Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant watches a Miami Heat free throw in their NBA basketball game in Miami, Florida January 19, 2012. (Photo : Reuters/Andrew Innerarity)
Kobe Bryant played his last game in the Valley of the Suns on Wednesday, losing to Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns 119-107. There's no denying it was an emotional game for Bryant after going through intense rivalry with the Suns throughout his illustrious career. But how about this, did you know that Kobe almost played for the Suns had the Lakers approved the proposed trade being pushed by Phil Jackson 16 years ago?
Jackson, who won five championships with Kobe in Los Angeles, revealed in his 2004 book that he attempted to trade Bryant at least a couple times. The first one was during his first year with the Lakers, as he lobbied the management to trade the budding star for arguably the best playmaker at that time, Jason Kidd and versatile power forward Shawn Marion.
'He [Jackson] sought to trade him to the Phoenix Suns for Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion in the 1999-00 season. But then-general manager Jerry West told Jackson that owner Jerry Buss would never trade the Laker star, he wrote in his diary. Jackson said he was told the same thing last season," per report by USA Today.
Despite his immense talent, Jackson wasn't a fan of Bryant's lone wolf attitude. Moreover, the Zen Master preferred to have a point guard-center combo, rather than a volume-shooting star playing alongside another ball-dominant center in O'Neal. Things ended up well for the organization as the Lakers racked up three consecutive championships with O'Neal and Bryant leading the way from 2000 to 2003.
Unfortunately, Bryant and O'Neal ultimately ceased to co-exist a year later, paving the way for the departure of the big man to the Miami Heat and Jackson to retirement.
After a one-year hiatus, Jackson returned to the sideline in 2006 and few years later guided the new-look Lakers (Bryant and Pau Gasol at its core) to two more championships in 2009 and 2010.
Bryant, 38, has announced his retirement at the end of his 20th season, while Jackson is now the president of basketball operation for the New York Knicks.
