Kobe Bryant almost became Dirk’s teammate in 2007

It was a spot lacking to ticker Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki broadside by side, successful the aforesaid team. The legendary defender of the Los Angeles Lakers and the German elephantine from Dallas could person go teammates successful 2007, but destiny decided otherwise.

How the large commercialized failed: We were precise adjacent to trading for Kobe

These days, Mark Cuban, the proprietor of Dallas astatine the time, recalled everything successful a speech connected The Big Podcast with Shaq. He revealed however adjacent the full communicative was to realization:

"We were precise adjacent to trading for Kobe. I talked to Jerry Buss and we agreed connected everything. Bryant wanted him to spell and Jerry told him helium would instrumentality attraction of it."

At that moment, the experienced proprietor did not adjacent deliberation of giving up the German superstar. Dirk was past the MVP of the play and the mainstay of the full project. Cuban said:

"It was expected to beryllium Josh Howard, Jason Terry and picks for Kobe. No mode Dirk, I said anyone but Dirk. I thought Kobe was going to beryllium a Maverick, it was astir a done deal, but past Mitch Kupchak stepped successful and stopped everything, replied Kobe from the trade. The remainder is history."

We tin lone ideate what benignant of tandem Nowitzki and Bryant would be. One arsenic a slayer shooter from distance, the different arsenic the unstoppable person of the Lakers. The 2 of them successful the aforesaid jersey sounds similar a imagination script for hoops fans.

Nevertheless, adjacent without that, some of them reached the title throne. Kobe won 2 consecutive rings successful 2009 and 2010, confirming his presumption arsenic a Lakers legend. Just 1 twelvemonth later, successful 2011, Dirk led Dallas to a historical title.

Along the way, helium took down successful order: Portland with LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy, past the Lakers with Bryant, young Oklahoma led by Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, and past successful the expansive last helium stopped the mighty Miami with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.