Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West dropped an eye-opening admission about Kobe Bryant and the Memphis Grizzlies. West said that when Bryant became a free agent in 2004, he wanted to join the Grizzlies, via Podcast P with Paul George presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment.
"I met [Kobe Bryant and Rob Pelinka] in a hotel room in Orange County… Kobe said he wanted to come to Memphis and play basketball."
Jerry West said Mamba wanted to play for the Grizzlies after becoming a free agent in 2004😯
(via @PodcastPShow)pic.twitter.com/95Zkr0TfmB
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 12, 2023
“He became a free agent. Ok? And he called me and his agent then was Rob Pelinka. And so I met them in Orange County in a hotel room and he said he wanted to come to Memphis and play basketball. And I looked at him, I said, are you kidding me? And he said no, and I said, Kobe, no, no. You know, it's just you belong somewhere out here. And even though he would have never played there, I just want to reassure him that don't feel like you have any obligation with me or the Grizzlies to play here and because he would have never played there, it wasn't gonna happen.”
Quite the story from Jerry West, one that could have changed the trajectory of NBA basketball forever. Kobe Bryant will forever be engrained in Lakers lore, so the fact that it was a possibility that he left Los Angeles to go play for the Grizzlies is an enticing headline.
In the end, it is great for basketball that Kobe Bryant stayed with the Lakers. Like West, he played for arguably the most iconic franchise with the Lakers and brought home NBA Finals rings, and he wouldn't have done nearly the same in growing the game if he had played in Memphis. It is a tantalizing alternate history to consider, but NBA fans are certainly glad that Bryant stayed with the Lakers.
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