Five Championships: The Lakers Dynasty of the OK Three-Peat and Two-Peat
Kobe's five championships were written in two stages, sketching his complete arc from sidekick to core.
The first stage was the three-peat of 2000, 2001, 2002 with Shaquille O'Neal, the 'OK Combo' sweeping the league. Those three years the Lakers were ascendant: 2000 narrowly beating Indiana, 2001 a near-crushing 15-1 playoff run, 2002 again beating New Jersey. Shaq was the unstoppable interior tyrant and three-time Finals MVP; young Kobe was the sharpest blade on the perimeter—his putback dunk on Portland in the West Finals and clutch threes in the Finals already showed a big heart. The three-peat returned the Lakers to dynasty status and pushed Kobe onto the star stage.
The second stage was the two-peat of 2009 and 2010. After Shaq left east, Kobe carried the team alone; after drinking defeat in the 2008 Finals (losing to Boston), he came right back. In the 2009 Finals against Orlando he averaged 32.4 for his first FMVP; in the 2010 Game 7 dogfight against Boston he dropped 23 with 15 rebounds under the Celtics' iron defense, avenging and winning another FMVP. This title was high-value—Kobe's championship as 'absolute core' proving himself.
Among the five, the first three he was the strongest sidekick, the last two the undisputed leader. This resume of 'able to support and able to carry the flag' is rare in NBA history. Five trophies also placed him among the Lakers' championship cores alongside Magic and Kareem; on the purple-and-gold dynasty's banner, his No. 24 is forever there.
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