2007 NBA Draft - Kobe Trade

[@benjaminsheffield7782]

...and they took Crittenton, who wound up being a shooter in a completely different sense of the word.

[@TOE745]

The Aaron Hernandez of the NBA

[@aryaaaa70]

+TOE745 lol

[@iamsuperperfect4605]

81 was a beast on the field, Crittenton was mediocre at best. Plus 81 is innocent.

[@alexyoung2.05]

Hernandez is dead.

[@superdan9703]

LMAO!!! Why he do that man like that.

[@vanxl9]

mark jackson had it on the dot. lakers kept kobe and rest is history. 2 more chanpionships in 3 straight finals appearances

[@wenwenni2]

Lol Indiana tried to trade Jermaine O'neal for Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom. Tried to pull one over on the Lakers

[@richardgordon6041]

hahahahaha funny as hell

[@RoughhEnd]

+wenwenni2 Oneal was good back then.

[@Chrismedina3322]

ya he was very good back then. you probably young and saw him in his late 30s

[@derrickrose8615]

but i do give Kobe alot of credit for winning without shaq.and having that in the bank..when ever someone talks smack to him about shaq...all he gotta say is "who won more once we split".

[@dcshow]

By 2007-08 o'neal's body was falling apart. Went from averagin 20 and 10 from 01-07 to playin half the season in 08 averagin 13. Thank god they held out and got pau for nothing (at the time).

[@nemakameli9237]

“Crittenton has to be a better decision maker” 😂 oh the irony

[@Hakimw21]

Patience is a virtue. Thankfully the Lakers played this the right way

[@LHess-tp9ri]

Man r.i.p to a legend

[@scarfface4682]

rip to the goat:(

[@jamalabdelbaset6635]

If this was the Knicks, they would’ve made 10 trades for overrated past their prime superstars.

[@jonathanmurphy4115]

That’s why Jerry Buss is the greatest owner of all time in all sports

[@dgames8900]

Hind sight is always 20/20. Kobe demanded a trade because he knew he was the best and he knew that the Laker organization knew he was the best. He had power. It was a business move to force the Lakers to bring in talent which they were void of for 3 years up to that point. The one valid offer to trade him which was with Detroit, he VETOED. He was loyal. Remember too that the Gasol trade didnt happen until the middle of the following season. They got Fisher back and promised Kobe a better team by the trade deadline and the rest was history. Haters will say otherwise.

[@MTRZ97]

DGames He also wanted to go to Chicago to play with Luol Deng, but the Lakers wanted Deng in return for Bryant so Bryant was like, Nope.

[@lyricssong7151]

I miss him forever

[@datsapaddlin6449]

I mean they would have to give up their best players to get Kobe then he would be in the same boat just in the east. I think he was just smart enough to figure I may as well stay in LA if I can’t go to a contender.

[@y2jtopgun]

Phoenix also had play in the Bryant request as well, I remember Marion being shopped and their picks, but LA was never going to trade to a division contender, or to anyone for that matter.

[@andymore62]

Lamar and Bynum for Jermaine O’Neil lmao. Thank Christ we didn’t take that deal.

[@QuiteStorm2.0]

Mike More 🙏

[@QuiteStorm2.0]

Two years later O’Neal would fall off thank god that didn’t happen

[@Kingbossdon]

Still would of have Marc Gasol

[@ethanennis8]

Bossdon83Drizzydre2733 Primetime he only became good in 2011

[@2414kels]

Yes good they didn't, because it worked out with Bynum and Lamar.

[@KobeIs9047]

"sit on kobe bryant and force him to continue to wear a laker's jersey. YOU DO NOT TRADE THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD" chills down my spine when marc jackson said that.

[@javondrake3660]

rip kobe who would’ve thought in 10 years

[@liljuve13]

Kobe would of won a ring with Kevin garnett as well

[@ant4461]

He won 2 without him😐

[@josephmolnar5464]

He probably would have won 3-4.

[@MrC77]

They would have won 08-10, unless KG got injured in 2009.

[@rchamp247]

liljuve13 He would’ve won 08 & 09 Forsure with KG. Maybe 2010 too.

[@MrC77]

Lakers won in 2010 against the celtics. If the lakers had Garnett they would have played either the magic again or the cavs. They could easily beat both those teams.

[@yigs7339]

lol Dicky V owes Stephen A Smith a dinner now, 2003 was way better

[@aekaralagonisi]

Well, he said deeper, not better.

[@hbrt335]

Looking at the top 18 from 3:40 and the list from jay bilas best available there's a lot of names still relevant 11 years later. I say this draft is very deep

[@lmg2rcb]

Time flies

[@hexagod5680]

you'd know

[@saidali6237]

Big time

[@cactusjack2264]

Crazy that the Lakers ended up getting to the Finals a year after this trade request and two more consecutive Finals wins in 2009 and 2010 thereafter

[@ArmandoKozomara]

too bad Kobe actually had to threaten the Lakers organization to finally get a decent team around him. they started playing better the following season 07-08 and after the got pau halfway through the season the Lakers really took off.

[@razkable]

kobe forced shaq out after 4 finals in 5 years....and phil too....and fisher...what did kobrick expect? he is spoiled ...lebron never got anyone in cleveland for 7 years....kobe did the same thing with dwight....everyone balmed dwight but kobe shot jacked and wanted to be the leader just like in 04 with shaq....dwight was the young star they should have traded kobe....he wanted to be the main man well there you go just like jordan and lebron you cant win alone.....no one can in nba history except hakeem in 1994...fact! especially since kobe isnt a leader he is selfish.... kobe had it all and he threw it away and got lucky that jerry west was willing to give up gasol for nothing cause he felt like giving his lakers some help...the fact la got to keep bynum and odom and get gasol doesnt make any sense...how do you give away only kwame brown for gasol?...jerry west...any other gm wants either bynum or odom...not jerry....odom and a pick or bynum and javaris would have been enough but the fact you keep both odom and bynum?...thats unfair....the lakers got to have a 6th man in odom and have the best frontcourt in the nba with bynum and gasol and kobe....thats why they won....4 all star players....memphis got nothing

[@lilbudoc69]

+razkable what did howard do when he left the Lakers? nothing at all

[@hallokity123]

He went to the conference finals, now what the fuck did Kobe do?

[@ArmandoKozomara]

Chuck Hayes you did not just say that! don't you have any knowledge or respect for a legend?? Kobe tore his Achilles which completely changed and pretty much ended his career. what did kobe ? oh my lord fucking idiot

[@masterwhopper414]

First off, Shaq wanted out since Jerry Buss wasn't willing to pay his ridiculous contract demands Second, Lebron never got anyone in Cleveland - you're right, and look what happened. Absolutely fucking nothing to show for Lebron's first stint with the Cavs

[@idansolon4715]

The Cavs could've refused to trade Kyrie Irving just like the Lakers refused to trade Kobe Bryant.

[@ciscole2831]

Idan Solon cavs opted to bet the house on lebron.. as stupid as it sounds they should have never brought lebron back lebron never showed any loyalty for that team ... Cavs were the obsessed ex girlfriend that just kept getting cheated on got you a ring but ran to better situation every time 😉 I would have stuck to the young gun kyrie

[@bilankiandang1027]

LeBron and David Griffin both wanted them to keep Kyrie but Dan Gilbert wanted to trade him so he fired David Griffin. That's a major reason why LeBron left

[@nonanimeprofilepic]

@@ipitythefool97 imagine getting this triggered over someone talking about your boyfriend lebron?

[@battleaquamarine6569]

Imagine responding to a comment 4 months ago.

[@itshiho]

LeBron was planning on leaving at the end of that season so that's why Dan was willing to fulfill that trade request by Kyrie. LeBron wanted his cake and eat it too. He wanted the best chance to win a title then leave the Cavs high and dry. Dan and Kyrie wanted no part of being puppets in LeBron's plans so they did the right thing. Kyrie pulled the rug from under LeBron, smart move.

[@joak5344]

I rolled on the floor laughing when that guy said the 2007 draft was deeper than 2003.

[@GurpreetSingh-zp8fz]

I mean he did not know at that point hindsight is always wonderful.

[@SundayPagan]

​@@GurpreetSingh-zp8fzye but in 2007 that's when lebron and melo and d Wade started to get better and better and so did bosh so it was hard to tell this draft had no all time greats except for Durant

[@josereyes1148]

@@GurpreetSingh-zp8fz I mean, maybe dont compare it to what many consider the deepest draft ever then. 2003. He made the comparison he deserves the criticism.

[@youngmoneyyy118]

“I spoke to Kobe Bryant personally” 🤣😂😂😂 of course you did Stephen A.

[@milesdwyer5848]

He did though and Kobe said on tape he wants a trade

[@2414kels]

He actually did it even aired on ESPN the recorded conversation.

[@cjvaye99]

it was an interview for his show. he kind of misleading tho by saying 'personally' making it sound like they are friends lmao

[@hyperquantum3020]

Heres the video of Kobe and Stephen A. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGqpkqB-rL-ZrMk&ab_channel=bulls7123

[@MateMagyar88]

“That’s #1. #2 and more importantly…”

[@Igrinds]

bro these rumors wouldnt make me sleep the whole time it was going on thank god we kept the GOAT

[@thomaszukaras6894]

AWESAMKID L

[@doc8013]

The goat?!?! Bahahaha that's some funny shit mam

[@vmamba6314]

The goat 🐐

[@michaelmaccrazy]

That's cute....it really is. He's your favorite player. Too bad you're too silly to conflate the two.

[@elcid008]

How ironic that this clip showed Memphis and Pau gasol. :)

[@FroBadBunny]

Elcid Dalangin lol same thought

[@tbone24100]

It was before Pau Gasol went to the Lakers in 2008.....

[@Hakimw21]

tbone24100 ok thats his point lol

[@hmhm856]

Kobe stopped demanding a trade beginning in the 2007-2008 season, because the Lakers started playing much better, and Andrew Bynum had made such an amazing improvement, that the Lakers around late December looked like the best team in the West. The Lakers had a nice starting team with Fisher, Kobe, Bynum, and Odom, and their bench was looking very strong. Lakers now in the 2007-2008 season looked like a team that was competing for one of the top 3 seeds in the West, and not just a team that got in the playoffs with the 7th or 8th seed as they did in 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. But sadly, later in this new improved Lakers season, Bynum got injured and missed the season on an accidental play where a player that was falling down slammed on his knee (I think it was Kobe who fell on Bynum's knee). Then the Lakers front office, seeing that the Lakers had a chance to at least make the Finals, traded Kwame Brown, Marc Gasol (who was still in Spain but Lakers had his rights), and a draft pick to the Grizzlies for Pau Gasol. So everything worked out in the end for Kobe and the Lakers. The Lakers owner was correct in never trading Bynum, since Bynum (even with the injuries) developed very nicely and was a huge key in the Lakers winning titles with Kobe. Kobe and the Lakers went on to three NBA Finals, winning two of them.

[@gillygil35]

It’s crazy looking back at it that the highlights shown of Kobe are against Memphis, basically a hint that that’s who they were going to trade with

[@rebornatm23]

I remember this. I was so happy when the Lakers aquired Derek Fisher and Kobe stayed.

[@jslv94]

LOL I died laughing when I heard Jermaine Oneal for Bynum & Odom. lol If lakers would of done that it would of set them back YEARS!!!!!!!!!!

[@MarkieB89]

JO was that dude back then...

[@svenshrempf]

JO was actually a superstar back then w/ pacers before his injury

[@MrRetroswag]

My name is Yoda He was never a superstar. He didnt blossom until after the season that half the team got suspended for the malice in the palace incident. After that the pacers were garbage and all his good seasons came on non contending teams.

[@donniebrenton4858]

David Douglas he made 3 straight all teams before the brawl and jo was one of the players that got suspended

[@donniebrenton4858]

David Douglas he was the best player on a pacers team that won 61 games

[@joe62591]

worst first round pick by lakers man.....

[@MarcusExum97]

He had the ability and talent to be good :( too bad.

[@carlos-j1115]

Xu Jayden Lonzo is

[@willowandluka5302]

At least they managed to trade him

[@hotmamadog]

One word, Kwameeee

[@joshwonkim0895]

Anthony Bennett of the Lakers

[@nateegziabher4157]

“PLEASE, please why we wasting my time? Id chill out in montana go bike riding. Do something” lmao Stephen a is hilarious. I remember always looking this clip up in early 2010s. Tough to look back now after Kobe’s death. RIP

[@djwoke1964]

It’s really ironic the first highlight they show of a trade is Kobe driving on Pau Gasol.

[@maxdurk4624]

I miss the days when GMs said stuff like "No comment." I much prefer corporate vagueness to trying to give the illusion that you are open and honest with the media, like when Ujiri said he would never trade DeMar and traded him practically right after for Kawhi Leonard... And I really like Ujiri, its just this era of everybody trying to seem honest and friendly has gone to far for me.

[@Robcbiz]

Jesus this draft was terrrible

[@KamiKarma006]

Rob Clarke Jr. mike Conley?

[@OK_225]

Rob Clarke Jr. Al Horford

[@fresh_e4210]

@Jmo 421 why did you comment "🐍"?

[@jUAN.T]

Corey Brewer 51

[@nonanimeprofilepic]

how da hell no one else say KD and Marc Gasol?

[@Thekingpac2014]

Also,when KG and the T-Wolves faced Shaq and L.A. in the '03 Playoffs:KG's stats in that series:27.0ppg,15.7rbs,5.2ast,1.7stls,1.7blks,FG%514 and FT%607)Shaq's:28.7ppg,15.3rbs 3.7ast,,0.5stls,FG%516 and FT%611) Now the '04 Playoffs against each other again:KG:23.7ppg,13.5rbs,4.5ast,1.2stls,1.2blks,FG%463 and FT%781)Shaq:20.7ppg,15.7rbs,2.8ast,0.2stls,3.0blks,FG%569 and FT%452.

[@SundayPagan]

Bro 😳 relax mate 😂

[@domski93]

Im so happy that they didnt trade kobe bryant and he changed his mind! 4 years later 2 NBA championships ! 2 NBA Finals Mvp 1 MVP 2 nba all star mvp ( 4 time all up)

[@michaelvick4588]

Crazy...they go to the finals 3 straight years after this draft winning 2 chips. What a big IF

[@kohsmoger1567]

jason kidd and kobe would have been a hell of a team

[@BagChasinRB]

💯💯 a point guard who can pass as good as anybody ever and not a defensive liability?? Yea... ELITE

[@mattbogoshian4769]

I remember pictures of Kobe in a Suns uniform were in the newspaper here in Phoenix in 2007

[@lyricssong7151]

Lol yall wished

[@TheJoshuacrook]

Annnnd the went to the finals that year after getting gasol in feb bahaha

[@nicky21111]

+Josh Crook and won 09 -10

[@harlemkiid149]

young stephen a smith

[@thenextblgthing]

I love how the highlights were against the Grizzlies and Pau Gasol

[@trumpetguy3039]

Haha I love watching this video and thinking about where they are now only 2 and a half years later: Phil's still there, Kobe's still there, and another championship is there! Go Lakers!!!

[@kiddchillzzz5021]

What about 13 years later now?

[@sgera90]

2003, 96 and 84 NBA draft have been known as the deepest drafts Hakeem, MJ, Barkley, Stockton, Kevin Willis, Alvin Robertson

[@gekkodrome]

We'll never know what went on, though personally, a lot of hints have been dropped for a while that he was going to leave and go to Miami. In any case, I don't think he should've have done that show.

[@SwayTheBeast]

These young kids dont recall how good jermaine oneal use to be on both sides the ball

[@Str8Rippin93]

He was good but clearly passed his prime at this timeline

[@joshuafult84]

This is 2007 not 2003 Jermaine Oneal

[@mfarooq1990]

Ron Artest, had a good 03 and 04 season. Then got himself suspended and played minimal games until getting traded to the Kings. Reggie miller, retired in 05, gave 2 seasons with 10+ with O'Neal. Jackson, certainly helped more than reggie with 15+ pts from 05-07. I may have exaggerated my comment. But he was clearly the one carrying them and a center of his status needs another player in double figures to have a shot at a championship.

[@donovanpitts6907]

I love Kobe and had no problem with him wanting to be traded, but I don’t want to hear Kobe fans say “he was always loyal and stayed with his team and toughed it out” and try to discredit people like LeBron, Kawhi, and others for leaving teams; when he wanted to leave himself. RIP Kobe forever one of my favorite players but you gotta be fair. This just proves everyone needs help.

[@thisnamealsotaken]

if u go back and watch those games u know why he got those numbers, and why he couldn't get even 10% of those nrs when his athleticism was gone. he never was a basketball player, just an amazing physical specimen like wilt was back in his day. guys like russell who were half the size and strength and still got amazing nrs and even better results, those are the ones that u can truly call best player.

[@HandballNinja]

Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom for Jermaine O'Neal...I shudder the thought!

[@ThroughTheBox]

Miller was out of his prime,Ron admitted giving up on the team and was suspended the year they were the favorites to go to the finals after losing the conference finals the previous year and Al Harrington was just a role player.Jackson was all he really had to work with and not to mention the injuries that year the Pacers dealt with that year.

[@Thekingpac2014]

It really doesn't matter how he got numbers,it's fact that they are there in NBA History.The guy could've made layups or shot from the middle of the floor,his still numbers proved he was the best in the NBA at that time.I never said Shaq was the skilled.He was like Wilt of the 90's/00's,but had far more centers to go against in his era than Wilt had.

[@jslv94]

Bynum wasn't really seen as injury prone back at that time. His rookie year he barely played since he wasnt in the rotation, and in 06-07 he played all 82. But that being said, I guess it wasnt too bad an idea back then

[@SundayPagan]

He actually became a defensive beast

[@controversialmann5345]

damn 11 years im old.

[@Thekingpac2014]

No,i said his numbers(Stats)are in NBA history period.Those perfomances he put on in the NBA Finals '00,'01'02 and even '04 proved he was one of the best 3 players in the league at that time if not the best.Horry won 2 with the Rockets('94-'95)3 with the Lakers('00-'02)and 2 with the Spurs('05'07)all his roles on every last one of those 7 championship teams was being a role player.I said it doesn't matter how he put up the numbers in the Finals,he could've lost and would still had those numbers.

[@DoremonUCR]

how eerie is it that at :50 they were showing highlights of kobe playing against the grizzlies

[@Thekingpac2014]

(Continued) this why i choose Shaq over KG in during those 4 seasons:Shaq's '01/'02 stats:27.2ppg,10.7rbs,3.0ast,0.6stls,2.0blks and FG%579(highest FG% in the NBA that year)Shaq's '02/'03 stats:27.5ppg,11.1rbs,3.1ast,0.6stls,2.4blks and FG%574.Shaq's 03/'04 stats:21.5ppg,11.5rbs,2.9ast,0.5stls,2.5blks and FG%584(highest FG% in the NBA that year).Shaq's '04-'05 stats:22.9ppg,10.4rbs,2.7ast,0.5stls,2.3blks, and FG%601(Highest FG% in the NBA that year.

[@MrJeff1227]

As a spurs fan this is why I still have hope for kawhi Leonard to stay with the spurs

[@spurstilidie4637]

MrJeff1227 too late lol

[@IWantToMature85]

They should have made it work, but I’m happy with DeRozan.

[@Thekingpac2014]

True,i just think from 2002 to '05 T-Mac was one of the top 3 players in the NBA(IMO).KG's '01/'02 stats:21.2ppg,12.1rbs,5.2ast,1.2stls,1.6blks and FG%470.KG's '02/'03 stats:23.0ppg,13.4rbs,6.0ast,1.4stls,1.6blks and FG%502.KG's '03/'04 stats:24.2ppg,13.9rbs(lead the NBA in Rebounds that year)5.0ast,1.5stls,2.2blks and FG%499(MVP That Season).KG's '04/'05 stats:22.2ppg,13.5(lead the NBA in Rebounds that season)5.7ast,1.5stls,1.4blks and FG%502.

[@juicygames5362]

Boy these were scary times.

[@Thekingpac2014]

Yeah Horry was a far less player than them.He was a role player,he won his 7 rings as a guy that helped.Hakeem,Drexler,Shaq,Kobe,Duncan,and TP were the cornerstones of those 3 franchises.I understand your point a bit now.But you can't really deny Shaq's dominating play '93 to '05.And his play in most of his playoff runs.You said cause of his size is the reason he won his awards helped teams to championships,well yeah i'll agree with you on that.His size powered him to winning 4 championships.

[@SidTheMid1414]

b/c every player wants out of his team at one point. at least when kobe experienced that feeling, he didn't leave

[@Tehui1974]

LA Lakers: runners up 2008, NBA champs 2009 & 2010.

[@lilprincekilla]

i agree, that was the deepest draft I seen so far. And it's funny that Kobe is all the way in the 15th drafted by the hornets while Iverson is number one. But not too many get attention when in highschool....except for Lebron James.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

Here's the thing a LOT of people...almost everyone, forgets about the Gasol trade: The Lakers were already pretty good before he got there. With Radmonovic, Fisher, and KWAME BROWN...they were I believe 30-16 when they acquired Gasol. That's a 53 win pace. Basically an 11 win improvement over the 2007 team. Considering they won 57 games, clearly, Gasol had a tangible impact...good for about 4 1/2 additional wins over 36 games. But the idea that the Lakers were trash beforehand is always overstated.

[@tubenachos]

Jim Gray sounds like he's going to cry 😭

[@hbk2221]

Greg Oden and Josh McRoberts both had potential to be great. And if they didn't close high school players going straight to the NBA Durant would've came out in '06, OJ Mayo and Michael Beasley would've been top 5 picks in this draft. Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin would've been lottery picks. I think Rose would've went to Memphis regardless. If I didn't get left back in 9th grade being an idiot didn't stop playing basketball I would've entered this draft also.

[@sonicthehedgehog3162]

MarquisNYC I Wonder What Type Of Player You Would've Been An 3 Point Threat?

[@morganalexander6444]

+Sonic The Hedgehog basketball wife

[@futuregohan4837]

Hell I Would've Loved To See Caulifla Vs. LeBron James LOL

[@KINGJD13]

Yi would have been great, he was a 70 sf/pf that could Knock down 3s and mid range so easily. He never had enough playing time thats why hes playing in china and hes having a good career over there.

[@SFK360]

No doubt, JO was great. Gotta agree that the Lakers would be kicking themselves now though.

[@RaKkArKiD]

Miller, Harrington and Artest played on the pacers...what Valphic is saying is that Jermaine Oneal didn't have any of those players to help him but was still consistently taking the pacers to the playoffs without them.

[@kobe41]

IRONY AT ITS BEST: AT 0:33, KOBE SCORES ON GASOL IN THIS VIDEO. 8 months later, they'd be teammates :-)

[@sola24]

Jermaine Oneal used to be a beast, This was before Bynum was who he is today

[@Mrgoncalorolo]

dude that draft was deep. he was right, the only problem was that only a couple or three guys managed to be good in the nba. josh mcroberts was a duke hero, kinda. corey brewer was final four most outstanding player. still this draft provided KD, Al Horford, Gasol(probably marc i think) and Noah. it was ok

[@brandonall]

Before he was injured, jermaine averaged 20-10. Alot better than 07 bynum and better than lamar odom around that same time. it made sense at the time as a viable trade.

[@SharizanAbdullah]

Players picked after Javaris... Rudy Fernandez, Aaron Afflalo, Wilson Chandler, Jared Dudley, Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry, Glen Davis

[@smoothkk1]

Damnn I remember these times.. I was wishing this didn’t work out and happily it didn’t

[@zephster08]

Well good point on the lucky part but it's not all luck. Mitch must also be a mastermind of these kind of things.

[@tuckbobmcneidermeyer9512]

No Lakers fan remembers Kobe demanded to be traded out of LA

[@kuraiko00]

yeah...i know..thats why i couldnt imagine how lakers would be with Josh Smith...

[@Brad1112223]

@BREQvids Indeed. They, as a franchise, are just out and out durable and were at least competitive for a championship decade after decade from the inception of the league until now. Well said.

[@SmoothMM]

@joe625 I know, right? Granted, Jermaine O'Neal suffered less injuries and still a potential All Star in 2007. He would've been worth either Odom or Bynum but not both.

[@kbdemonbain]

thank god they waited and got pau fisher imo is a very UNDERRATED person they signed that year

[@fun4joke]

Yeah, O'Neal was a freaking beast in Pacers, pwning most of players any given time

[@kbdemonbain]

i remember during this time when kobe was scoring like a monster and just destroying the record books. lamar was the only guy who on that team was honestly any good at the time but lamar couldn't be the 2nd option he was WAAAY better when he was like the 3rd option when pau got there

[@lilprincekilla]

stats can only be aquired through the skill. But just because someone has better stats doesn't mean they're necessarily better. A person can cut the stats down if they're a great offensive or defensive player. One day someone can be on fire or lucky. Another day, someone can be way off. Officials could have missed something. A person could've cheated. Either way, you won't attain much by looking at stats. You gotta watch them as they play. Because the plays create the stats

[@evelynpadilla1]

STEVEN IS MY FAVORITE COMMENTATOR HE IS SOO REAL!!!

[@JZ2001JC]

Wow this was 3 yrs ago and back then the Lakers organization was in disaray. Kobe was nearly traded to Chicago in late October. Best trade never made int he case of the Lakers as they have played in every NBA Finals since that 2007 Draft day and won two of them. As for the Bulls, they were East favorites heading into 2007-08 and not landing Kobe at start of yr just put them in a downfall as they sucked in 07-08. They did get D Rose to salvage at least being somewhat good though.

[@Ironmanize]

kinda ironic that the highlight reel of kobe showed pau gasol in a grizzlies uniform and the guy was also talking about adding another superstar to help kobe

[@nicky21111]

thank god they didn't trade him

[@BBRmike]

They did, they traded him to the Bulls but the NBA vetoed it(that's what I heard)

[@atlasonescorpio10]

You got to remember He was gonna get traded to Chicago. Who did Chicago have at the time? Starters...D. Gooden solid player, L. Deng, good player,B. Gordon good player,K. Hinrich pretty good, old B. Wallace, ok at that time. So he wasn't going to a team full of All-Stars or Superstars if he would of ended up being traded.

[@hlslayer123]

Yeah I hear you man I just think those 2 are worth mentioning. They definitely aren't on KDs level though.

[@SkyHigh5280]

Dick Vitale really lost that dinner bet. Although Greg Oden could make the 2007 draft a lot deeper than 2003's. Greg is playing really well thus far in his career...

[@Thekingpac2014]

Kobe played 65 games during the '03-'04 season man(missing only 17 games),he played the whole playoffs that year.But i wasn't talking about the season,i was talking about the '04 Finals.And i have Kobe over Iverson as one of the greatest players list(at #12),so i'm not saying A.I. was overall better(cause of legacy wise Kobe's better).I'm saying Iverson '96 to '06 was better period.His numbers show that.And NO i said his last 2 years in his prime were in Denver out of the 3 yrs he was there.

[@Thekingpac2014]

Well thanks for that,it's all in opinion,i just feel he(Iverson) was better during that time period.But i respect your opinion.Maybe if i break it down more,A.I. and Kobe were on par with each other 2001 to '06.But everybody feels different,no big deal.

[@leaphengleng2941]

2007 draft is deeper than 2003 draft so funny

[@spikyninja]

When Jim Gray said "...upgrade this roster and obtain another superstar" from :31 to :34, a clip of Kobe laying it up over Gasol was playing on the screen. whoa, talk about coincidence.

[@SundayPagan]

Hahahaha

[@advisedgnu69backup72]

A few years later: Sentence to 23 Years in Prison

[@msumuel]

You're right to a certain degree. The major difference was that Kobe was a proven champion by this point and the Lakers were greatly underachieving after their championship days. That's why he gave them the ultimatum because he wanted to see changes in the roster. LeBron was well on his way out before that free agency summer began and he quit. That's the main issue most people had.

[@hardwoodthought1213]

Love the way Kobe fans will do anything to absolve him. LBJ played out his contract. LBJ gave his team 7 years to get him help, which they failed to do. LBJ played for (at the time) the worst franchise in basketball history. LBJ wasn’t provided even a very good coach. All things Kobe didn’t have and still demanded a trade. Didn’t wait for a contract to end. The fact that LA got Gasol (because West gifted him to them) doesn’t change that Kobe wanted out. Acting like it was some tactical move which he knew would work out is false, and had they not been gifted Pau he very well may have been dealt.

[@dmac90macias75]

If you noticed all the drafts picks that were actually pretty good on the bottom of the screen.

[@wut4ngwon940]

DMac90' Macias Wutang Forever!!

[@jdrmanmusiqking]

4:14! Its **In Stephen A.'s voice** "TIAAAGO SPLITTER???!!!"

[@ShadowzGamer]

Iverson was worth to be nr1... he has a very high averages (26.7 ppg) and he managed to drag the whole team to the playoffs... :)

[@frankarocha1984]

Dickie V said " he needs to be a better decision maker " . No shit

[@YashRamisetty]

he was an All Star player back in the day

[@jtjr3112]

looking back, rhis draft is really deep!

[@atinder17]

And jermaine O'neal was one of the best big man in his prime. He had a jumper, defense, post up game, face game dud was another tim duncan He was unstopable.

Actually, the Lakers would have gotten a top notch big-man. Jermaine was a great center back then.

[@Thekingpac2014]

Well i can see your point,and there's some truth to that.All i was saying was that most of the time,or in my opinion,i really don't care if that player isn't the most skilled as long as he can get in the hoop.For example:Bird didn't have much skill or athleticism as Kobe or a Shawn Kemp,but he(IMO)is a top 5 player of all time.But i understand your point overall though.You do have to watch players to understand how they put up those numbers.