Back In The Day NBA

Former NBA Insider Revealed Arena Kobe Bryant "Fantasized" About

Shandel Richardson

Nov 8, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Los Angeles Lakers small forward Kobe Bryant (24) and New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) exchange words in-between plays during the 1st quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-Imagn Images
Nov 8, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Los Angeles Lakers small forward Kobe Bryant (24) and New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) exchange words in-between plays during the 1st quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Adrian Wojnarowski was one of the best NBA media insiders for decades before he surprisingly announced his retirement earlier this year.

Nowadays, he works as the general manager of the basketball program for St. Bonaventure, his alma mater. He no longer has to chase the latest news but now has more time to share private stories from his experiences around the league the last 30 years.

Woj, as he is known, recently made an appearance on Carmelo Anthony's "7 PM In Brooklyn" podcast. He told a story on how Kobe Bryant felt he would end his career with the New York Knicks instead of spending his NBA tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"He was convinced he was gonna end up with the Knicks," Wojnarowski said. "He goes, `They're going to amnesty me and no one is going to claim me on waivers and I'm going to go sign with the Knicks."

Woj said Bryant had a fascination of playing at Madison Square Garden. He had some of his best games against the Knicks, averaging 26.5 points in 34 games.

Woj responded by saying the Lakers would never part ways with Bryant, who helped bring the organization five championships.

"I said, `They're not going to amnesty you. They'll burn this city down,"' Wojnarowski said. "He loved the Lakers and he only really wanted to be there. He would fantasize about the Garden.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com