It was during the NBA Finals in 2010. Kobe Bryant was asked a question about whether he thought he was the greatest Los Angeles Laker ever.
The answer was immediate.
''No,'' Bryant said.
He wasn't being difficult or misleading and the question was fair, especially because Bryant surely would have been on the list of candidates for such a title. But in Bryant's mind, that distinction — greatest Laker ever — belonged to only one person.
''In my opinion,'' Bryant said, ''it's Jerry West because of everything that he's done.''
Bryant didn't mean just one thing, but really, he could have. What West — who died Wednesday at the age of 86 — did at the 1996 NBA draft and in the weeks that immediately followed not only added to his own incredible legacy, but also was the first step to Bryant becoming a true global icon and helping the Lakers win five championships in the next 14 years.
West had the courage to do what 12 other teams did not. He rolled the dice and drafted Bryant, who was still only 17 at the time. (Technically, Charlotte drafted Bryant, but on the Lakers' behalf because he was traded later that night.) And three weeks or so later, West completed the second half of his master plan by signing Shaquille O'Neal to a seven-year, $120 million contract in free agency.
The Shaq and Kobe Era was born. West took the risk. The rewards were unforgettable.