Kobe Bryant blamed NBA owners for vetoing the Lakers' infamous Chris Paul trade: "You don't want another great player coming to L.A." originally appeared on Basketball Network .
Kobe Bryant was likely ecstatic when news broke that Chris Paul was headed to the Los Angeles Lakers . But every NBA fan, especially those backing the Purple and Gold, knows that the December 2011 deal never happened.
There are two ways to explain why. One came from then-commissioner David Stern. The other came from Bryant just days after the trade fell through.
At the time, the New Orleans Hornets — led by star point guard Paul — were in the midst of an ownership transition, temporarily managed by the NBA's 29 other owners and Stern.
Clearly, CP3 would be traded, prompting the Lakers to craft a package deal that included the Houston Rockets . The trade was announced publicly, only to be vetoed shortly after by Stern.
The official reason is pressure from fellow owners, doubts over the Lakers' assets, and a commitment to protect the Hornets ' value to a prospective buyer.
Days later, a second trade sent the Point God — long one of the league's top floor generals — to California, but not to the Lakers. Instead, Paul landed with the Los Angeles Clippers , igniting the Lob City era alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
"I knew we were doing the best thing for New Orleans and that was my job," explained Stern, per The Korea Herald. "You have to stick with what you think was right. I must confess it wasn't a lot of fun, but I don't get paid to have fun."
The Lakers, champions in 2009 and 2010, were eager to extend their title run. With Bryant nearing the end of his legendary career, adding 26-year-old Paul looked like the ideal move to maintain dominance now and into the future.
The Black Mamba acknowledged the Point God's talent and knew the other owners saw it too. In his view, that's why they ultimately blocked what could have been a lethal pairing.
"I think other owners did not want the Lakers to make significant improvements again," said the 2008 MVP, per ESPN. "You got Chris Paul coming here and the other owners weren't with that, because you don't want another great player coming to L.A., and all of the sudden Los Angeles has another player that can carry them on well after I retire. So, it's more about the owners bickering amongst themselves."
Despite the frustration, Bryant — renowned for his never-quit attitude — accepted the setback.
"It's just part of business. Sometimes you get trades done, sometimes you don't. It's as simple as that," he said, adding that other players now had to step up and contribute, essentially making the best of the dire situation.
"Ron [Metta World Peace] has to have more responsibilities, [Devin] Ebanks has to have more responsibilities and that's just the way it goes," emphasized the future Hall of Famer.
At first, Bryant's team seemed to bounce back just as he had hoped. Lamar Odom left for Dallas , upset over being included in the blocked trade. At the same time, Andrew Bynum developed into an All-Star — the player the franchise had refused to trade for Paul.
Still, the 2012 playoffs ended with a second-round exit, forcing the Lakers' front office to once again seek reinforcements. Meanwhile, the Clippers became one of the better and more popular teams in the West over the next several seasons, giving Kobe one more reason to be sour about the blocked trade.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
