When Kendall Gill arrived in New Jersey mid-way through the 1995-96 season, he expected to push the Nets into the postseason. Instead, he got a front-row seat to the chaotic inner workings of an NBA franchise in transition—complete with intentional tanking, iconic Draft Night high-stakes bluffing, and an infamous First Round clash with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.

Speaking on Episode 1 of The Pull Up With Scoop B, Gill pulled back the curtain on his turbulent yet memorable tenure with the New Jersey Nets.

“Put Your Clothes Back On”: Willis Reed and the Quest for a Draft Pick

Gill’s inaugural stretch with the Nets was derailed before it could truly begin. Coming into a roster featuring Chris Childs, P.J. Brown, and Armen Gilliam, Gill broke his hand on Reggie Miller’s elbow just as the team was finding its rhythm.

When he attempted an early return to help the team stay competitive, Nets General Manager Willis Reed quickly shut down those plans.

“I come back and I’m out on the court shooting, right? And I’m thinking that I’m okay and I’m going to play today,” Gill recalled. “Willis Reed comes out on the court and he goes, ‘Kendall, what are you doing?’ and I’m like, ‘I’m warming up getting ready for the game.’ And he said, ‘No no. We’re going for a draft pick. Put your clothes back on!’”

That blunt order ended Gill's season, prioritizing lottery positioning over late-season wins.

The Kobe Draft Bluff: “I Swear to God You Better Not Take Him!”

The following summer brought new head coach John Calipari and one of the most famous draft-day standoffs in NBA history. Heading into the star-studded 1996 NBA Draft, the Nets held the 7th overall pick and were dead set on taking a high school prodigy named Kobe Bryant.

Gill happened to be sitting in a Secaucus hotel room with his agent, Arn Tellem—who also happened to represent Kobe. Tellem was actively orchestrating the trade that would send Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers via Charlotte for Vlade Divac, and New Jersey was on the verge of ruining the entire plan.

Gill witnessed the explosive phone call firsthand:

“Arn is on the phone with John Calipari and he’s saying, ‘Look. We’re going to take Kobe at the 7th pick…’ and Arn is like, ‘I swear to God if you mf’ers take Kobe Bryant at 7 we are going to go over to Europe and he will NEVER play for you. I swear to God you better not f—ing take him!’”

Calipari pushed back, maintaining that the Nets still intended to draft Bryant. However, Tellem’s intense pushback eventually won out. The Nets pivoted and selected Kerry Kittles out of Villanova.

Calipari took the high road with the media afterward, claiming Kittles was “the guy we wanted all along.” While Kobe’s eventual trajectory speaks for itself, Gill noted that Kittles had a stellar rookie campaign—outperforming Bryant in their respective inaugural seasons and earning All-Rookie First Team honors.

“WE AIN'T GOIN' THEY AIN'T GOIN'”: The Playoff Push

By 1997-98, the Nets had rebuilt their core, adding Keith Van Horn, Sam Cassell, Chris Gatling, and Sherman Douglas. To make the system work, Gill sacrificed personal individual scoring stats for team balance.

The strategy paid off, setting up a win-or-go-home final game of the regular season against the Detroit Pistons. The prize? The 8th seed and a First Round date with the Chicago Bulls.

The eliminated Pistons had no intention of rolling over, writing a message on their locker room whiteboard before tip-off: “WE AIN'T GOIN' THEY AIN'T GOIN'!”

“They come in and tell us what they wrote about us on their board,” Gill said. “At that time I had sort of given up some of my scoring to make the team better... but in that particular game I was like, ‘Nah. I’m going back to being myself.’”

Gill turned back the clock, leading the Nets past Detroit and into the 1998 postseason.

What If MJ Stayed Retired?

Though the 1998 Nets were swept in the First Round by the eventual champion Bulls, Gill remains convinced that the team was built for a deep postseason run if they hadn’t collided with basketball royalty right out of the gate.

“We would’ve DEFINITELY made it out of the first round and I think possibly we could’ve gotten to the Eastern Conference Finals,” Gill reflected. “We had a helluva team and it’s just that we ran into the best team in NBA history in the first round... The route that we had was almost impossible to win.”