Jerry West was not only the NBA’s emblem and one of the best guards ever to play the position, but he was also one of the best executives in league history. He had a remarkable talent sense, as seen by his preoccupation with Kobe Bryant before to the 1996 NBA Draft. Rob Thorn claims that although the high school standout was in his selection class with a number of future Hall of Famers, West was adamant to take the guard.
In addition to discussing West’s accomplishments as an executive, the former general manager of the Chicago Bulls recalled a conversation he had with West one month prior to the 1996 NBA draft.
Jerry West’s involvement on Kobe Bryant deal
Thorn disclosed that West was all over Bryant and was prepared to do whatever it took on draft day. He declared,
“Jerry said, ‘I worked out the best player I’ve ever worked out today in Los Angeles. I’ve got to get him.’ And I said, ‘Who’s that?’ And he said, ‘Kobe Bryant.’ And I said, ‘You are talking about the high school kid?’ And he said, ‘Yes. Best player I’ve ever worked out.’”
West was aware that there was no possibility he would drop so low because the Lakers held the 24th pick in the draft. In order to get the Hornets to take Bryant with the 13th overall choice and trade him to Los Angeles, he called them and offered center Vlade Divac.
Jerry West has passed away at the age of 86.
When former NBA executive Rod Thorn joined @TheFrankIsola and @Scalabrine, he remembered his phone call with Jerry the first time he worked out Kobe Bryant. pic.twitter.com/cB6lSPGG3H
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) June 12, 2024
When the Hornets obliged, West achieved his objective. According to Thorn, he still has grudges toward Bob Bass, Charlotte’s general manager at the time, for pulling off the worst deal in league history.
Kobe Bryant statue unveiled recently
Undoubtedly, West’s most noteworthy executive decision to date has been acquiring Bryant, but it’s not the only one—a number of his decisions have changed the direction of the teams he’s worked for.
