The Los Angeles Lakers have had many legendary players don the iconic Purple and Gold jersey in the rich history of the franchise. Even among those, Kobe Bryant is regarded as one of the best players to play for the Lakers.
He spent his entire 20-year-old long career with the Lakers and even helped them win five NBA Championships. But Kobe’s time with the Lakers wasn’t all smooth. In fact, in 2007, Bryant demanded a trade from the Lakers due to not having an ideal supporting cast around him. NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith had a radio interview with Kobe to help the fans in learning what was going on inside the brain of the Mamba
“What about their notion that you’re locked in for at least the next two years before you can actually opt out, and there’s really nothing you can do about that? What do you say in response to people who say you’re not going anywhere; you will stay in Los Angeles and you will be playing for the Los Angeles Lakers next season?” Smith asked.
“You know what, I just want them to do the right thing, Kobe said. “Do the right thing, man. They know what they did. You know what I mean? They know the situation that they painted. You know what I mean? Do the right thing, man. Do the right thing. You know you was trying to rebuild. You told me something different. I re-signed because of what you promised me. You know the blame that you’ve cast upon me. You know that stuff. They know that stuff. So, just step up, do the right thing.”
Bryant’s frustration with the Los Angeles Lakers at the time can be gauged by Smith’s next question and Kobe’s answer to it.
“With that being said, since you said there’s really nothing they can do, you want them to do the right thing, and the right thing in your mind is to be traded, is there a particular team that you have a preference to go to?” Smith wondered.
“Not really, man. At this point, I’ll go play on Pluto right now. You know what I mean? I just want to — I just want to work hard, I just want to play, just enjoy the game of basketball, you know.”
Having a disgruntled superstar on the team can do no good for any franchise in the NBA. Moreover, when the face of the league publically demands a trade, it is always a huge thing.
Following Bryant’s trade request, the Lakers were offered a blockbuster trade offer by the Chicago Bulls. However, the Lakers rejected it, and in hindsight, it turned out to be a great decision.
Kobe Bryant Almost Played For The Chicago Bulls
As we mentioned earlier, Kobe Bryant was one of the biggest superstars in the NBA in 2007. It was a golden opportunity for any team in the league to instantly become title contenders.
The Chicago Bulls realized that opportunity and approached the Lakers for a trade. Although the trade was later rejected, Bryant once revealed that he was sure that he would get traded to the Bulls.
“See I didn’t get any of that, cause we were looking for homes. We were actually looking for homes in Chicago, researching schools, places to live. … Yeah. There was a story in ESPN, I think it was ESPN Magazine, and they asked you a question about me and Penny. And you said we were essentially the same. And I looked at that and said, uh, ‘no, we’re not.'”
Had Bryant joined the Bulls in 2007, it would have shifted the entire power balance in the league. The Lakers pulled the trigger at the perfect time and got Kobe some much-needed help.
Bryant paid off the effort by leading the Lakers to back-to-back NBA titles in 2009 and 2010. Unfortunately, that was the last time fans saw Bryant win an NBA Championship. He later retired from the league in 2016 after completing 20 amazing years in the NBA.
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