In 2003, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were in strife, Kobe’s jersey number was 8, Jerry West was the general manager for the Memphis Grizzlies and there was speculation about the possibility of Kobe getting traded to Memphis.
The common 2003 NBA fan would question why on earth a superstar like Kobe Bryant would want to go to the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that had just relocated and had always been infamous for losing. However, the scenario somewhat made sense.
Laker great (and the man who engineered the genius draft day trade for him) West was the general manager for the Grizzlies and Memphis was building a new arena for their team.