The Los Angeles Lakers have made a few sweeping changes already, one of which was bringing in former player Magic Johnson to run the show moving forward. While the team has plenty of young pieces and intriguing upside, there's no question that Johnson could help them get back over the hump.
But, what about the potential of bringing in another former star to help build this team back up into a championship contender? That, of course, would be five-time NBA champion and league MVP, Kobe Bryant. The interest has to be there from the Lakers, but would Bryant ever consider returning to the Lakers in a front office role?
Well, Bryant recently joined Michael Smith and Jemele Hill on ESPN's "SC6" and was asked about it. His response? Unfortunately, it's probably not happening, at least not in a full-time role.
"In terms of being there every day, that's just not for me. I love writing, I love directing, I love creating, I love building - the imaginative space is the space that I'm 100 percent locked in on. But I'm always a phone call away." Bryant said.
Hey, it was worth a try, right? At the very least, Bryant did open that up by saying that with Magic and close friend Rob Pelinka now running things, that he's always available to help.
"I'm always a phone call away. Rob, he's been a close family friend forever and so our relationship is supreme," Bryant stated. "So I'm always a phone call away, for Magic as well. I'm always around.
Obviously, it had to be hard for a player who was as dominant as Bryant to step away from the game, but he seems to be at peace with it. More importantly, it doesn't seem that Lakers fans are going to get one of the greatest players in history back in a front office role, but at the very least, he'll be around to help if needed.
Time will tell what exactly Bryant's very, very small role with the Lakers could be, but it's obviously not going to be anything too crazy. Fortunately, Magic and their new general manager seem to have a pretty good grasp on things. Here's to hoping that this young core of players and a great mix of strong coaches and basketball minds can right the ship sooner than later.