Jerry West spent three days in hospital after bringing Shaq, Kobe to Lakers

November 13, 2026

The Lakers got Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in the summer of 1996. Jerry West got three days in the hospital.

West later recalled how much that offseason took out of him, as Julian Eschenbach detailed for Basketball Network.

“I was just emotionally spent and exhausted,” said West, who passed away in 2024. “One day I went to see the doctor, and he said the day after that, ‘We’re going to have to put you in a hospital.’ And I was there for three days.”

Consider what West was trying to pull off. On one hand, he was chasing a 24-year-old center who had already taken the Magic to the NBA Finals. On the other, he was trying to get his hands on a 17-year-old guard who had yet to play a minute of college or pro basketball.

West watched Bryant work out at Inglewood High, then brought him back for another look against Michael Cooper. He told Cooper to make it hard on the kid. Cooper had won NBA Defensive Player of the Year, so you can see why West figured he’d get a decent test out of it.

About half an hour later, West had seen enough. He told owner Jerry Buss that night he’d just watched the best player in the draft.

The Hornets took Bryant at No. 13, and the Lakers sent Vlade Divac to Charlotte for his draft rights. Divac had started 79 games for the Lakers the previous season. That’s a lot to give up for a high school kid, even one who had just made an impression on Michael Cooper.

Meanwhile, West had spent months talking with O’Neal. As West remembered it, a lot of those phone calls had little to do with basketball. O’Neal left the Magic and signed a seven-year, $120 million deal with the Lakers.

West said it took him about two weeks to get his energy back. It took the Lakers four years to win their first title with Shaq and Kobe. Then they won the next two, too.