8 Most Memorable Kobe Bryant Games

The superteam to beat all superteams. The Lakers had assembled a line-up of Steve Nash, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard, and Kobe Bryant. All five of them had been all-stars. That line-up had a whole collection of MVP trophies, defensive player of the year trophies, playoff experience, and massive expectations. They barely made the playoffs...

Injuries would take a massive toll on the entire team. Howard had been dealing with a back injury which kept him at less than 100%. Nash broke his leg in the second game. Gasol would only play about half the season. Metta World Peace would have knee surgery in March, and surprisingly come back in April.

Through 80 games, Kobe put the franchise on his back, no matter who was coaching. Mike Brown was fired after the first five games, and Bernie Bickerstaff would get the team back to .500 as interim-head coach. Finally, Mike D'Antoni was brought in to lead the team, having had some success coaching Nash in Phoenix.

In a must win game against the Golden State Warriors, Kobe put in an absolutely heroic effort. He gave everything he had, took a lot of hard spills and absorbed some hard fouls. And after some knee injury scares in the 3rd quarter, Kobe lit up in the 4th quarter. Leading the comeback and down by two, Kobe drew another foul... only for his left achilles to fail him. In one of the greatest displays of heart, Kobe Bryant stayed on the court and sank both free throws to tie up the game. That would be the last great dominant performance we'd get from the Black Mamba.

Without Bryant to lead them, the Lakers got swept out of the playoffs in the first round.

"Pain doesn’t tell you when you ought to stop. Pain is the little voice in your head that tries to hold you back because it knows if you continue you will change." ~Kobe