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“He is Not Getting the Attention”: When Kobe Bryant Was Asked to Break His Scoring Streak Because of Shaquille O’Neal

Published 05/05/2020, 4:20 PM EDT

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Over the course of his career, Kobe Bryant was deemed selfish. His style of play on the court led to him being called that way. When Kobe felt he could make the shot, he would take it. His beautiful fadeaway shots were a thing to behold.

Kobe peaked at absolute best as early as the 2002-2003 season. The Los Angeles Lakers had just won two back-to-back titles and were dreaming of achieving the historic three-peat. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were the stars leading the Lakers at the time. 

The pair had a bittersweet relationship, mainly due to their difference of opinion. Shaq felt Kobe was too selfish at times and it was the other way around when Kobe felt Shaq was not training too hard and relied upon him too much. 

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The year 2003 is a special one for the Lakers fans. Their team was on a poor run leading up to the second month of the year. It was at that moment when Kobe Bryant decided to unleash himself and show who’s the boss. 

As we proceed into the story, Kobe had joined YouTube channel The Corp in 2018, where he discussed the same scenario but with a bit of inside information that none of the outsiders knew.

When Kobe Bryant went on a mad scoring streak in 2003

It was February of 2003, and the Lakers were at a position of racking up 23 wins and losing the same number of games. Shaq had suffered a minor toe injury and was out a few games. Kobe remembered how his coach Phil Jackson asked him to run the team. 

“So Phil comes to me and stresses ‘Kobe we need you to take over the offense.’ I’m like, all right cool.” These words gave birth to a stronger Kobe Bryant. He took those words and ruled the offensive line. Kobe scored 40+ points in nine straight games. That is insane. Nine straight games, you have to be on the top and never lose focus. A pure portrayal of the mamba mentality. 

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2/6/03 versus New York Knicks: 46 Points (Lakers Win)

2/11/03 versus Denver Nuggets: 42 points (Lakers Win)

2/12/03 versus Denver Nuggets: 51 points (Lakers Win)

2/14/03 versus San Antonio Spurs: 44 points (Lakers Lose)

2/16/03 versus New York Knicks: 40 points (Lakers Lose)

2/18/03 versus Houston Rockets: 52 points (Lakers Win)

2/19/03 versus Utah Jazz: 40 Points (Lakers Win)

2/21/03 versus Portland Trail Blazers: 40 Points (Lakers Win)

2/23/03 versus Seattle Supersonics: 41 points (Lakers Win)

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However, the same Phil Jackson came back to Kobe and reversed his words. This was when Shaq had returned from injury. Kobe had still been scoring 40+ points upon his return to the team. 

Jackson called Kobe into his office and informed on what to do. “You know we are starting to lose the big fella. He is not getting the attention. This 40-point streak is starting to kinda take away his fire to prove something. So I need you to start dialing it back.”

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It initially surprised him, but Kobe eventually agreed to do it and let go of his scoring streak. He did it for the team and for Shaq. It was a game between the Lakers and the LA Clippers. Kobe said, “I had a chance to score 40 again, it was a blowout game, I dump the ball on Shaq instead of shooting a wide-open shot. The forty-point streak ended that night.”

This is just a tiny story of how Kobe cared for the team and played for the overall goal at all times. If he had scored more than 40 he could have broken a record. Instead, he went towards boosting the confidence of his teammate.

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Written by:

Arjun Athreya

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Arjun Athreya is a senior writer at Essentially Sports and has been contributing since early 2020. Having developed an avid interest in sports at an early age, he pursued a Journalism degree and graduated from Madras Christian College. Arjun manages the Golf division and its content, and primarily covers news pertaining to the NBA as well.
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