Kobe Bryant Day: The Black Mamba's Extraordinary Run in Numbers with the Los Angeles Lakers
Certain traits spring to mind when thinking about Kobe Bryant: relentless competitor, demanding teammate, clutch shot-maker, and champion. And there’s no better time than August 24 (8/24) to look back on his sustained greatness across his exceptional Hall of Fame NBA career.
The Black Mamba won five championships with the Los Angles Lakers, but just as remarkable was how his mere presence kept the franchise in the title hunt, year after year. Need proof? Let's examine the Lakers' NBA championship odds during Bryant's ridiculously long prime from 1999 to 2013.
1999-2000 Lakers title odds: +400
Let’s skip Kobe’s first four years in the league and start with the 1999-2000 season. With Phil Jackson’s arrival unlocking Bryant’s huge potential, the Black Mamba blossomed as an All-Star and All-NBA talent. Playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal certainly helped, and only the Portland Trail Blazers entered the season with better championship odds (+350).
With the balance of power tilted heavily towards the West, the Lakers would meet the Blazers in the Western Conference Finals, where Kobe delivered his epic 25-point, 11-rebound, 7-assist, 4-block performance in Game 7. He put on his cape again in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, leading the Lakers past the Indiana Pacers in OT as they went on to win the title in six games.
Kobe Bryant's Last Playoff Game (2012) pic.twitter.com/RcAd2J33Rt
— ThrowbackHoops (@ThrowbackHoops) August 16, 2023
2000-01 Lakers’ title odds: +180
There was no question about the title favorites heading into the following season. Kobe’s scoring average ballooned to 28.5 points per game during the regular season, but the Lakers struggled to repeat their 67-win pace from the prior year.
Still, the Shaq-Kobe duo delivered when it mattered, going 15-1 in the playoffs to win their second title together. Despite occasional tensions between the team’s star players, L.A. swept all three rounds in the West – against the Blazers, Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs.
2001-02 Lakers’ title odds: +200
The Lakers’ three-peat charge certainly put a target on their backs, but Kobe continued to step out of Shaq’s shadow, winning the All-Star Game MVP trophy and propelling L.A. to 58 wins.
That wasn’t enough to secure the No. 1 seed in the West, but the Lakers’ one-two punch again answered the call in the postseason. Bryant played his part as L.A. survived a seven-game war with the Kings before knocking off the New Jersey Nets in the Finals for a third straight championship.
Kobe Bryant with a NASTY poster in the 2002 NBA Finals!#NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/VDzZSA1Afp
— ThrowbackHoops (@ThrowbackHoops) May 1, 2023
2002-03 Lakers’ title odds: +180
Entering yet another season as clear-cut title favorites, the Lakers finally stumbled despite Kobe’s growth as a scorer. A wretched 11-19 start and Shaq’s toe injury put more pressure on Bryant – and he delivered, including an unstoppable stretch of nine straight games with 40 or more points. But a fourth consecutive ring proved to be a step too far for L.A. as they lost to the Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals.
2003-04 Lakers’ title odds: +140
The next season began with concerning off-court matters for Kobe, but that wasn’t enough to lengthen the odds for another Lakers title. A veteran, win-now core, including new additions Karl Malone and Gary Payton, made L.A. the top dog in the oddsmakers’ eyes.
But the Kobe-Shaq rift deepened and raised doubts over whether the pair could co-exist. An uneasy peace got L.A. through the regular season and the first three rounds of the playoffs, before falling flat in the Finals against the underdog Detroit Pistons.
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2004-05 Lakers’ title odds: +500
After a turbulent summer, the Lakers returned without Shaq or Jackson. O’Neal, who had demanded a trade, ended up with the Miami Heat, leaving Kobe as the face of the franchise in L.A. with a new monster seven-year contract. That paved the way for the Spurs, champions in 2003, to reclaim the title favorites tag, but the Lakers were still thought to be a leading contender. Instead, a disastrous season saw L.A. miss the playoffs despite Kobe’s scoring heroics.
2005-06 Lakers’ title odds: +2,500
Life comes at you fast in the NBA – and the Lakers got a taste of that as they plummeted down the list of championship contenders. These longshot odds reflected a roster in flux, with Smush Parker at point guard and Kwame Brown at center.
Kobe still put on his own personal highlight reel, though, including an 81-point masterpiece against the Toronto Raptors on his way to the NBA scoring title. Back in the playoffs, he almost single-handedly took on the Phoenix Suns in the first round and dragged the Lakers into a 3-1 series lead before the Suns won three Games in a row.
Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game (2006)
— ThrowbackHoops (@ThrowbackHoops) August 23, 2023
HBD, Bean! pic.twitter.com/musXeX8scS
2006-07 Lakers’ title odds: +3,500
As the new season tipped off, there was still justified skepticism over the Lakers’ ability to build a championship roster around Kobe – hence the even longer odds. Bryant was scoring at will and reached the 50-point mark 10 times, but it was only good enough for a 42-40 record and the No. 7 seed. Another scoring title did little to ease the pain of another first-round exit at the hands of the Suns.
2007-08 Lakers’ title odds: +3,000
A year later, the usual red flags were still very visible, but a midseason trade for Pau Gasol changed the trajectory of this team. The +3,000 preseason championship odds had been slashed to +300 by the start of the playoffs – even better, Kobe was named MVP for the first time. Led by more Bryant magic, L.A. got back to the NBA Finals for the first time since Shaq’s exit. But there was no perfect ending as the Lakers lost 4-2 to the Boston Celtics.
2008-09 Lakers’ title odds: +350
With the Lakers back on the map, they regained their place as title favorites – well, co-favorites with the Celtics. A loaded L.A roster, which also featured Lamar Odom and an emerging Andrew Bynum, claimed the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers delivered on those title odds, storming to the Finals and making no mistake against an inexperienced Orlando Magic team. Kobe had his fourth ring (his first post-Shaq) and his first Finals MVP trophy.
Kobe Bryant made it look EASY during Game 1 of the 2009 Finals ???? pic.twitter.com/uimGUtYFjT
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) June 29, 2023
2009-10 Lakers’ title odds: +250
L.A.’s odds were slashed further as they began their title defense, but Kobe answered with some of his most clutch fourth-quarter shooting, and the Lakers stormed their way to the No.1 seed for a second straight year.
With a hugely experienced core, L.A. found their groove in the postseason once again, surviving a few scares to reach the Finals for a third straight year. A rematch against the Celtics gave Kobe a chance to banish his 2008 ghosts and he sealed his fifth ring as the Lakers battled their way to a gritty Game 7 win. Once again, he rode off into the offseason with the Finals MVP trophy.
2010-11 Lakers’ title odds: +300
Bryant turned 32 before the start of the new season but the Lakers still had all the tools for a championship run. The biggest threat was expected to come from the Miami Heat and their freshly formed Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
In theory, the Lakers could avoid that showdown until the Finals, but their three-peat dreams were halted abruptly after being swept by the red-hot Dallas Mavericks, the eventual champs. Kobe’s quest for a sixth title, equaling Michael Jordan’s haul, would go on.
2011-12 Lakers’ title odds: +450
The shocking exit to the Mavericks did little to dampen excitement about the Lakers’ title chances as the new season tipped off – and they still looked like the team to beat in the West.
In a lockout-shortened schedule, L.A. ended up as the No. 3 seed but were easily brushed aside by Kevin Durant and the OKC Thunder in the second round. It would be Bryant’s final playoff series.
Kobe Bryant's Last Playoff Game (2012) pic.twitter.com/RcAd2J33Rt
— ThrowbackHoops (@ThrowbackHoops) August 16, 2023
2012-13 Lakers’ title odds: +275
Summer blockbuster deals saw the Lakers land Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, bringing L.A.’s title odds all the way down from +1,200. Those moves were designed to open up a new (albeit short) title window for Kobe, but chemistry issues and bad injury luck soon derailed the Lakers.
The season was already heading for disappointment long before Bryant went down with an Achilles tear. With Kobe sidelined, a humbling year ended with a 45-37 record (No. 7 in the West) and a sweep at the hands of the Spurs.
That signaled the end of a remarkable 14-year stretch in which Kobe’s fierce will to win kept the Lakers in, or on the fringes of, the championship conversation, season after season. It serves as a timely reminder of Bryant’s longevity as a box-office talent, and of the countless unforgettable memories he masterminded.
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