In the wake of tributes about Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss who passed away yesterday comes a story about how Buss opened the eyes of superstar Kobe Bryant on what it meant to remain a one-team player for his career. Bryant was famously disenchanted with the organization in 2007 and had demanded a trade out, he had to waive his no-trade clause to be moved however and there was no guarantee that he would be shipped to a team of his preferred destination.

That was until Buss stepped in and spoke to Bryant.

From Yahoo! Sports:

The Los Angeles Lakers had found a trade for Bryant, but Buss warned him that it wasn't to one of his selected destinations.

"Detroit," Buss said.

The Lakers had agreed to a deal to send Bryant to the Pistons and needed Bryant's approval to waive his no-trade clause. The package included a combination of Detroit's core players and draft picks, sources say. Buss and Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak needed an answer soon, because they refused to let the issue linger into training camp.

Looking back, Bryant isn't sure it would've mattered whether it was Detroit or Chicago, Dallas or New York. In that moment, in Buss' house in the hills, it washed over Bryant how much staying a Laker for life meant to him, how no matter how dire the state of the franchise seemed, that Buss had a history of restoring the Lakers to championship contention.

"It hit me that I didn't really want to walk out on Dr. Buss," Bryant told Yahoo! Sports on Monday.