Kobe Bryant is possibly one of the greatest NBA players of all-time and the greatest Laker ever. Two jersey numbers in the rafters at the STAPLES Center prove it. Kobe was able to take over games in ways that not many players could.

His drive to win at any cost helped him succeed on and off the court. An 18-time NBA All-Star, five-time NBA champion and one-time NBA MVP, Kobe tragically passed away on January 26, 2020.

Eduardo Solano, from FOX Sports Radio 1340 AM Hopewell and AccuScore, wrote this about Kobe Bryant recently:

“I’ve always been a Chicago Bulls fan but I followed Kobe Bryant’s entire career! Kobe is one of my favorite athletes of all-time and I still can’t process that he is gone.”

In the 2000-01 season, Kobe Bryant was 22 years old and the fourth leading scorer in the NBA at 28.5 points per game and the Lakers basically swept the entire 2001 NBA Playoffs. All after Kobe spent the summer making 2,000 shots a day. This is what he said before the 2000-01 season:

“Everybody expected me to come back and do the same things I did last year, but I’ve improved so much. I have to prove to myself and the league that I’m a better player. Every night. For 48 minutes…If Shaq were a 70% free throw shooter, it would make things so much easier. 

We have to know our strengths and weaknesses. I trust the team, I just trust myself more. Yeah, we won last year with the offense going through Shaq but instead of winning series in five and seven games, this year we’ll have sweeps.”