Kobe Bryant made the headlines in 2006 after his alleged nemesis Shaquille O’Neal won a championship without him. Following that, the pressure rose on the shooting guard to win one without his former teammate as the noise started to get to him. His former Los Angeles Lakers teammate, Trevor Ariza, talked about precisely that period in the latest episode of the Club Shay Shay show.
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After sharing the dressing room with Kobe for two years in LA, the small forward reflected on his time there. He candidly discussed how the demand to win a fourth championship to match Shaq kept the icon motivated.
“It drove him,” the 38-year-old stated, before mentioning, “Sleepless nights, I could probably say that,” to reveal his dedication to the craft.
“He wanted to prove that he was who he thought he was,” Trevor further highlighted as the aim far exceeded the outside expectations. Yet, the questions from outsiders sometimes used to cut open his wound as he had to let his alter ego, Black Mamba take over.
“Sometimes he would come in practice just aggravated. Wouldn’t say s**t to nobody and you can tell in his demeanor that those things was ticking him off”.
After falling short in 2007 and 2008, the obsession went up a notch as Bryant wanted to surpass his nemesis Shaq. A defeat in the 2008 NBA Finals nearly shattered his spirit but eventually fueled his motivation. “He wanted it bad. He wanted it real bad,” Trevor pointed out, looking back on that phase of the Lakers’ great career.
Despite the aggression, Kobe displayed a superior level of sportsmanship through his activities. Although the media became determined to project him as ‘an enemy’ of O’Neal, the 18x All-Star never badmouthed his former colleague.
“He never spoke bad about him, about big fella at all but I know that his drive was always to be the best.”
The obsession of Kobe Bryant paid off in huge folds
The Philadelphia-born finally reached his target in 2009 as the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic. Kobe’s endeavors helped his side win the series by a 4-1 margin as he finally caught up with the 7’1 center. The league acknowledged his efforts as Bryant won his first-ever Finals MVP trophy.
Ariza played a crucial yet underrated role in that entire postseason campaign. Averaging 11.3 points per game, he was a menace from behind the three-point line. Shooting 47.6% from the deep, his accuracy had often hampered the momentum of the opposition. Later, it came to the limelight how much Bryant had also backed a young Trevor as the latter repaid the faith.
In the following season, Kobe won his fifth ring and second Finals MVP award, but by that time, Ariza had already left for the Houston Rockets. Thus, the 6’6 star’s journey uphill remained engraved in the mind of Trevor. A test of resilience that paved the way for a cinematic ending.
