By every possible measure, Kobe Bryant is one of the best players to ever play the game of basketball. The five-time NBA champ is revered even today as one of the NBA’s fiercest competitors, but because it’s been nearly nine years since Kobe played his final NBA game, many fans don’t remember that it wasn’t always smooth sailing for the Lakers when Kobe was on the team.
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Kobe was famous for his run-ins with Shaquille O’Neal while the two were in L.A. together, but it was a confrontation with another teammate during the 2003-04 season that really precipitated the end of the Lakers dynasty, as Jeff Pearlman described in his book Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty.
Both on and off the court, the Lakers were becoming more and more dysfunctional. The team had won three straight championships from 2000-02, but after losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semis in 2003, the wheels had begun to come off. Kobe spending much of the 2003-04 season flying back and forth from Colorado to deal with legal matters and that didn’t help. Nor did unnamed teammates talking to the press about him behind his back.
Pearlman referenced the aftermath of L.A. Times writer Tim Brown’s April ’04 article entitled “Air is Heavy for Bryant, Lakers” as one of the low points of the Lakers season. As Pearlman tells it, Kobe confronted each of his teammates in the Lakers practice facility, demanding that someone admit to telling Brown, “I don’t know how we can forgive him” after Kobe attempted only one first-half shot against the Sacramento Kings in what many viewed as a petulant display in the team’s regular-season finale loss.
“Did you say this?!” he screamed.
No.
“Did you say this?!”
No.
“Did you say this?!”
No.
The furor was palpable. So was the awkwardness. Someone had uttered the words. Later, during a team meeting, Bryant continued with the questioning. “Right here and right now!” he said. “I want to know who said this shit!”
Kobe’s aggression eventually turned toward Karl Malone, who was in his first year with the team. Malone told Kobe to let it go, which almost started a fistfight between the two future Hall-of-Famers.
2004 is remembered as the last year of the Lakers dynasty
The Lakers were able to overcome their dysfunction by returning to the NBA Finals, but despite being sizeable favorites, they were outclassed by the Detroit Pistons 4-1. Just one month later, Shaq was traded away. Malone retired before the next season, limiting his Lakers career to just one year.
Things got much worse between Kobe and Malone later that year, as Malone was accused of acting inappropriately toward Kobe’s wife Vanessa at a Lakers game.
With all of the issues the 2003-04 Lakers had, it’s a testament to their talent that they still made the Finals. Looking back though, the fact that they were upset by the Pistons should surprise nobody.
