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Jerry West admits he could have signed Kobe Bryant to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2003, but told the late Lakers legend ‘no’ because he belonged in LA
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Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Jerry West made an admission that he could have signed Kobe Bryant to the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2003 offseason.
Bryant briefly tested free agency before inking a seven-year, $136.4 million deal with the Lakers following the departures of head coach Phil Jackson and Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal.Â
‘He became a free agent, and his agent then was [current Lakers executive] Rob Pelinka. So, I met them in Orange County in a hotel room and he said he wanted to come to Memphis and play basketball,’ West said while appearing on the Podcast P with Paul George show.
‘I looked at him and said, ”Are you kidding me?” and he said ”No” and I said ”Kobe, no, no,’ West continued. ‘You belong somewhere out here [in LA], okay?” And even though he would’ve never played [in Memphis], I wanted to reassure him that you don’t feel like you have any obligation with me or the Grizzlies to play here.’
West was the Lakers general manager when the team traded for Bryant’s draft rights before the 1996-97 season, which he seemingly alluded to when mentioning Bryant had no obligation to continue playing for him.
Jerry West recently admitted that he could have signed Kobe Bryant to the Memphis Grizzlies
Bryant had tested free agency during 2003 before he re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers
West (L) was responsible for the draft day trade in which the Lakers acquired Bryant in 1996
‘I guess, in some sense, that might’ve been tampering. I didn’t look at it as tampering because he was at our house all the time. He ate at my house a lot. I felt more like a father figure with him. I had a wonderful relationship with him.’
In 2002 West was named GM of the Grizzlies, a year before Bryant’s brief free agency which also saw him the late Lakers star decline an offer from the LA Clippers worth $100-million over six years.
Bryant’s stance having had potentially joined the Grizzlies may never be known, following his tragic passing in a helicopter accident back in 2020, however the legacy he built in LA remains one of the greatest in the game’s history.
During his career the 18-time All-Star averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game.
