Kobe Bryant spent two decades playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, cementing his legacy as perhaps the greatest player ever to put on the purple and gold. He brought home five championships to Los Angeles, and even in retirement, his name is synonymous with Lakers basketball.
However, his career almost took a very different path. After parting ways with superstar teammate Shaquille O’Neal, Bryant had a Lakers team to call his own, but he eventually grew frustrated with the lack of talent around him. In 2007, Bryant requested a trade from the only team that he had ever known, and for a time it looked as though the Lakers were going to appease him.