Kobe Bryant had the possibility to join a potential powerhouse right before he finally called it quits, retiring from the NBA after 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The perennial scorer revealed during an interview with Alex Kennedy on The HoopsHype Podcast that his old friend, Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers, didn't hesitate to roll out an informal offer before he laced them up for good.
“Not seriously,” Bryant said while laughing. “I’ve known Bob Myers, the (general manager) over at Golden State, forever… My last All-Star game we had a chance to catch up, as we were staying at the same hotel. I got a chance to tell him congratulations on everything and he said ‘Hey listen, if there’s any chance you want to change your mind and play another year, you can always come here.’ But it’s all tongue-in-cheek, man.”
The Warriors once passed on Bryant during the NBA Draft, picking Todd Fuller out of North Carolina State in 1996, while the high school phenom Bryant went 13th overall to the Charlotte Hornets, right above shooting star Peja Stojakovic and two-time MVP Steve Nash.
As fate would have it, Bryant would then get traded to the Lakers and etch himself into the history books as a lifelong franchise icon — a distinction he wouldn't throw away, despite Myers' friendly offer.
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