Kobe Bryant Considered Joining Michael Jordan, Wizards
By Jacob Rude
In news that makes you go “Huh?”, in a piece in the Washington Post today, Michael Lee reveals that Kobe Bryant once considered joining the Washington Wizards to unite with his idol Michael Jordan.
"Very few know that this seemingly laughable fantasy was nearly reality: More than a decade ago, Bryant wanted to get away from Los Angeles, and the team he wanted to join was the Wizards, where he would join forces with his mentor Michael Jordan.Those plans evaporated when then-Wizards owner Abe Pollin parted ways with Jordan in 2003, a year before Bryant became a free agent, but as Wizards fans pine over the idea of Kevin Durant coming to Washington as a free agent, the near-miss that was Kobe-to-DC finally can be shared.“That’s true,” Bryant confirmed recently. “A long time ago? Yeah.”"
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The article goes into further detail of the possibility of Bryant going to Washington. The move would have likely happened in 2004 when Bryant was an unrestricted free agent. According to the article, Bryant would have only made the move if Jordan was in the front office and not on the court.
However, in 2003, Jordan was relieved of his front office duties after a woefully unsuccessful stint as the Director of Basketball Operations. With his firing, so to did the hopes of Bryant in a Wizards uniform disappear.
From the article, Bryant admits to considering a move away from Los Angeles in 2004, which came at the height of the Shaq-Bryant feud. Fortunately for Lakers fans, Bryant chose to stay in LA and in the purple and gold that summer, following the trading of O’Neal to the Heat.
Still, it’s one of the more bizarre what-ifs of Bryant’s time. Maybe he and Kwame Brown were just destined to be linked together.
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