The landscape of the National Basketball Association (NBA) would have never been the same had the Kobe Bryant–LeBron James trade discussed in 2007 been turned into reality.
Before the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers last Wednesday in Bryant's last game at the Quicken Loans Arena, Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported a potential deal between these teams that could have altered history.
According to Windhorst, sources that have knowledge of what transpired said the Lakers called the Cavaliers in 2007 inquiring about the availability of James for a possible trade with Bryant.
In 2007, three years after the Lakers dealt former center Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat, Bryant was unhappy with the team because they were struggling despite him peaking and was a scoring machine.
During that time, it seemed like the 37-year-old franchise star was giving a hint that he wanted out of Los Angeles, with the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons being likely destinations.
But aside from the Bulls and Pistons, the Cavs were also given a call but no significant move was accomplished.
According to Windhorst's report, that event was remembered by the Cavaliers front office since it was the only time that the phone rang and a team was inquiring about James; that never happened again.
Bryant told ESPN's Baxter Holmes that he would have never approved the deal to play for the Cavaliers.
Following that, the two went on to cement their legacy in the NBA and in the sport of basketball.
Bryant won his first and only Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 2008 and in the next two seasons helped the Lakers capture back-to-back championships (2009 and 2010).
Meanwhile, James went on to win four MVP awards (2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013), left the Cavs and joined the Miami Heat where he won two championships (2012 and 2013) and was named the Finals MVP in both title campaigns.
