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Kobe Bryant is revered as one of the greatest NBA players of all time. He is an athlete who left his mark not only on the basketball fraternity, but also on the world of sports at large.
The anniversary of his untimely demise last year makes up for a very poignant moment but also serves as an occasion to celebrate the legacy of a savant.
Kobe Bryant excelled as a shooting guard for the LA Lakers, winning five championships and reaching seven NBA Finals. He played with some excellent players during the course of his illustrious career.
Kobe Bryant's five best LA Lakers teammates
Kobe Bryant had great success during the first decade of this century. He played with some dominant players like Shaquille O'Neal, while also sharing the basketball court with some talented role players like Derek Fisher.
On that note, let us take a look at five of his best LA Lakers teammates.
#5 Lamar Odom
Before his substance abuse issues came to light, Lamar Odom was a key role player for the LA Lakers.
He played with Kobe Bryant through the worst and best of times. He played second fiddle to Kobe Bryant when the LA Lakers were going through a rough patch. Later, Odom became a reliable sixth man when the team made some memorable title runs from 2008 to 2010, with Kobe Bryant as the star man.
With the LA Lakers, Lamar Odom averaged 13.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG and 3.8 APG and played a vital role in helping Kobe Bryant win two NBA championships.
#4 Derek Fisher
Derek Fisher certainly isn’t as talented as some of the players Kobe Bryant played with like Shaquille O'Neal or Pau Gasol. That is because Fischer only averaged eight PPG and three APG during his stint with the LA Lakers.
However, the fact that Derek Fisher had his fair share of clutch moments and played with Kobe Bryant in every one of his championship-winning seasons warrants him a place in this coveted list.
Derek Fisher's most memorable moment is a buzzer-beater he hit with 0.4 seconds left in Game 5 of the 2004 Western Conference semi-finals against the San Antonio Spurs, which sent the LA Lakers to the NBA Finals that year.
Also Read: 5 Kobe Bryant games that signified his mamba mentality/
#3 Robert Horry
After playing with the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in the early 90s, Robert Horry transitioned into a role player and joined Kobe Bryant's LA Lakers in the early 2000s. The forward turned out to be a solid rotation piece for head coach Phil Jackson, with whom he had already worked as a Bulls player.
His experience and versatility helped Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers in the playoffs, and he was vital to the team winning three NBA titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Horry, who won seven titles in total during his NBA career, earned the nickname 'Big Shot Rob' for his clutch shooting performances in the postseason.
#2 Pau Gasol
After tasting success early in his career, Kobe Bryant went through a frustrating phase in the mid-2000s.
There was a point when he threatened to leave the LA Lakers, but the management responded by adding Spanish power forward Pau Gasol in 2008 to help the Black Mamba reach the NBA Finals again.
The Gasol move turned out to be a masterstroke, as the LA Lakers reached the finals the same year the Spaniard arrived. They lost to the Boston Celtics' big 4 but managed to reach the finals in 2009 and 2010, which they won in emphatic fashion.
Kobe Bryant's chemistry flourished with Gasol both on and off the court, and the Spaniard is Bryant's children's godfather.
#1 Shaquille O'Neal
Arguably the greatest center of all time, Shaquille O'Neal was the most dominant player for at least three of the seasons he spent with the LA Lakers. He won the MVP award in 2000 and secured the Finals MVP title all three times the LA Lakers won the Championship.
Along with Kobe Bryant, Shaq was a part of the most fearsome NBA duo in the league's history. The tandem ensured the Los Angeles-based team three-peat to go into the history books as one of the greatest teams of all time.
O'Neal fell out with Kobe Bryant in 2004 following the latter's accusation that he failed to keep himself in shape, which led to the former joining the Miami Heat. However, the two reconciled and remained friends until Bryant's tragic demise last year.
Also Read: Remembering Kobe Bryant - Top 5 scoring games of his career.
