Mark Cuban Shows How Close Kobe Bryant Became Part Of The Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks minority owner and head of basketball operations Mark Cuban recently revealed how close they were to acquiring the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in 2007 as well as how the trade did not push through. At the time, Kobe was looking to get out of the Lakers and Cuban wanted to seize the opportunity to team him up with Dirk Nowitzki.

During his guest appearance on Shaquille O’Neal’s “The Big Pod,” Cuban recalled how he made a deal with Jerry Buss to get Kobe to Dallas. He said he was convinced that the trade was happening.

“Do you realize how close we were to trading for Kobe in 2007?” Mark Cuban asked O’Neal. “I was literally this close. I talked to Jerry Buss and worked something out with Jerry because Kobe had asked to leave. Jerry said, ‘Ok, if you want to leave, we’ll take care of it.’

“And then, Mitch Kupchak stepped up and said, ‘We can’t do this.’ Talked Kobe out of it. The rest is history.”

The deal did not push through, and so it can only be left to imagination what could have been if Bryant and Nowitzki teamed up that year.

Kobe and the Lakers went on to win back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and 2010 before Dirk and the Mavericks caught gold in 2011.

The 18-time All-Star played his entire 20-year professional basketball career with Los Angeles. Nowitzki, a 14-time All-Star,  would do the same, staying with Dallas for 25 years.

Kobe and the Lakers went on to win back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and 2010 before Dirk and the Mavericks caught gold in 2011.

The 18-time All-Star played his entire 20-year professional basketball career with Los Angeles. Nowitzki, a 14-time All-Star,  would do the same, staying with Dallas for 25 years.

Kobe Bryant once roasted Mark Cuban on social media

Years after they almost teamed up in Dallas, Kobe Bryant and Mark Cuban had a back-and-forth on social media that many fans still remember to this day. It was after the NBA introduced an amnesty clause that would let franchises let go of a player and clear their salary from their team’s salary cap.

Back then, Mark Cuban suggested that the Lakers use the clause on Bryant, and it didn’t exactly sit well with “The Black Mamba.”

Bryant visited Dallas on Feb. 24, 2013 and exploded with 38 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists for the spectacular 103-99 victory. The five-time NBA champion then took to Twitter (now X) to send a message to the Mavericks’ then-principal owner.

The tweet was just one of the many proofs of the late great Kobe Bryant’s competitiveness not just inside the basketball court, but also outside of it.