Jerry West has long been getting praise for helping the Los Angeles Lakers identify Kobe Bryant as the superstar talent that he was. But according to the logo himself, the move was basically handed to him on a silver platter.
The Lakers legend was the latest guest on Getcha Popcorn Ready with T.O. & Hatch, where he spoke candidly about how he knew Kobe Bryant was something special mainly because of his maturity and intelligence. But instead of taking the credit for the trade that eventually landed the Mamba, he claims it was everyone else who messed up instead.
“Everyone wants to credit me,” said West. “They don't need to credit me. It's the other people in the league. I cannot believe, to this day they would pass a talent like that. I cannot.”
This is certainly a backhanded deflection of praise, if there were such a thing. Jerry West is basically calling every other team out for whiffing on a can't-miss prospect that he claims was so obvious, at least to his eyes. So in a way, he still deserves that credit, right?
The Lakers icon pointed out that this lapse in judgment for generational talent still happens to this day, citing Dallas Mavericks wunderkind Luka Doncic as the modern day example.
“And we see it happen. Luka Doncic what was he, the fifth player in the draft? Oh my god. I can't believe that someone let him go. I can't. He was a unique kid at 15 years of age. He was competing against men in Europe. But not competing – excelling.”
There will always be awful misses during NBA draft day. That will never go away. Lakers fans can take solace in the fact that they were on the winning end of one of the greatest lapses in NBA history.
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