When Kobe Bryant received advice from Bill Belichick in ‘one of the lowest moments of his career’

Kobe Bryant's career was defined by his relentless pursuit of success, for which he often pushed himself to extreme limits. However, even the 18-time All-Star's intense work ethic didn't always guarantee success. The 2007-08 campaign culminated in a particularly devastating blow for the 'Black Mamba' as he lost in the championship round to LA Lakers ' arch-rivals - Boston Celtics . However, being only a human, even Kobe needed an external boost to lift his spirits up, and that came from an unexpected source - Bill Belichick.

Belichick's sane message to Kobe

After finishing the regular season as the No. 1 seed in the WC standings, the Purple and Gold only endured three losses on their way to clinching a place in the championship round. However, in Game 1, the Lakers' 52-37 second-half collapse saw the Boston Celtics win the series opener as Kobe's game-high 24-point effort went in vain. Similarly, in Game 2, Kobe's 30-point effort couldn't secure a win for the Lakers in Boston.

The Lakers showed promise in Game 3 by bringing the series back to 2-1 and caught fire in the first quarter of Game 4 to take a 21-point lead in the first quarter. However, they squandered this advantage and eventually lost the game 97-91. Facing elimination in Game 5, the Lakers' team effort saw them overcome the Celtics' Big 3, combining for 69 points to force a Game 6.

Though some Lakers loyalists were still hopeful of their team dominating the Celtics at the Garden, it didn't take long for the home team to impose their dominance, securing a 131-92 victory. More importantly, Bryant spent 42 minutes on the court, helplessly witnessing the Celtics lift their 17th championship.

Bryant's series-best average of 25.7 points per game provided little consolation. In this moment of anguish, an unexpected source of comfort emerged - Bill Belichick, who too had recently experienced a similar disappointment with the New England Patriots' Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants.

"I'm sitting there on the bench, just beside myself, burning with frustration, and I look over, and Bill Belichick is walking toward me," Bryant said . "I had never met him. Never spoken to him. He had courtside seats across from our bench, and with 20 seconds left in the game, he came over and said, 'Don't you worry about this. I know what you are going through. We just lost a tough one ourselves. Just bounce back. Be ready next year.'"

Kobe lived up to Belichick's advice

Kobe didn't appreciate Belichick's support but also took his advice to heart and turned it into his best performance the next season.

Not only did the Lakers make it to the championship series with a 65-17 regular season record, the third-best offensive rating, and the sixth-best defensive rating, but in the Finals, Kobe left no stone unturned. He upped his scoring average to 32.4, leading the Lakers to defeat Dwight Howard's Orlando Magic in five games.

On one hand, when Kobe proved he could lead a franchise to a championship on his own, some spotlight should also be given on how Belichick was a unique source of motivation.

Related: How a walk in the sun in France after the 2008 NBA Finals altered Kobe Bryant's perspective as a leader: "Wow, he's great because Kobe's there"