There have been only a few legendary figures in the history of the NBA who dedicated their lives to just one team. John Stockton (Jazz), Reggie Miller (Pacers), Tim Duncan (Spurs), Udonis Haslem (Heat), Dirk Nowitzki (Mavs), and Kobe Bryant (Lakers) are a few key names that come to mind.
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For Kobe Bryant, there was a point in his career when it appeared as if his marriage with the Los Angeles Lakers was coming to an abrupt end. He had given the franchise five championship titles by then. Fans associated the Lakers with Kobe and vice versa. Fr the Lakers nation, it was expensive for them to do both; either let him go or to keep him close. Fortunately, they chose the latter.
Jeanie Buss became the constructor of the trustworthy brand of Lakers
In 2013, the Lakers were playing their 80th game of the regular season against the Golden State Warriors. They won that game 118-116 where Kobe added 34 points. He played extensively well, especially against a young Klay Thompson, who was guarding him in its entirety. But the scare came when he injured his Achilles and went down in pain.
The injury was so terrible that he could not play for the Lakers in the playoffs that season. He appeared in only six games in the entire 2013-14 season. This was the first time he was out of play for such a long duration. That’s when everyone thought that either his career had ended or he would be traded to another team. But the Lakers organization showed complete trust in their faithful star.
In a Magic Johnson was the celebrity guest, an NBA reporter remembered those moments and said, “When Kobe’s Achilles went, they resigned him before they ever saw him to two years, $50 million. And I thought at the time, ‘What! You haven’t even seen him even play. That’s the end of your salary cap. You’re not gonna be good for a long time’. And what Jeanie told me then was ‘We have to send a message, first of all, it’s Kobe, we’re not gonna let him go, and the NBA is gonna see that this is how the Lakers take care of their own. Kobe is not just another player, he’s a franchise icon, like Magic.’”
Kobe Bryant gave back everything he took
It must be noted that the Lakers had their worst seasons beginning 2014. The team saw the trade of Pau Gasol, the retirement of Steve Nash, and the injury of Kobe Bryant in the same phase.
In 2014, they were interested in the opportunity to sign the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Luol Deng, and other such players. But the $50 million, 2-year deal with an out-of-play Kobe left their salary cap limping. Still, the organization under Jeanie Buss’s leadership kept the Black Mamba with them.
The move to retain Kobe helped them in the long term. Kobe contributed to the franchise both on and off the court. In fact, he is still contributing in a way best known to Frank Vogel and his men who just won the championship.
