For Kurt Rambis, it all started in the most unthinkable way.
The first time he ever spoke with Jerry West, the NBA legend tried recruiting Rambis to join the Lakers in training camp. But the roster was crowded, his future was unsure and the option didn’t look all that promising.
So he listened, declined and hung up the phone. Why try out and waste time, Rambis thought, when he could just return to his team in Greece and carve out a career in Europe.
As soon as Rambis hung up, he knew what he’d done was totally crazy.