When we think of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant’s image simultaneously comes to our mind. Such was the impact of the Mamba on fans of the glorious franchise.
Kobe spent 20 years in the league and he was part of the Purple & Gold in each and every season of his career. During his stint with the legendary franchise, Bryant helped the Lakers in winning five NBA Championships.
Additionally, being one of the most popular athletes in the world meant a lot of business off the court for the Lakers as well. All things considered, getting Kobe to play for them was one of the best things that ever happened for the Purple & Gold.
But this great partnership between the two sides could’ve been ruined way back in 1999. Yes, it was recently revealed that the Lakers almost traded Kobe Bryant to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Grant Hill. In fact, the Lakers’ then head coach Phil Jackson almost approved it since Kobe wasn’t that big of a superstar at that time.
Anyway, the trade fell apart, and what we witnessed was Bryant’s legacy with the Lakers. Speaking of the trade, Grant Hill recently shared his side of the story about that potential blockbuster trade in an interview.
“There’s so much stuff out there nowadays that I don’t know if that’s entirely true or not. I was a pending free agent. And you would think if they [the Lakers] were really seriously going to trade for me, they would wanna know If I would re-sign with them [the Pistons] and this being the L.A. Lakers. So I never heard that, I don’t remember that. It could’ve been the case. But it sounds that maybe Phil Jackson might have been interested in the idea but nothing ever came off it further than him sort of maybe pushing for it.”
These potential trade talks came after the relationship between Phil Jackson and Kobe was sour for a while. The reason for it was that Jackson didn’t believe at the time Bryant was ready to start for the team. And Kobe was unwilling to take on a bench role.
Fortunately, the two sorted out their differences and went on to win three consecutive NBA Championships together. But what if Jackson had traded Bryant for Hill? Well, that’s something we will never find an answer to.
