- Report: ‘People around the Lakers’ see Zach LaVine as a potential trade target
- Shaquille O’Neal calls out Lakers acquisition of Rui Hachimura: ‘I don’t even know who the f–k that is’
- Report: Fred VanVleet expected to sign with Klutch Sports amid Lakers’ interest in him
- Dennis Schroder says he was ‘very aggressively’ handcuffed by cops who accused him of a stealing a car
- Report: Lakers looking to upgrade from Patrick Beverley
- Phil Handy seemingly compares Rui Hachimura to Kawhi Leonard: ‘Reminds me of this guy I coached in Toronto’
- Report: Dennis Schroder stopped by police in Hollywood after leaving Lakers game
- Report: Lakers, Clippers, Jazz, Pistons and Hornets interested in Caris LeVert
- Chandler Parsons on LeBron James: ‘If they were winning more, he’s my MVP’
- Report: Lakers update injury statuses for Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker and LeBron James vs. Spurs
Jeanie Buss reveals that Kobe Bryant joining Clippers in 2007 was ‘very possible’
- Updated: April 19, 2021
In a new interview, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss indicated that back in 2007, the idea of the late Kobe Bryant leaving to play for the Los Angeles Clippers was “very possible.”
Buss appeared on the “All the Smoke” podcast and was asked by the show’s co-host Stephen Jackson how close Bryant came to joining the Clippers.
“I never had that conversation with Kobe, but there was a game where he wore Clipper colors,” Buss said. “Not even the jersey, he wore the colors. Very subtle. I could see, he loves challenges and that would have been a huge thing, right? So I do think that was something that was very possible.”
At the time, the Clippers were an inconsistent team that never challenged for an NBA title and were often among the worst franchises in the league.
In the end, Bryant chose to stay with the Lakers for a total of 20 years before he retired in 2016. Just two years after he had made his decision to stay with the team, the Lakers won the first of two consecutive NBA titles.
Even before Bryant’s tragic death last year, he had cemented his legacy as an all-time great and Lakers legend. While he no doubt would have remained an NBA legend, a change of heart in 2007 wouldn’t likely have endeared him to the Lakers fan base.