Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 11 hours ago
Kobe's father asked him when he was a kid, what Kobe wanted to do with his life. He said he wanted to be a professional basketball player, but was being told by kids and teachers at his school not to put all his eggs in one basket because the odds of making the NBA are slim to none. Joe Bryant's reaction to this is inspiring.
Full Interview on KicksOnFirecom: youtu.be/D8G3gPG8pd0
Music: youtu.be/tXfs-YWtDwo
Excerpt from '"I got a kid named Kobe Bryant" â Why Shaquille O'Neal initially ignored Jerry West's greatest roster tweak' article by Virgil Villanueva:
"My agent called me, 'Hey man, come to the Omni Hotel I got something for you,' Shaq started. âSo we get to the Omni Hotel. Jerry West is in a Versace house coat. He said, 'I got some good news and some bad news.' I said, 'What's the bad news?' He said 'I can't get you that 150 that you asked for. But I can get you 120.' I told my agent, 'Did you give Orlando a chance to counter?' They don't want to counter. Cool, so I'm signing," Shaq said, per All the Smoke podcast.
"But I can remember this vividly,â Shaq continued. âI'm signing, as soon as I get signed Mr. West said, âHey man, I just moved Vlade. I don't know how I got this kid. I got a kid named Kobe Bryant. You and him, we're going to get multiple championships.' I'm like 'Yeah, okay whatever.' Because I'm looking at all the zeroes. But yeah he said that. He saw something in Kobe that nobody saw."
For some context, Shaq initially wanted a $150 million deal with Orlando â the team that drafted him and which he guided to the 1995 NBA Finals. Throughout the negotiations, OâNeal was already hanging out in Los Angeles â shooting movies, doing commercials, and recording albums. Shaq was already acclimated to the whole LA vibe and lifestyle.
Full article: basketballnetwork.net/old-school/why-shaquille-oneal-initially-ignored-jerry-wests-greatest-roster-tweak
Kobe's father asked him when he was a kid, what Kobe wanted to do with his life. He said he wanted to be a professional basketball player, but was being told by kids and teachers at his school not to put all his eggs in one basket because the odds of making the NBA are slim to none. Joe Bryant's reaction to this is inspiring.
Full Interview on KicksOnFirecom: youtu.be/D8G3gPG8pd0
Music: youtu.be/tXfs-YWtDwo
Excerpt from '"I got a kid named Kobe Bryant" â Why Shaquille O'Neal initially ignored Jerry West's greatest roster tweak' article by Virgil Villanueva:
"My agent called me, 'Hey man, come to the Omni Hotel I got something for you,' Shaq started. âSo we get to the Omni Hotel. Jerry West is in a Versace house coat. He said, 'I got some good news and some bad news.' I said, 'What's the bad news?' He said 'I can't get you that 150 that you asked for. But I can get you 120.' I told my agent, 'Did you give Orlando a chance to counter?' They don't want to counter. Cool, so I'm signing," Shaq said, per All the Smoke podcast.
"But I can remember this vividly,â Shaq continued. âI'm signing, as soon as I get signed Mr. West said, âHey man, I just moved Vlade. I don't know how I got this kid. I got a kid named Kobe Bryant. You and him, we're going to get multiple championships.' I'm like 'Yeah, okay whatever.' Because I'm looking at all the zeroes. But yeah he said that. He saw something in Kobe that nobody saw."
For some context, Shaq initially wanted a $150 million deal with Orlando â the team that drafted him and which he guided to the 1995 NBA Finals. Throughout the negotiations, OâNeal was already hanging out in Los Angeles â shooting movies, doing commercials, and recording albums. Shaq was already acclimated to the whole LA vibe and lifestyle.
Full article: basketballnetwork.net/old-school/why-shaquille-oneal-initially-ignored-jerry-wests-greatest-roster-tweak
