Lakers News: Kobe Bryant Reminisces On Losing 2008 NBA Finals
Usatsi_8983463_153179170_lowres
Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Kobe Bryant is a Los Angeles Lakers legend and has had one of the most storied NBA careers in the history of the league, but there was always one failure that ate at him more than any other.

Kobe has always said that the 2008 NBA Finals loss to the Boston Celtics was the hardest loss of his career.

With Kobe set to play in his final game in Boston, he discussed that 2008 loss to the Celtics via Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times:

That Lakers team was favored to win it all, but were dominated physically by the stronger Celtics. The Lakers weren’t helped by the absence of starting center Andrew Bynum, but Kobe has never used that as an excuse for the loss.

The loss did serve to motivate Kobe and the Lakers next season to ensure that they would right their wrong. They would win the championship in 2009, but not against the Celtics. It wasn’t until 2010 when the Lakers could exact revenge on the Celtics and they did just that, in one of the most grueling seven-game series ever.

At this stage, Kobe is the only person left from that rivalry as Bynum, Pau Gasol, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce have all moved on and the next stage of the rivalry between these teams will have to be carried on by the new generation. Had the Lakers not failed in 2008, however, the legacy of Kobe might never have become what it was.

You May Also Like

Lakers News: Agent Insists Magic Johnson Never Asked For Knicks Trade

When it comes to the true lifetime members of the Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson is always one of the first names to…

Lakers Rumors: LeBron James ‘Unequivocally’ Joining Lakers In 2018

The LeBron James to Los Angeles rumors have been running wild the entire summer…

ESPN Projects Lakers To Finish 2022-23 Season Ninth In West With 42-40 Record

The Los Angeles Lakers ended the 2021-22 season with a humiliating 33-49 record, putting to question their Big 3 experiment…

LeBron James Reflects On How Successful Trade Deadline Moves Have Been For Lakers

The 2022-23 season for the Los Angeles Lakers can be best described as the tale of two halves…