Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was one of the premier players in the NBA for much of his time playing alongside big man Shaquille O’Neal with the Purple and Gold, but he arguably lived in O’Neal’s shadow at times during their partnership.
After all, O’Neal was maybe the most dominant player in the league at the time, and Bryant didn’t take home a single Finals MVP during the team’s three-peat in the early 2000s.
According to Lakers star LeBron James, folks didn’t get to see the “complete” Bryant until years after O’Neal was dealt from Los Angeles to the Miami Heat. Specifically, James cited the years 2008, 2009 and 2010.
“When Kobe came in, he had a couple years, and then Shaq came to the team, and I think he won his first one at like 21 or 22,” James said. “But he wasn’t the Kobe that we all saw in 2008, 2009, 2010, when he was really able to define his game and hone in on his skill, his efficiency, his mind. We saw the complete Kobe Bryant then.”
James seemed to indicate that Bryant had a couple of years with the Lakers before O’Neal arrived there. To clarify, Bryant’s rookie season was also O’Neal’s first season with the team. Years later, in the 2004 offseason, the Lakers traded O’Neal away.
Bryant won his first (and only) league MVP award in the 2007-08 campaign. He averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game across 82 contests in the regular season.
With big man Pau Gasol as his new running mate, Bryant helped the Lakers reach the NBA Finals in 2008, though the team came up short of a title. Los Angeles lost to the Boston Celtics in six games in the championship series.
However, after coming up short against Boston in 2008, the Lakers won back-to-back NBA titles in 2009 and 2010 with Bryant spearheading the team. Los Angeles beat the Orlando Magic in five games in the 2009 NBA Finals. Bryant and company then got revenge against the Celtics by beating them in seven games in the 2010 NBA Finals.
It’s hard to argue that Bryant wasn’t the best player on the Lakers for both of those title runs. He led Los Angeles in points and assists per contest in both the 2009 NBA Playoffs and 2010 NBA Playoffs and was awarded Finals MVP awards at the end of both runs.
Bryant definitely proved that he could be the top dog on a championship team when he was the straw that stirred the drink for L.A. teams that won consecutive titles. The late shooting guard should be remembered by fans of the Lakers as one of the greatest players and winners in the history of the organization.
