Even though the Lakers don’t consult Bryant on personnel moves players around the league know that if they are going to the Lakers Kobe is still the king.

It was prudent for Nash to give Kobe a call and it appears Kobe closed the deal.

That meant a phone call with Kobe Bryant.

“For me, it was important to speak to him and make sure he was completely on board, and that he could kind of visualize this as being a good fit, and being excited about it. So I spoke to him,” Nash told Max Kellerman and Mychal Thompson on 710 ESPN. “Kobe, he was great. He was excited, and explained to me how he thought it would help, and why he thought it would be great, and I think a lot of the reasons he had were ones I could already envision before speaking to him.”

GM Kobe is a closer.