In the wake of his MVP award in 2008, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant looked back at what has been an eventful year for him and the team. Although they were finally on their way back to the top after years of losing, things got ugly in the summer of 2007, when general manager Mitch Kupchak took a significant blow to his reputation.
The 53-year-old executive was harshly criticized by the Laker's superstar, Bryant, who was unhappy with the team's direction following a second consecutive first-round playoff exit. The five-time NBA champion publicly blasted management and demanded a trade. The Lakers did not trade No. 24, and in February 2008, Kupchak orchestrated a deal for Pau Gasol , which transformed the Lakers into title contenders once again. Suddenly, things were looking up, and the unity of the Purple and Gold was restored.
"I learned a lesson, which is you have to separate business from the love of the game because there were a lot of decisions that were made business-wise that I wasn't happy with," Bryant said at the end of the 2007-08 season. "I took a lot of the blame for a lot of the stuff they were doing. It didn't sit right with me. It still doesn't sit right with me. But you have to be able to separate that from the love that you have for the game of basketball and the respect that you have for your team."
Trust the process
The Lakers won titles in Kupchak's first two seasons as general manager before losing in the second round in 2003. The GM signed future Hall of Fame members Karl Malone and Gary Payton for the 2004 season, but the Lakers' "super team" was defeated in the NBA Finals by the Detroit Pistons. Turmoil followed, but head coach Phil Jackson was not retained. Shaquille O'Neal demanded a trade, and Bryant considered signing with the Los Angeles Clippers. With no assurances that the Lakers guard would return to the Lakers, Kupchak sent O'Neal to the Miami Heat .
Although Kobe eventually re-signed with the Lakers, the team fell from the elite, missing the playoffs in 2005 and losing to Phoenix in the first round in 2006 and 2007. After that Gasol deal, "The Mamba" was back in business, and his frustration was erased.
"I've been sitting on this for four years now," the MVP said. "After three or four years of not getting anything done, to see it today, it feels pretty damn good. It's been a hell of a ride. He [Kupchak] has gone from an "F" to an "A-plus. He believed in the draft picks he made, he had the patience."
Honest criticism
When Kupchak convinced the Memphis Grizzlies to take underachieving Kwame Brown as part of the Gasol deal, the Lakers were back on their way to the top. Although Los Angeles surrendered defeat to the Boston Celtics for the 2008 title, they eventually won the championships in 2009 and 2010, and all criticism paid off.
For arguably the best player in basketball, in addition to winning an MVP award in 2008, he was the only unanimous selection to the All-NBA First Team for the third straight season and the sixth time in his career. Bryant was also selected to the All-Defensive First Team with Kevin Garnett — the eighth selection of his career.
The Kobe-led Lakers stuck it to the Boston big-3 in 2010 to avenge their loss to the green and white. No. 24 led the way with consecutive sparkling performances, 33 points on 54.5% shooting from 3 and 38 points on 40.0% from 3 in Games 4 and 5, respectively. Pau was a double-double machine, registering one in all but two of the seven games in the series. He was one of the heroes in Game 7, tallying 19 points and 18 rebounds and some fine play in the clutch. No. 24 had his fifth title and consecutive Finals MVPs and the trade for No. 16 proved revolutionary.
Related: "I have the gift and the curse of having gone second" - Kobe Bryant on following Michael Jordan's blueprint on and off the court
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