One of the biggest ‘what could have been’ moments in NBA history went down 14 years ago today. Chris Paul was set to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers to team up with Kobe Bryant. The Purple and Gold had the deal lined up, the Mamba was reportedly fired up about it, and fans were dreaming about the dominance the duo would unleash. But everything came crashing down on December 8, 2011.
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At the time, the NBA owned the New Orleans Hornets, Paul’s team then. And Commissioner David Stern stepped in to veto the trade, citing “basketball reasons.” That phrase, needless to say, instantly became one of the most infamous in league history.
The move left everyone stunned. After all the controversial dust settled, CP3 ended up on the Clippers instead. That move completely flipped the secondary LA team’s reputation almost overnight, turning them from a struggling franchise into ‘Lob City.’
Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan suddenly had the whole league on notice with their high-flying highlights. It was not the dream pairing with Kobe, but it still became one of the most entertaining eras in recent NBA memory.
Now, some fresh news about this historic ‘what-if’ moment has surfaced. NBA journalist Marc Spears disclosed that Paul had once told him about a conversation he had with Kobe on the night the veto happened. Spears added that Paul plans on revealing the context of that conversation to the public soon.
“Before the season started [Chris Paul] told me that he had a great conversation with Kobe Bryant the night before it got voided and at some point he’s going to relay that conversation on what he and Kobe talked about,” Spears said on ESPN.
It must have been quite a conversation for CP3 to be teasing its release to the public. Perhaps his recent departure from the Clippers and the controversies surrounding it also has something to do with the way he is handling this.
Marc Spears:
“Before the season started (Chris Paul) told me that he had a great conversation with Kobe Bryant the night before it got voided and at some point he’s going to relay that conversation on what he and Kobe talked about. He also said in terms of Kobe he doesn’t even… https://t.co/vxT2VbWu4b pic.twitter.com/7O6trtPMGW
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) December 8, 2025
One thing we know is that Paul, like the rest of the NBA world, dearly misses Kobe who tragically passed away in 2020. Spears had an update on that as well.
“He said that in terms of Kobe, he does not even think about him as being gone. He just tries to tell himself that he has not talked to him in a long time,” said Spears. That is a beautiful way to look at someone’s passing.
In many ways, this whole situation is a reminder of just how many alternate timelines exist in NBA history. Some we get to see, and some will always live in the ‘what if’ zone. The Chris Paul–to–the–Lakers deal remains one of the most fascinating twists of the modern era, not only because of what it could have meant for Kobe, but also because of how drastically it reshaped the Clippers.
Now, with Paul hinting at finally sharing the details of that private conversation with Kobe, fans are getting one last thread to pull from a moment that has never really stopped capturing imaginations. Whatever he reveals, it will only add another layer to a story that continues to show just how emotional, chaotic, and downright unpredictable the NBA can be.
