He had this -- forget desire -- he just didn't want to stop playing. It was a very pedestrian performance. It was just the opposite. That mentality was something he had from day one, and you saw it in this workout. But not for long. It was probably 30 years out of date. Ryan West: In Kobe's last year, after he had announced he was retiring, I was with the Lakers and we were still at our old practice facility where we had copies of all our pre-draft workouts. Bryant did not back down. Black: Kobe never backed down from anyone, even at age 17. These guys didn't take Kobe all that serious until he started lighting them up, and you could tell they had no idea what they had gotten themselves into until probably halfway through the workout. Back in 2017, West said on ESPN’s “The Jump” that he “wished” he would be replaced. I'd like to be a movie star, too. In a hurry I found out that 40 and 17 don't go together on the court. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. He wanted to see him do other things rather than just tear the rim down every time. I wanted a copy of his workout as a keepsake just for a moment in time, a piece of NBA history, something that I participated in that I would love to share with my own family one day. Ryan West, son of Jerry West, Lakers front office, 2009-2019: The Inglewood YMCA was not the nicest gym in the world. He had that orange hoodie on. ESPN - David Fleming • 26d. The Lakers had the No. This Subway had an outdoor seating area that was a little more private because Jerry couldn't really go many places in L.A. Kobe was fine. Stern returned to his podium in front of two larger-than-life NBA logos -- the silhouettes of Jerry West himself -- and announced: "With the eighth pick in the 1996 NBA draft, the New Jersey Nets select ... Kerry Kittles from Villanova University." The trade went through on July 11. Afterward, Nixon walked up to his old friend and whispered, "The kid just kicked your ass.". He was a basketball genius. Jerry West: After we got Shaq, one of the first things I told him was, "We have one of the best young players in the league already and he's going to be a huge star.". But the truth is Kobe was so dominant and relentless (at one point he hit 12 shots in a row from the baseline) the workout never even got competitive enough to become contentious. After workouts each team is responsible for the player's travel. I was aware of his father and I was very aware of Kobe's story, but [drafting guards out of high school] just wasn't in vogue at the time. Knowing both teams were high on Bryant, there was a slight exhale when Boston took Antoine Walker and the Clips selected Lorenzen Wright. What unfolded over the next 45 minutes inside the Inglewood YMCA still leaves most NBA insiders grasping for words 25 years later. It was early June 1996, on the morning of his now-legendary pre-draft workout in Los Angeles, when a skinny, smiley Bryant, then 17, stepped out of the swanky Shutters on the Beach resort in Santa Monica, California, with his favorite basketball tucked under his arm. Larry Bird is on record saying Cooper was the most difficult guy he ever played against in his career, the toughest guy to ever defend him. Spots, and the angles you take to get there, are so important in basketball. I told him, "You're just too damn old and this guy, he's just too damn good." I was so embarrassed. Because the Lakers weren't picking until 24th in the draft, his priority to that point had been trying to lure free agent Shaquille O'Neal from Orlando to Los Angeles. Someone asked him what he thought that day and his line always stuck with me. Bobby Marks, current ESPN analyst, Nets front office, 1995-2015: Back then you were allowed to have NBA players with three years or less of experience work out with draft prospects. Ryan West: Taking Kobe back to his hotel the second time it all just seemed like the perfect marriage. Regardless of who Kobe worked out against, he was going to be the best player on the floor. My dad wanted to see players put in situations they would find themselves in during NBA games. But I'm blessed with a great memory and I drove him to the workouts and I remember it like it was yesterday. Cooper: When I did force him to take a bad shot, he'd just smile and shoot me that eye of the tiger. So now the NBA rep is standing right next to me and there's 10 seconds left and he wants to know who our pick is -- and in my other ear I can still hear all the people around Jerry saying Jerome Williams, Jerome Williams, Jerome Williams. Ever. And him being in Los Angeles and being a Laker, it all made too much sense. Jerry requested that he get to an exact spot, say, at the elbow, every time. He was the first workout. They were either talking about, or playing, video games. The Celtics and Clippers had the sixth and seventh picks. Michael was playing his best and Kobe just had his way with him. It was just Father Time. I don't know where they are. Heisler: I was in Chicago for the draft combine that year and I walked into the Chicago Marriott and I looked up and saw Kobe on the mezzanine level, standing by himself looking down into the hotel lobby. There are days that will live forever in the sports world, and this was one. West, however, had a plan. Baseball lost the Chicago Cubs second baseman Ken Hubbs, the Yankees’ catcher Thurman Munson, Yankees pitcher Corey Liddle, whose plane crashed into a 40-story Manhattan Skyscraper, and Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay in crashes.
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