In an alternate universe, the Black Mamba could have donned the blue and orange of the New York Knicks. While Kobe Bryant is forever etched in the legacy of the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five NBA championships during his legendary 20-season run, a recent revelation has NBA fans buzzing about what could have been.
Wojnarowski Unveils the Knicks Scenario
The credible Adrian Wojnarowski, basketball’s premier insider, dropped a bombshell during a recent appearance on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast. He recalled a conversation with Kobe where the Lakers icon expressed a keen desire to finish his career with the Knicks.
“At one point, he was convinced he was going to end up with the New York Knicks,” Wojnarowski shared. “This was when Jim Buss was running the show in L.A. I remember sitting with Kobe in Orange County—Tim Grover (his personal trainer, ed.) was with us—and he said, ‘They’re going to cut me, no one is going to pick me up off the waiver wire, and I’m going to sign with the Knicks.’”
Kobe’s Love for L.A., But a Glimpse of the Garden
Woj continued, detailing how he reassured Kobe that cutting him would send the Lakers fans into a frenzy. “Kobe loved the Lakers, and in the end, that’s where he wanted to be, but he did sometimes envision himself as a Knick; he adored Madison Square Garden,” Wojnarowski reminisced.
The Winds of Change: 2011 – 2016
The conversation took place during the tail-end of Bryant’s illustrious Lakers tenure, a time fraught with challenges, including the infamous Achilles tendon tear he suffered in 2013. Before that devastating injury, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban suggested the Lakers should utilize the Amnesty Clause to create cap space, as Kobe held the heftiest salary in the league, limiting the team’s flexibility.
A Controversial Contract Extension
Even after a lengthy recovery, Bryant managed to score a two-year contract extension worth nearly $49 million, a deal that raised eyebrows given his decline following the injury and his advancing age (35 years).
What Might Have Been
While Woj didn’t explicitly connect the dots, it’s easy to speculate that this was the period when Kobe entertained the idea of jumping ship to New York. Notably, legendary coach Phil Jackson joined the Knicks as team president in 2014, and Carmelo Anthony—one of Kobe’s favorite players—was lighting up the scoreboard in The Big Apple.
Warning Knicks fans: Kobe ALMOST came to New York 💔 pic.twitter.com/L6g0QuZwbe
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) December 5, 2024
Strained Ties and Leadership Decisions
It’s important to note that Kobe’s relationship with Jim Buss, who was involved in Lakers management during the early 2010s, was not without its tensions. Bryant was particularly critical of Buss’s coaching decisions, which included rejecting the return of Phil Jackson in favor of Mike Brown in 2011 and Mike D’Antoni in 2012, often without consulting Kobe. Rumors swirled that Buss was even open to trading Kobe to hand the reins to Andrew Bynum.
Source: Adrian Wojnarowski (Carmelo Anthony podcast)
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