Chris Paul Says He Spoke With Kobe Bryant Moments Before NBA Blocked 2011 Lakers Trade
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Former All-Star guard Chris Paul revealed that he called Kobe Bryant on the night of Dec. 8, 2011, just after news broke that the New Orleans Hornets had agreed to send him to the Los Angeles Lakers—a deal the NBA vetoed hours later.
Appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Paul described the whirlwind sequence. “It was crazy times,” he said. “Our team at the time was owned by the league. Me and Kobe had actually got on the phone and talked that night and then it was basically like a little storm from there.”
The league’s unique role
When the trade was negotiated, the Hornets were under NBA control while the franchise searched for a new owner. Paul noted that the league had just completed collective bargaining talks aimed at creating greater competitive balance. According to the point guard, several team owners argued that pairing him with Bryant undercut that goal, prompting commissioner David Stern—acting as the Hornets’ governor—to void the transaction.
“Because the team was owned by the league, all the different owners felt like they had ownership,” Paul said. “It’s no go.”
Contract complications
Paul added that agent Leon Rose, now president of the New York Knicks, spent “all night, all day” working through ramifications tied to the new CBA. Under the agreement, players who left via free agency rather than trade faced shorter maximum contracts, raising the stakes for Paul’s next move.
Three days after the veto, the Hornets sent Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers, where he played six seasons. He has since indicated he plans to release a detailed account of the episode: “I’ma tell every last detail of it one day,” he said.
Tributes from LeBron James
Now in his 21st NBA season, Paul recently received praise from longtime friend LeBron James, who called him “one of the greatest point guards ever.”
The nixed trade remains one of the league’s most debated what-ifs, leaving fans to imagine how a Bryant-Paul tandem might have altered NBA history.
Source: Lakers Nation
