Kobe Bryant was one of those competitors who would give anything for a championship. He literally relearned his shooting mechanics so that he could shoot off his middle finger after breaking the index finger. Despite the tough adjustment, the Black Mamba still went on and captured his fifth title in 2010.
Although the 1996 first-round pick worked tirelessly for a shot at a sixth title, Bryant made it clear that there was a line he wouldn't cross. The 2008 MVP said he would never change teams so that he could say his ring total equals Michael Jordan in a 2012 sit-down with Stephen A. Smith.
"I'm not gonna jump ship to go and chase a sixth ring. I'm not gonna do that. It's either it's gonna happen here, or it's not gonna happen," the 18-time All-Star said .
Didn't Bryant want to leave the Lakers before?
The Mamba sounded so sure and adamant that he'd retire a Laker, but there were times when he did want to jump ship. However, to Kobe, it was in the past and had no bearing whatsoever on his situation in 2012.
"That time (previous trade request), that ship sailed, you know, in '07 or wherever it was. If there was ever a time where I would move and play someplace else, that time was then," Kobe remarked.
In 2007, there were swirling rumors about a Bryant trade to the Dallas Mavericks . The package would be Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and a couple of first-round picks, which meant, Kobe would have joined forces with Dirk Nowitzki. However, general manager Mitch Kupchak shut down the deal before it took off since it was just a handshake agreement between Mark Cuban and late Lakers owner Jerry Buss.
Supposedly in the same year, Mamba almost became a Piston. However, he called the deal off since Detroit was not one of his preferred destinations back then. In the 2008 trade deadline, Kupchak acquired Pau Gasol from Memphis to partner with the Lakers superstar. The rest, they say, is history.
Related: Mark Cuban is open to co-owning a team with Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James: "I have to make it okay with my current partners"
Kobe's untouchable legacy
Fans could play the "what if" game as long they'd like, but Bryant would have been perceived differently had he not stayed.
Because the Black Mamba decided to continue donning the Purple and Gold, he won two more titles in 2009 and 2010. From then on, Kobe felt fulfilled with his career and set his limits. There was no plan B and he would never think of wearing another uniform again. Bryant stayed true to his word, sticking with the team through tough times until he hung his sneakers up for good in 2016.
Kobe retired as the fourth-leading scorer of all time, with five championships and several other records. Bryant's 60 points in his final game were the most ever by anyone on the way out, and his 81 versus the Raptors stands as the second-highest scoring output in one game behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100 back in 1962.
Related: "You can't get 50!" - Kobe revealed how Lamar Odom egged him to scoring a career-high 81 points
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