SUMMARY
- Kobe Bryant played a crucial role in helping the Los Angeles Lakers win five championships.
- After the Lakers won three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002, Shaquille O'Neal left the team, and Kobe Bryant faced criticismthat he couldn't win without Shaq.
Kobe Bryant played a key role in helping the Los Angeles Lakers win five out of their 17 championships. NBA players have always shared a bittersweet relationship when it comes to who will have the limelight if the team wins a championship. Although the entire team worked hard on the gameplay, many people often refer to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal as the taskmasters to conquer the three-peat.
The Lakers won back-to-back championships in 2001, 2002, and 2003, with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal on the roster. Although the Lakers had to say goodbye to Shaq after winning the 2003 championship, the rivalry has its importance. The rivalry made sure that the Lakers won five championships back in the 2000s. In an interview on SiriusXM NBA Radio (Channel 86, Sirius 207), Bryant revealed why he had ‘sleepless nights’.
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Talking to the host, Kevin Frazier, Kobe said, “The narrative was Kobe’s the sidekick; he can’t win without Shaq. Right? And I didn’t hear anybody—not Phil, not Shaq—come out and say, Well, that’s not true. He could…. I didn’t hear that. Everybody was quiet. I said okay. Oh..Ohkay.. This is the challenge. This is what we are talking about right now.”
Following this incident, Kobe started working on himself and improving his game. The media reprimanded him for being too selfish. However, Bryant has faced this allegation far too often, be it from Shaq or the media houses. While the Lakers’ former big man wanted the star guard to initiate more passes, Bryant just focused on improving his game.
After Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat, Bryant won two more championships and gave a concrete answer to the media. Bryant amassed one more championship than Shaq did in his career, and that was an answer enough to those who were pointing fingers at him.
A timeline of Kobe Bryant’s two championship wins without Shaquille O’Neal
The native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has a total of five championships to his name. However, the last two were won through sheer hard work and grit, as his main man was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004. ‘Big Diesel’ went on to win his fourth championship ring with the Miami Heat playing alongside Dwayne Wade, while Bryant gave his best shot to win one without Shaq.
Although the star guard didn’t have any luck until 2009, the two consecutive championship wins in 2009 and 2010 got him even more praise. Bryant teamed up with Paul Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom to win the last two rings. Bryant won his fourth ring while playing against the Orlando Magic and his fifth against the Boston Celtics.
Along with a ring in 2009, the star guard also won his first Finals MVP award. Well, as per Bryant, his most memorable title run was against the Celtics in 2010, when he defeated the team in seven games. Earning one more championship ring than Shaq, Bryant answered all those questioning him.