During the 2003-04 season, Kobe Bryant was a very busy man, and not in a good way.
He found himself having to handle a juggling act that most other men couldn’t deal with – playing high-level basketball while defending himself against accusations of assault in a Colorado court of law.
Prior to Game 5 of the first round of the NBA playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets, Bryant was in a courtroom for a pretrial hearing.
He flew back to L.A. just in time to suit up for the contest, and he was tired – very tired.
But on the hardwood, no one could tell, as he put up an outstanding all-around game with 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting, six rebounds, 10 assists and three steals to help the Lakers eliminate the Rockets, 97-78.
Back then, Bryant was perhaps the most hated athlete in America, but even those who absolutely loved to hate him had to marvel at his focus, dedication and resiliency.
The Lakers would go on to lose in the NBA Finals to those trendy little underdogs, the Detroit Pistons, in five games, but Bryant had proven that he was one tough man who couldn’t be broken.
