LeBron drops a few bars about Kobe vs. T-Mac and the internet explodes: “Hidden deal! West wanted T-Mac! Kobe almost gone!”
Relax. What Bron stirred up isn’t a bombshell trade so much as a long-whispered what-if: Jerry West’s fascination with a teenaged Tracy McGrady in 1997—after he’d already stolen Kobe in ’96.

Vibe check: This is part history, part barbershop debate, and 100% “alternate timeline” catnip.

The Receipts (What’s Actually On Record)

1996: West trades for 17-year-old Kobe Bryant after a legendary workout vs. Michael Cooper.

1997: Tracy McGrady has an even more ridiculous Lakers workout (per then-coach Del Harris). West is smitten—again.

The chatter: West explored avenues to land T-Mac’s draft rights (he went No. 9 to Toronto). Any Lakers move likely meant dangling Eddie Jones (an All-Star) and more to move into the top 10.

Why it died: Owner Dr. Jerry Buss didn’t want to stall contention with two teenage projects. The franchise was laser-focused on fast-tracking Shaq + veterans into a title window.

Key point: The “hidden deal” wasn’t a signed-and-sealed Kobe swap; it was West trying to add T-Mac to a roster that already had Kobe—or reshaping the core by moving Eddie Jones to get up high enough to draft McGrady.

Why Fans Are Heated (Again)

Ring Culture Fatigue: Gilbert Arenas reignited the Kobe vs. T-Mac talent vs. rings argument—reminding people T-Mac was that good even without titles.

LeBron’s Nudge: Bron’s riffs about how the league really graded guys (“rings” vs. pure hoop) made fans re-litigate 2002-ish debates where some had T-Mac neck-and-neck with three-ring Kobe.

Legacy Whiplash: Anything that hints “it could have been T-Mac” sounds like sacrilege to Mamba loyalists—thus, the blowback.

The Timeline Twist That Almost Was

Scenario A — The Supernova Trio: West lands T-Mac and keeps Kobe. Imagine Shaq + Kobe + T-Mac when Phil arrives in ’99. Triangle with three apex scorers? Maybe iconic… or combustible.

Scenario B — The Divergence: Lakers cash in Eddie Jones and pieces for T-Mac, then later pivot on Kobe in a separate move. Kobe winds up elsewhere (Toronto with Vince?!) while L.A. rolls Shaq + T-Mac.

Either path required Buss to stomach more youth + more time before rings. He chose now over next. The result? Three-peat (2000–02).

Kobe vs. T-Mac — The Honest Comparison

Kobe: 5 rings, 2 Finals MVPs, 1 MVP, 81 points, the most weaponized work ethic of his era.

T-Mac: 2 scoring titles, 7 All-Stars, 13 in 33 seconds, a 6’8″ three-level savant who often lacked the health/roster luck Kobe didn’t need.

Truth bomb: T-Mac’s talent belonged in the same sentence. Kobe’s mentality wrote the sentence.

Why West Loved T-Mac (And Why Buss Balked)

West’s eye: He’d just won the Kobe bet; he wanted more ceiling. T-Mac’s frame, fluidity, and creation screamed future cheat code.

Buss’s calculus: Shaq’s prime was ticking. Eddie Jones was All-Defense/All-Star right now. Two teenagers = delay. Titles don’t like delays.

What LeBron Actually Did Here

Bron didn’t “uncover a secret switch.” He poked an old pressure point: how we value greatness. If you lived through 2001–03, you remember: Kobe vs. T-Mac was a real conversation on any given night—rings or not.

If The Trade Happened… Do The Lakers Win More?

Shaq + T-Mac probably wins rings—full stop.

More than five? That’s where the Mamba myth asserts itself. Kobe’s appetite for pain/work/war is what turned three into five—including the post-Shaq arc.

TL;DR

There was no secret “replace Kobe” deal. There was serious 1997 Lakers interest in drafting T-Mac, which likely meant moving Eddie Jones and assets into the top 10.

Buss chose win-now over double-down on teenagers. History gave us Shaq + Kobe → three-peat, then the Mamba’s second act.

LeBron’s comments didn’t reveal a new scandal; they reopened a classic barbershop debate: pure talent (T-Mac) vs. implacable will (Kobe).

In another universe, Shaq + T-Mac tears the league apart. In this one, Kobe made sure the story ended with five.

Bottom line: Alternate timelines are fun. The one we got? Legendary.