In the mid-2000s, Kobe Bryant was living a hard life.
After Shaquille O’Neal was traded in 2004, Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers spent three years in purgatory, as they were a mediocre team that, at best, would barely reach the playoffs, only to get run out of the gym by the Phoenix Suns.
Outside of perhaps Barry Bonds, Bryant was the most hated man in sports, as everyone and their mother accused him of running O’Neal out of town and derailing L.A.’s budding dynasty.
But in 2008, that all changed, as the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol in February.
All of a sudden, the Lakers were a juggernaut, and Bryant appeared to have become a good leader who made his teammates better.
After leading L.A. to a 57-25 record and the top seed in the Western Conference, Bryant was rewarded with his first and only regular season MVP award.
Prior to Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals versus the Utah Jazz, a very happy and grateful Bryant was presented the award, and he boldly asserted that the Lakers would “play until June.”
During the official MVP press conference, one of Bryant’s teammates, as well as one of his coaches, kept the mood light by having some fun with him during the Q and A session.
The 2008 season was the start of an incredible couple of years for Bryant, as he would lead the Lakers to three straight NBA Finals appearances and back-to-back world championships while leading Team USA to a gold medal in the Olympics in Beijing.
