Back in 2007, Kobe Bryant really wanted the Lakers to trade him. He wasn't happy with the teammates that he had and was unsure about what the team was going to do in the future. So he demanded that they try and deal him. And they almost did.
According to an interview that Kobe did with Grantland over the weekend, the Lakers came to an agreement with the Pistons. But Kobe—who had given the Lakers a list of teams that he would agree to be traded to—used the no-trade clause that he had in his contract to shut the trade down.
"I said, 'I gave you a list of teams I'm comfortable being traded to. That wasn't one of them. So, no,'" he told Grantland.
Instead, Kobe wanted to be traded to the Bulls. "Chicago was my No. 1 choice," he said.
But that deal didn't work out, either. There was one in place—it would have sent Kobe to Chicago in exchange for Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Ben Gordon, and Joakim Noah—but it didn't end up happening. So Kobe stayed in Los Angeles and that was that. He won two more titles with the team and never regretted not accepting a deal to Detroit.
It's kind of crazy to think what might have happened if he had, though. Can you imagine Kobe playing for the Pistons?
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.
[via Pro Basketball Talk]
