’t one conversation in my mind about him,” West revealed. “I’ve always admired Scottie Pippen as a player. But listen, we did fine. OK? We did fine.”
During the 99′ season, the Lakers were defeated by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semi-finals, but they bounced back the next campaign, becoming one of the most memorable teams in the association in recent times. The Purple and Gold won three straight titles, dominating the league with Kobe and Shaq leading them.
In the end, they did fine, as West said, and everything happened without landing Pippen. It was never an option for them and things went just fine for the Californians without Scottie. Pippen would become a Lakers assistant coach during training camp under Phil Jackson later, but that’s it, he never was close to wearing the Purple and Gold.
