When Kobe Almost Went To The Chicago Bulls TWICE 😳

When Kobe Almost Went To The Chicago Bulls TWICE 😳

Do people not realize how close Kobe Bryant was to actually becoming a Chicago Bull? So, funny enough, Kobe Bryant actually almost went to the Bulls twice. So, the first time happened in 2004 when Kobe and Shaq really weren’t on the same page with each other. Shaq told a sports reporter that Penny Hardway and Kobe Bryant are essentially the same. I mean, let’s be honest, that was absolutely ridiculous to say. And Kobe did take that to heart, explaining that he didn’t need Shaq to win more championships. So they both went to the front office and said, “You got to pick one of us, not both of us.” Shaq wants money and Kobe wants to win championships without Shaq. Kobe said, “If you’re keeping Shaq, I’m going to Chicago.” We were actually looking for homes in Chicago, researching schools, um, places to live. So that was true. You were going to go to the Bulls. Yeah. It was essentially a done deal. This man was going to be in Chicago and then the Lakers ended up trading Shaq to the Heat. Obviously, Kobe ended up staying. But fast forward a couple years later to 2007. Kobe wasn’t happy with the Lakers organization again and essentially requested the trade with the Bulls being one of his top destinations. There was one person who literally stopped this deal from getting done and it was Lu Deng. Kobe wanted to play with Lu Deng who was seen as an upand cominging star in 2007. But there was no way the Lakers were doing this Kobe deal without getting Lu Deng in return. Kobe ended up staying once again. They traded for Pa Gasol the season after and the rest is history. I honestly think this is the biggest whatif trade in NBA