The summer of 2008 climaxed with a USA Basketball victory in the Gold Medal game against Spain, redeeming a disheartening third place finish in the 2004 Athens games. The team, led by Bryant, cruised through much of the Olympics but suddenly found itself in a fight with a tough Spanish team, led by Los Angeles Lakers forward and Kobe Bryant teammate, Pau Gasol. The Spanish fought the US hard and the game was close in the final minutes when one man on the US team pushed the Americans to victory with sheer willpower and dominance. Like he has done so many times for the Lakers, Kobe Bryant took over the game, telling his teammates, the best players on the planet, that he was the one.
Bryant lifted his team, and more importantly his country, onto his shoulders and marched to the finish line. He would make sure that the United States got the Gold, and they did. Bryant has admitted that the Gold Medal victory was one of the best of his career, one of his proudest moments, but one couldn’t help but think that standing up on that podium accepting the Gold, that Bryant still had the sour taste of the NBA Finals on his lips, and he was ready to lead a different team to redemption as well.
The old cliche states that what fails to kill you only makes you stronger. In Bryant’s case what didn’t finish him off only motivated him more. The Lakers started the 2009 season with one thing and one thing only on their mind, a championship. Anything less would be considered a disappointment for the team. While these may seem like unfair expectations, it was obvious that the Lakers players felt the same way.
The Lakers stormed through the regular season, starting off 17-2, ultimately finishing 65-17 and atop the Western Conference. Bryant was the catalyst the entire season, never settling for anything less than absolute perfection. From a New York City record 61 point outburst at Madison Square Garden to his third All-Star game MVP award, an honor he ironically shared with former running mate Shaquille O’Neal, Bryant never slowed down.
The postseason came and Bryant stepped up as only he can. Bryant led the Lakers through the Western Conference playoffs, albeit they faced several tests along the way, including fantastic performances by the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets, but in the end Bryant and the Lakers were just too much. The NBA Finals were the same result, a quick dismantling of the Orlando Magic. It was done. He was there. Bryant again stood at the top of mountain with the rest of the basketball world at his feet. He had beaten all the naysayers and critics who said he would never be there again. Bryant, had returned to glory.
Next: One for the Thumb…