The rise and fall of Kobe Bryant and his Lakers dynasty, including the 31 teammates who helped him win five championships. Timeline runs from his selection in the 1996 draft to his 2016 retirement.
Draft day success
Kobe Bryant is selected #13 overall in the NBA Draft by the Hornets, and traded on draft day to the Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac. The Lakers also land Derek Fisher (Arkansas-Little Rock) with the #24 overall pick
Welcome to Hollywood
Shaquille O’Neal signs with the Lakers as a free agent for a record breaking $121 million over seven years. O’Neal had spent his first four seasons with the Magic
Big shot
Robert Horry is acquired via trade from the Suns, in exchange for Cedric Ceballos and Rumeal Robinson. Horry had previously won two titles with the Rockets
Growing pains
The Lakers’ first season with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal ends with a Conference Semifinals loss to the Jazz in five games. Bryant struggles in game five, shooting just 1-of-11 from the field and missing several key shots in the fourth quarter and overtime
Hitting the wall
The Lakers finish the ’97-’98 season with 61 wins but are eliminated by the Jazz for the second consecutive playoffs, this time in the Western Conference Finals in a sweep
First strike
Tensions are high for the Lakers coming out of the lockout. Shaquille O’Neal is disappointed in the accepted terms and its effect on his salary, while Kobe Bryant is shouldering pressure of his new lucrative contract and filling the void left by Michael Jordan’s retirement.
During an offseason scrimmage, verbal sparring between O’Neal and Bryant escalates into an altercation, with O’Neal slapping Bryant across the face. It’s considered the first boiling-over point in the star players’ longtime feud.
Changes in the air
In just the first six weeks of a tumultuous ’98-’99 season, the Lakers see Kobe Bryant inserted the starting lineup, head coach Del Harris fired after a slow start, Dennis Rodman added to the roster, and stalwarts Elden Campbell and Eddie Jones traded to the Hornets, in exchange for Glen Rice and J.R. Reid
Zen master to the rescue
Following a disappointing Conference Semifinals loss to the Spurs, the Lakers hire Phil Jackson as head coach to replace Kurt Rambis, who was serving on an interim basis. Jackson had taken the ’98-’99 season off after leading the Bulls to their sixth championship. Rambis remains on staff as an assistant coach
Getting to work
In a busy offseason in the wake of Phil Jackson’s hiring, the Lakers add Ron Harper and Brian Shaw as free agents, Devean George in the draft, and John Salley and A.C. Green via trade
Top of the mountain
The Lakers finish an all-time great ’99-’00 season with 67 wins and the NBA title. The highlight of their playoff run is an improbable fourth quarter comeback against the Trail Blazers in game seven of the Conference Finals
West steps down
Jerry West announces his retirement as general manager after 21 years in the Lakers’ front office and over four decades of service to the franchise in various capacities. The move further frustrates Shaquille O’Neal, who subsequently asks for a trade during the ’00-’01 season but is denied by West’s replacement, Mitch Kupchak
Back-to-back
The Lakers defeat the 76ers in five games in the NBA Finals, the culmination of a dominant postseason in which they lost one game total, sweeping the Trail Blazers, Kings, and Spurs in succession. Shaquille O’Neal is named Finals MVP for the second straight year
Three in a row
After finishing off the rival Kings in a controversial Western Conference Finals, the Lakers sweep the Nets in the NBA Finals for their third consecutive title. Shaquille O’Neal is named Finals MVP for a third time
September 2002
Shaq in pain
For the second straight year, Shaquille O’Neal misses training camp due to toe surgery, which he elected to have performed just days prior instead of earlier in the summer. With O’Neal suffering, the Lakers get off to a rough start in the ’02-’03 season, losing six out of eight games in December to fall to a 11-19 record; they eventually recover to win 50 games and enter the playoffs as the #5 seed in the West
Four-peat dreams dashed
The Lakers’ hopes of a four-peat are dashed in a Conference Semifinals loss to the Spurs, who go on to win the title
Desperate measures
The Lakers sign veterans Karl Malone and Gary Payton to one-year contracts, hoping that the legends will each earn their first NBA championship as part of a “super team” with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
Kobe on trial
Criminal charges of sexual assault are filed against Kobe Bryant in Colorado. Bryant denies the charges but surrenders to police and is released on bond
Stunned at the brink
After impressive series wins over the Spurs and Timberwolves, the Lakers are upset in the NBA Finals by the Pistons in five games. It ends a trying ’03-’04 season marred by Kobe Bryant’s trial, Karl Malone’s injuries, and Shaquille O’Neal’s public criticisms of his teammates
Messy divorce
In one of the biggest blockbuster trades in NBA history, Shaquille O’Neal is dealt to the Heat in exchange for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler, a first round pick, and a second round pick.
Phil Jackson also steps away as head coach, eventually getting replaced by Rudy Tomjanovich
Case closed
The sexual assault criminal charges against Kobe Bryant are dropped, after his accuser announced she was unwilling to testify during the trial. Bryant eventually settled a civil suit with the accuser
Race to the bottom
The Lakers finish the ’04-’05 season with a 34-48 record, both missing the playoffs and finishing under .500 for the first time in 11 years. Rudy Tomjanovich steps down as coach mid-season due to health issues
Phil in the blank
Phil Jackson is rehired as head coach. During his year away from the NBA, his book The Last Season had been released and was highly critical of Kobe Bryant
Signs of life
The Lakers finish the regular season 45-37 and back in the playoffs. Kobe Bryant wins his first NBA scoring title. A highlight of the season is his 81-point outburst against the Raptors
Thanks to some incredible performances from Bryant, the Lakers almost pull off a first round upset of the Suns but blow a 3-1 series lead and are eliminated. Meanwhile, Shaquille O’Neal (and Gary Payton) win a title with the Heat
Flirting with disaster
After another first round playoff exit for the Lakers, a tense standoff ensues between Lakers management and Kobe Bryant. Bryant asks for a trade but later relents. General manager Mitch Kupchak responds to criticism by bringing back Derek Fisher in free agency and trading for Trevor Ariza
In comes Pau
Pau Gasol is acquired via a blockbuster trade with the Grizzlies, in exchange for his younger brother Marc Gasol, Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, and two first round picks. The Lakers win 14 of their first 17 games with Gasol in the lineup, surging to the top of the standings
How does it taste?
The Lakers return to the NBA Finals against their old rivals the Celtics, who defeat them in six games. Shaquille O’Neal is caught on video freestyle rapping at a nightclub, with lyrics heavily referencing Kobe Bryant and the Lakers losing in the Finals, including the infamous line “Kobe, tell me how my ass tastes”
Beef squashed
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal (now with the Suns) play together on the same team for the first time since 2004 and are named co-MVPs of the NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix. Both players would later reference this as an unofficial end to their longtime feud
Return to glory
The Lakers defeat the Magic in five games in the NBA Finals for the fourth title of Kobe Bryant’s career. Bryant is named Finals MVP to go along with his ’07-’08 league MVP
With malice
Metta World Peace is a controversial free agent signing, at Kobe Bryant’s behest. He replaces Trevor Ariza, who joins the Rockets as a free agent
Fifth time’s a charm
An NBA Finals rematch with the Celtics comes down to a winner-take-all game seven, with the Lakers winning. Kobe Bryant becomes the first player to earn back-to-back Finals MVP awards since Shaquille O’Neal in 2001 and 2002. He also officially surpasses O’Neal with his fifth title
Lost in Dallas
A listless Lakers team is swept in the Conference Semifinals by the Mavericks, ending their hopes of a three-peat. Phil Jackson subsequently retires again as head coach and is replaced by Mike Brown
Veto power
A proposed trade with the Hornets for Chris Paul is vetoed by commissioner David Stern, who is temporarily acting as Hornets ownership. As part of the three team deal, the Lakers would have traded Lamar Odom to the Hornets and Pau Gasol to the Rockets. The Lakers wind up instead trading Odom to the Mavericks a few days later, while Paul ends up with the Clippers
Thunderstruck
A relatively successful ’11-’12 ends with a Conference Semifinals loss to the Thunder. The OKC roster includes Derek Fisher, whom the Lakers had traded away during the season
Another superteam failure
A disappointing season comes to an unceremonious end, as the Lakers are swept in a first round playoff series by the Spurs. Kobe Bryant misses the entire series due to a torn Achilles’ tendon. Heavily hyped trade acquisitions Dwight Howard and Steve Nash both struggle
Last man standing
With Kobe Bryant sidelined almost the entire season due to an Achilles’ tear and a broken bone in his knee, the Lakers finish ’13-’14 with a 27-55 record, the franchise’s worst since its 1960 relocation to Los Angeles
Pau Gasol subsequently departs as a free agent, signing with the Bulls. This leaves Bryant himself as the final holdover from the Lakers’ five titles of the ’00s
Time is up
After suffering yet another major injury during the ’14-’15 season, a torn rotator cuff, Kobe Bryant announces that ’15-’16 will be his last NBA season
A fitting farewell
In his final NBA game, Kobe Bryant puts on a show, dropping 60 points in a Lakers victory over the Jazz