With the NBA facing a 2011 lockout, summer basketball and pickup games became mainstream for several of the league’s stars. Kevin Durant in particular was active in the grassroots scene, and LeBron James got involved by playing in a Drew League game.

Durant had also played games in Los Angeles. That fueled calls for Bryant to make an appearance in his local community, and when that moment came, he didn’t disappoint.

Bryant participated in a Drew League pick-up game that other NBA players — James Harden, Nick Young, Paul George and Trevor Ariza — also were part of. The afternoon at Colonel Leon H. Washington Park quickly became remembered for the duel Bryant and Harden engaged in.

Here's @kobebryant checking out the @DrewLeague championship game. ????: @gray_dient. pic.twitter.com/d1eW7gbGzs

— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) August 12, 2018

Nine years ago: Kobe Bryant played his first game at the Drew League.

His team was down late in the 4th quarter and an officer tried to get him to leave early. Kobe said, “I gotta finish the game,” then hit a game winner at the buzzer ????

(via @KingJosiah54) pic.twitter.com/cx65F1lotl

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 16, 2020

They traded baskets, with Harden actually outscoring Bryant, 47-44, but it was Bryant who had the last laugh. With the game tied and the crowd chanting “Kobe!” Bryant walked the ball up the court and signaled for an isolation on Harden as the clock ticked down.

After working his way over to the right side of the court, Bryant used a hesitation dribble to get to the top of the key where he drilled a patented fadeaway over Harden’s outstretched arm to beat the buzzer.

Bryant threw his arms into the air and was immediately mobbed by adoring fans. The highlight, although not with the Lakers, is nonetheless a memorable ‘Mamba Moment.’

Nike remembering Kobe with “Mamba Week”

Nike officially announced plans to honor Bryant’s legacy with the release of his design of the Lakers’ City Edition jersey, along with multiple pairs of the Kobe 5 Protro. Dubbed “Mamba Week,” the products begin releasing Sunday, Aug. 23.

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The 1992 USA team was appropriately nicknamed the “Dream Team” behind a plethora of Hall of Famers. That squad blew by the competition to secure the gold.

In 2008, the new team USA was appropriately nicknamed the “Redeem Team” with the best American players enduring the responsibilities of bringing back the gold. That squad did exactly that, behind Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant’s legendary gold medal game.

It was much of the same in 2012 as Team USA regrouped to defend its gold. Another appearance in the gold medal game against Spain saw the U.S. come out victorious on Aug. 12, 2012 in London.

Bryant didn’t lead the team in scoring this time — he had 17 on 50% shooting — but he played a key role in securing the gold.

The 2012 Olympics were bitter-sweet for Bryant — it was his final appearance ever. He declined to participate after his final season in 2016. The 2012 games also saw Bryant etch himself further into Lakers lore.

By winning his second gold medal, Bryant officially had the most gold medals of any Laker player ever. That feat held until Carmelo Anthony, who has three, joined the Purple and Gold last season.

In 17 minutes per game, Bryant averaged 12 points on 42% shooting from the field. He was coming off the second to last time in his career where he displayed consistent play. He tore his Achilles the season immediately after the Olympics, seemingly eliminating a return to his peak performance.

Much of that 2012 run turned into the Kevin Durant show. The then 23-year-old averaged nearly 20 points per game on 52.3% from deep in eight games. His 30 points in the gold medal game were a team-high.

Anthony stole headlines with his 37-point performance against Nigeria in the group stages. The point total is an American Olympic record and included 10 3-pointers on 12 attempts. Team USA also set a record for most points (156) ever in an Olympic game.

The dominance in 2012 continues as the U.S. has won four consecutive gold medals in basketball.

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The Lakers have 17 titles, tied with the Boston Celtics for most in the league and the bulk of those can be attributed to Jerry West.

West spent 40 years with the Purple and Gold in various roles before ultimately retiring from the franchise on Aug. 7, 2000.

West came to the team as a player when they selected him No. 2 overall in the 1960 NBA Draft and he ended up playing his entire 14-year career with the franchise. He led the Lakers to a title in 1972, marking Los Angeles’ first championship since moving from Minneapolis. After his playing days were over, he moved to the bench and served as the Lakers’ head coach from 1976-1979.

“The Logo” eventually moved into a scouting role following the 1978-79 season and did that for three years before being promoted to general manager prior to the 1982-83 season. West found most of his success in the front office as he is widely credited for building the “Showtime” Lakers, who went on to win five championships in the 1980s.

While Los Angeles experienced a slump in the early 1990s, West managed to rebuild the team with exciting players in Vlade Divac, Cedric Ceballos and Nick Van Exel. The young trio managed to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals, eventually leading to West’s first Executive of the Year Award.

However, West’s greatest accomplishment came in 1996 when he traded away Divac in exchange for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant. He immediately followed that up by luring Shaquille O’Neal away from the Orlando Magic in free agency, setting up the next Lakers dynasty. West brought in Phil Jackson to be the team’s head coach and he along with his superstar duo led L.A. to three consecutive championships.

West had already retired from the franchise before the Lakers completed their “three-peat” but he laid the foundation down for the organization to be successful for many years to come. After leaving the Lakers, West served as the general manager for the Memphis Grizzlies. He later served as an executive board member for the Golden State Warriors, and currently works for the L.A. Clippers in the same role.

Despite his stops, West will always be remembered for his time with the Lakers and his contributions to their championship success.

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LeBron James and Anthony Davis had reportedly met with Westbrook beforehand with the three discussing how they were willing to sacrifice in order to work together. And after the Lakers struggled mightily when Davis and LeBron were injured in the previous season, the franchise believed Westbrook would be the perfect addition to help carry the team when the other two superstars were out.

This trade also caused some controversy as the Lakers reportedly had a deal in place with the Sacramento Kings for Buddy Hield. In fact, Harrell opted-in to the second year of his contract believing he was headed to the Kings and Kuzma has also confirmed that he was told he would be traded to Sacramento. But the Lakers ultimately changed course and brought in Westbrook.

Westbrook was coming off an impressive season in which he averaged a triple-double for the third time in four years and helped the Wizards make an unlikely playoff run, showing he still had plenty in the tank. Unfortunately, his return home did not go the way he or the Lakers hoped it would.

The fit between Westbrook, James and Davis never quite gelled together, something that wasn’t helped by injuries suffered by the two Lakers’ superstars. Additionally, Westbrook’s shooting struggles and turnovers did nothing to endear him to his hometown fans with the Lakers crowd eventually booing him at times and the negative reaction did seem to affect Westbrook mentally as he seemed hesitant during different times throughout the season.

The 2022 offseason has been filled with rumors about the Lakers looking to trade away Westbrook, but nothing has come to fruition just yet. If he does remain in the purple and gold, however, Westbrook will undoubtedly be looking to prove the Lakers made the right move in bringing him in.

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The franchise had been mired in mediocrity following the glory days of the ‘Showtime’ Lakers in the 1980s. Despite some of the talent the Lakers were able to bring on, they were still in desperate need of a game-changer.

Fortunately, Los Angeles still had general manager Jerry West in their front office calling the shots at the time. It was not long before West was able to poach the generational big man from the Orlando Magic.

It was on July 18, 1996, that the Lakers managed to pull off one of the biggest free agent signings in NBA history.

Prior to his arrival, O’Neal had already established himself as one of the league’s premier big man for what he was able to accomplish during his short tenure with the Magic. While he enjoyed plenty of success in Orlando early on, the lack of potential for sustained success led him to ponder going elsewhere.

Signing O’Neal was a major step in the right direction for the Lakers organization as it finally gave them a franchise player to build around moving forward. West had also pulled the trigger on trading for Kobe Bryant in the 1996 NBA Draft and the rest is history as they went on to form arguably the greatest duo in league history after combining to lead the Lakers to a three-peat in spectacular fashion.

Although the Lakers reigned supreme over the league at the height of their powers, things eventually started to crumble from within. Despite the rift between O’Neal and Bryant, they still proved to be perennial championship contenders.

Unfortunately, things would eventually hit a boiling point between the two and the front office was given an ultimatum between which player they wanted to keep. To no surprise, the Lakers sided with Bryant and O’Neal would go on to solidify his legacy with the Miami Heat before becoming a bit of a journeyman at the end of his career.

The pairing of these two superstars may not have ended as most fans would have hoped given their unceremonious break-up. Regardless, there is no denying that signing O’Neal not only helped the Lakers add to the lore of their historic franchise, but it also set a precedent for other future big men that hope to wear the purple and gold.

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