Kobe Bryant was Close to Joining the Clippers, Says Jerry West
Follow Us
With so many stories about Kobe Bryant coming up since his sad demise in a helicopter crash, one of the more shocking ones came up on Tuesday. Talking on Inside the NBA, former Los Angeles Lakers player and current executive member with the Los Angeles Clippers, Jerry West, revealed that Kobe was close to joining the Clippers.
“I remember when he was going to leave the Lakers, and I’ve never really mentioned this to anyone, he was going to come and sign with the Clippers, who I’m now involved with as a consultant,” West said in NBA on TNT’s show.
However, West also said that it was he who stopped Bryant from making the move which now seems difficult to imagine.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“I told him, ‘Kobe, under no circumstances, can you do this,'” West said. “And he was mad at everyone, the Lakers, the owner, everyone else. I said ‘Kobe you can’t go play with the Clippers. You can’t play for that owner, period.’ We had two conversations about it.”
Jerry West on Kobe potentially joining the Clippers. pic.twitter.com/3JOhjdaV4n
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 29, 2020
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Kobe Bryant was like a son to Jerry West
Although Bryant joined the Lakers long after Jerry West had retired, the duo had a special relationship between them. On the day of Kobe’s tragic death, West talked about the how much he would miss Bryant.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“I’m trying to put my thoughts together and it’s really difficult,” West told The Athletic. “He’s 17 years old, and my son, Ryan, would be driving him around town to places. “(Bryant) would be at our house, there eating — and the growth of him as a player, the frustrations he had because he was so talented that he wasn’t really ready to play the NBA game because of the nuances of the game, and just trying to keep in touch with him all the time, trying to say hello to him, ask him how he’s doing, trying to find out if there’s anything we could do as a Laker franchise for him to make it easier.
Trending
Shaq Warns Lakers Locker Room Of Jeanie Buss Game Plan If Darvin Ham & Co Fail Vs Nuggets
April 24, 2024 09:42 PM EDT
Heat Injury Report: Latest On Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson Ahead of Game 2 vs Celtics
April 24, 2024 02:46 PM EDT
“So Rigged”: All Hell Breaks Loose as Jamal Murray Forces LeBron James’ Lakers Into Bitter Embarrassment
April 23, 2024 06:21 AM EDT
Marcus Takes Eyes Away From GF Larsa Pippen to Acknowledge Father Michael Jordan’s Talladega Victory
April 22, 2024 09:33 PM EDT
Billionaire Michael Jordan’s $61 Million Arrival in Talladega Saw Unusual Absence of Wife Yvette Prieto
April 22, 2024 03:36 PM EDT
Get instantly notified of the hottest NBA stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.
Follow Us
“He was so smart, and so grounded. … He would seek a lot of information. To watch him grow as a player, and to watch the incredible skill, incredible desire that he had to play the game.”