When Kobe SABOTAGED The Lakers ON PURPOSE & Had To Explain…

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This is Kobe Bryant completely disinterested in a game 7 a must win situation against the Suns in 06. The Mamba stands way out here for the entire possession watching Smush Parker brick a fadeaway jumper.
The very next possession, they’re down by 17, Kobe is taking over right? Naaah, he’s clearing out to the opposite corner and when the ball gets to him, he quickly passes away.
And look at this: Bryant is not even in frame on this play.
After scoring 23 points in the first half of a do or die game, he attempted just 3 shots in the final 24 minutes of their season, and literally watched the Lakers lose the game and the series.
So why did he do it, why did he have to then explain himself on national TV, and how did this debacle ultimately lead to them winning the championship.
The most underrated Kobe story deserves a flashback. So let’s get into it.
These are your 05-06 Lakers.
Lamar Odom, Brian Cook, Kwame Brown and Smush Parker. Wow.
Now you understand what Kobe had to do to drag this team into the playoffs.
And no, Bynum and Vujacic are non-factors this season as the big man was a 17 year old rookie scoring 1.5 points per game, while Sasha was a sophomore with a 3.9 point per game average.
To keep the Lakers afloat, not only did Bryant lead the league in scoring that season but he also had iconic games of 62 points in 3 quarters against the Dallas Mavericks, and of course the legendary 81 point game against the Raptors.
Kobe’s heroics were just enough to make it to the postseason as a 7th seed. Their opponents were Mike D’Antoni’s Phoenix Suns and their revolutionary playing style for that era.
The Suns had the back to back MVP Steve Nash, were missing their leading scorer Amare Stoudemire who missed the entire season with an injury. This is where the Lakers saw their chance in this first round matchup. And they were right.
With a 2-1 series lead, game 4 at home in Staples Center was one for the ages, and they wanted to win at all costs.
So, down by 5 with 12 seconds to go an unlikely hero emerges.
Parker cuts it to 2 and then you all know what happens.
And in overtime the most legendary jump ball in NBA playoffs history.
A commanding 3-1 series lead for LA taking them just 1 step away from the second round.
And after losing in Phoenix, game 6 at home, it was time to seal the deal. So in a tight game, and a thriller ending, Kobe delivers the final blow with half a minute to go. All the Lakers need now is just one final stop and they will complete the upset over the number 2 seeded Suns.
Tim Thomas with the most clutch shot of his entire career, ties the game and the Suns rise again like a Phoenix from the ashes. In overtime Nash is the ultimate puppet master pulling all the strings and securing a win and a game 7 at home, back from being down 3-1.
Getting so close to the win and seeing it slip away, the emotions are high and there’s always the need to point out a scapegoat, somebody to blame for this. And despite an unbelievable 50 point game by Bryant, he was the one that was being blamed for the loss- for not trusting his teammates more.
And nobody could have ever imagined the way that Kobe would respond to this in the final game.
At the start it was Mamba mentality, as he takes and makes some crazy shots looking unstoppable for the defense scoring 23 points in the first half. But his team is trailing.
Still, Bryant is pumped up and engaged as he even responds to the crowd chanting Kobe sucks.
So you expect that there’s a storm coming in the second half. But in a shocking turn of events, the complete opposite happened.
Bryant would just throw an entry pass and would literally stand way out here watching the rest of the Lakers fighting to get a bucket. Look he’s nowhere near the action for this entire possession.
Again, another entry pass and heading back.
And again, look. Only 4 offensive players are battling here. Bryant is out of it.
The lead ballooned to 20, and even tho we’ve seen many comebacks from down 20 in the third quarter, it was obvious that it wouldn’t happen in this game, as Kobe wanted to make a statement and prove to everyone who criticized him that they were wrong.
However, in the aftermath of that game 7 loss, even harsher criticism followed as Charles Barkley went off on him.
When Kobe saw this, he was absolutely furious. And went ballistic towards Chuck, cursing him out in text messages.
The very next show, Chuck revealed all of this to the public and basically told Kobe if you got something to say come on the show. And a few days later Bryant came to the studio to tell his side of the story.
This is not how you get the others involved. Just throw them the ball and watch them fight against the other team.