The Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief . . . We All Have Off Days!

“The only way to learn it is to do it.”-Archimedes

Welcome (back) to the Lawyer’s Well-Being Brief! Each week, I share insights and practical strategies to help us cultivate well-being and thrive — both personally and professionally. Live well! Lawyer well!

This week and next week we are looking at the 1996 NBA Draft. The 2025 NBA Draft started last night and finishes up tonight. The NHL 2025 Draft starts tomorrow and continues into the weekend. This week we look at a management team that had an off day leading up to the draft, the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Workout — Kobe Bryant’s 1996 pre-NBA draft workout with the Los Angeles Clippers

In the annals of NBA history, few stories are as poignant and regrettable as Kobe Bryant’s pre-draft workout with the Los Angeles Clippers. It was the summer of 1996, and Kobe, fresh out of high school and brimming with talent, was set to take the league by storm. Little did he know, fate had a different plan, one that would shape his legendary career in ways nobody could have predicted.

Kobe Bryant’s workout with the Clippers was nothing short of spectacular. His athleticism, skill set, and basketball IQ were on full display, leaving coaches and scouts in awe. Elgin Baylor, the Clippers’ general manager at the time, later recounted that Kobe’s performance was “the best workout we’ve ever seen.”

Clippers’ Perspective:

The Clippers, at the time, were under the ownership of Donald Sterling and had a reputation for struggling to build a successful team. They believed drafting Bryant, a high schooler, might not be well-received by the city and felt they needed a more established player.

Baylor’s Reasoning:

Baylor, along with coach Bill Fitch, felt that the Clippers’ organization wasn’t conducive to Bryant’s development as a young player. They also had concerns about the overall environment within the Clippers organization under Sterling’s ownership.

The Decision That Haunts

Despite the rave reviews and undeniable potential, the Clippers made a decision that would go down as one of the biggest “what-ifs” in sports history. They passed on Kobe Bryant in the 1996 NBA Draft, opting instead for a safer choice, centering their strategy on acquiring veteran talent rather than investing in the future.

Closing Thoughts

We often talk about individuals having an off day and we have all had off days. It is also possible for management groups and leadership groups to have off days. The Los Angeles Clippers’ front office had an off day when they decided not to draft Kobe Bryant. I’m sure there will NBA front offices over the past two days that had off days. The NHL 2025 Draft starts tomorrow and I’m sure that there will be NHL front offices that have off days based on their drafts.

We know the the Clippers’ decision stands as a poignant reminder of the unpredictable nature of life. Life is a story of what could have been. We get to write our stories, even on off days.

Forward Always!