It doesn’t shock me in the slightest as to why the flamboyant character was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary group. Basketball followers frequently enjoy discussing the GOATS of the NBA, particularly their skills, accomplishments and influence past the court. Two of the gamers who come up fairly frequently in those conversations are Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. It goes with out saying that each are iconic in their very own right, though some still surprise who was the higher player. The answer to that question is truthfully nonetheless up for debate however, amid that continued dialogue, Dennis Rodman, supplied some eager thoughts. The rebounding icon specifically received candid about what he views as the key distinction between Bryant and MJ.

After the Lakers' season ended, Bryant stated on TNT that he wanted 24 as a rookie, nevertheless it was unavailable, as was 33, retired with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Bryant wore 143 at the Adidas ABCD camp, and selected eight by adding these numbers. In the primary round of the playoffs, the Lakers performed well enough to achieve a 3–1 sequence lead over the Phoenix Suns, culminating with Bryant's OT-forcing and game-winning shots in Game four. Despite Bryant's 27.9 points per sport within the series, the Lakers broke down, and finally fell to the Suns in seven video games.

They easily swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the first spherical. In the semifinals spherical, the Lakers swept the Sacramento Kings. In Game four towards the Kings, Bryant recorded forty eight points, 16 rebounds and 3 assists in a 119–113 series-clinching win. They swept the San Antonio Spurs within the Conference Finals to advance to the Finals, earlier than dropping their first sport against the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime. They would go on to win the next 4 video games and convey their second championship to Los Angeles in as many seasons. During the playoffs, Bryant performed heavy minutes which introduced his stats up to 29.4 factors, 7.three rebounds, and 6.1 assists per recreation.

But being a “great friend” is one thing I will never be. A great friend will name you every single day and bear in mind your birthday. I’ll get so wrapped up in my shit, I’ll by no means remember that stuff. And the people who discover themselves my pals understand this, and they’re often the same way.

This marked the primary time the Lakers won a Game 7 towards the Boston Celtics within the NBA Finals. Bryant stated that this was essentially the most satisfying of all of his five championships. He was chosen to his eleventh consecutive All-Star Game as a starter, and was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for December and January in addition to being named Western Conference Player of the week three times. During the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, Bryant who tallied 27 points, four assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals was awarded All-Star Game co-MVP with former teammate Shaquille O'Neal. The Lakers completed the regular season with one of the best record in the west (65–17). Bryant was runner-up within the MVP voting behind LeBron James, and was selected to the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team for the seventh time in his career.

He was posthumously voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. His harm got here whereas he was taking half in seven consecutive quarters and no much less than forty minutes for seven consecutive video games. The 34-year-old Bryant was averaging his most minutes (38.6) in six years, and only Portland rookie Damian Lillard was averaging more minutes. Bryant's assists have been the second-highest of his career and his field goal proportion was its highest since 2008–09.

Bryant known as Sherman not simply to poke fun at him, however to advise him on his impending rehab. Every single day, Saquon Barkley writes “Mamba Mentality” on the primary page of the pocket book he carries with him to his film sessions and game-planning conferences. It was October eleven, 2020, and Prescott’s foot was pointing the incorrect direction. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback sat on the turf at AT&T Stadium, staring down in disbelief. Underneath his sock, bone was sticking out by way of his pores and skin. “If you go back and have a glance at the video,” Prescott advised The Ringer in August, “I tried to plant my ft and put my foot back in place, simply so I may get off the sector.” Prescott always tries to rise up quickly.

But the kind of relationships you see in movies—that’s impossible for me. I even have good relationships with gamers across the league. But when it comes to having a type of great, bonding friendships—that’s one thing I will in all probability by no means have. This self-perpetuating picture of Bryant as an unyielding workaholic has turn into so integral to his ethos that it reflexively informs every other element about his life. He has turn into The Last Hard Man, the realest of the true, the lone remnant from a Precambrian NBA period when gamers nonetheless hated one another and the only people who cared about AAU basketball were actual eighth graders.