“Enjoy your title. But that will never happen again.” Derek Fisher recently summed up the feeling that the Kobe Bryant-led 2008 Los Angeles Lakers had after their loss to the Boston Celtics in the Finals series.

As most fans would know, the Lakers and Celtics have had a legendary rivalry of their own. Add to that the never fiery competitive spirit of Black Mamba and you’d understand how the loss would’ve felt. To further detail the feelings that the team was experiencing, former Lakers star Derek Fisher recently appeared on Podcast P.

“That energy from Kobe was like on the surface of everything that we did from that season on… That’s what really drove the 09…” Fisher said. He emphasized the feeling to be something they never experienced after 2008.

The loss at the hands of the Celtics, however, was not the only thing motivating Black Mamba. If you remember the media headlines from back then, most of them screamed one question. “Can Kobe Bryant win a lead the Lakers to a championship without Shaq?” A three-peat with O’Neal and then none without him was what fueled these questions.

“It wasn’t just about… It was also the same people that were questioning whether or not he could actually lead a team to a championship without Shaq,” Fisher revealed Black Mamba’s motivation after the ’08 loss. Even the Lakers icon had himself admitted something similar during a sit-down with Big Diesel.

Black Mamba admitted that after Shaq left the Lakers, he wanted him to win another championship for motivation purposes. Yep, that’s how his competitive nature drove him to excel further. And O’Neal having won one already with Heat and the loss in ’08 did the work.

“And, you know, we. I think we also started to feel human and mortal at that point…” Fisher said. He explained it to be the point one’s career where they wonder if they’re gonna get this chance again. “After losing to the Pistons in 04, you climb back up that mountain five years later in four years later in 08, and you lose to the Celtics in 08.” 

D-Fish shared the feeling to be of realization that there might not be many chances left to make it count. “So in 09, bro, it was, nah, man, we are not leaving this food on the table this time… It didn’t matter who we played.” 

What exactly happened after Kobe Bryant’s Lakers lost in 2008?

There is no doubt that the 2008 NBA Finals were a nightmare for Black Mamba and the Lakers. Losing 4-2 to their historic rivals, the Celtics, was more than just a disappointment. It was a gut punch. “That hurt me, too. Yeah, it was brutal,” Kobe admitted in an interview. For a moment, he even wondered if his championship days were over. But does that sound like Kobe to you?

By the next morning, the Black Mamba was back. “Nah, I gotta fix this,” he told himself. And fix it, he did. His first step? Toughening up the Lakers. This is where Pau Gasol became the focus of 5x NBA champ’s unique motivational methods.

Ever heard about the gold medal incident? Kobe Bryant hung his 2008 Olympic gold medal in Gasol’s locker. Why, you ask? To remind Pau of his loss to Team USA in the final. And, more importantly, to fuel his drive. “It just drove him crazy,” Kobe admitted once. “I said, ‘Listen, Pau, you lost to the Celtics, you lost to us in the gold-medal match—let’s not make this three in a row. Let’s win this thing.'”

And win they did. The Lakers dominated in 2009 and got event got their sweet revenge in 2010, beating the Celtics in an epic seven-game series.