Throughout his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant amassed a ridiculous amount of memorable moments that still ring out to this day. His 81-point game, defeating the Boston Celtics in 2010, the lob to Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 and his countless game-winning or sealing shots are all replayed and remembered.
But perhaps the moment that truly showcased everything that made Kobe such a special player was when he tore his Achilles against the Golden State Warriors late in the 2013 season. With the Lakers battling for a playoff spot and badly needing the win, Bryant didn’t get helped off the court, but instead he got up and, after a timeout, slowly limped to the free throw line to knock down two free throws before slowly walking off the court under his own power.
It remains one of the greatest examples of grit and toughness in the history of the NBA and former Lakers player and head coach Byron Scott recently spoke on this moment on a recent episode of the “Fast Break” podcast:
As they pointed out, many other players have suffered this same injury, or in Paul Pierce’s case something far less severe, and had to be taken off the court on a wheelchair, or helped off by their teammates. But Kobe was always about winning more than anything else, and he understood that the Warriors could have chosen any Lakers player to take those free throws if he was unable to.
It was not only an unreal level of pain tolerance from Bryant, but a level of mental focus to lock in and swish a pair of free throws in the final minutes of a close game the Lakers had to win. For Kobe to be able to somehow turn a tragic injury, into a true career highlight that showcases everything he stood for is special, and, as Scott called it, gangster.
Shaquille O’Neal praises Phil Jackson on how he handled Kobe Bryant with the Lakers
Many of Kobe Bryant’s best moments came alongside Shaquille O’Neal as the two created arguably the greatest duo in NBA history while with the Lakers. But their personalities didn’t always mix well and it was up to head coach Phil Jackson to make everything work.
And Shaq recently praised Jackson for how he handled a young Kobe, saying how he would tell O’Nealthat he didn’t want to confront Bryant on certain things because he didn’t want him to lose his aggression. Shaq added that Jackson told him he saw something in Kobe that reminded him of Michael Jordan and implored the big man to just work it out.
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