"This man is going through so much s**t": Carmelo Anthony recalls Kobe Bryant hitting a game-winner vs Nuggets after arriving late from his court case

Kobe Bryant's tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers wasn't always smooth sailing. During the 2003-04 NBA season, Bryant was dealing with a court case after having allegations of sexual assault filed against him.

During a recent interview, Carmelo Anthony discussed what it was like playing against Kobe Bryant and watching him hit a game-winning shot against the Denver Nuggets while also dealing with the stress of his court case.

"Before the game, he wasn't on the scouting report," Carmelo Anthony said. "First half is going. He comes in. He walks to the teams bench, you know, ready to go, not stretching, not warming up, just coming. And didn't play well, but he wound up hitting a big shot at the end."

Anthony added:

"This man is going through so much s*** off the court. He flew in from a court case, and the fact that he played and, at the end of the game, hit the game-winning shot said a lot about his mental and his perseverance as a person."

Despite his off-court drama, Kobe Bryant participated in 65 regular season games for the Los Angeles Lakers that season and also featured in 12 postseason contests. Bryant was known for his fierce competitive spirit and clearly didn't let anything that was happening in his regular-life get in the way of him doing his job for the Lakers.

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Kobe Bryant wanted to prove he could win without Shaquille O'Neal

During his career, Kobe Bryant won three championships alongside Shaquille O'Neal. However, the superstar guard was determined to show the world that he could lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship without the help of the dominant big man.

In an interview with Michael Singer for USA Today, Kobe Bryant detailed his desire to prove to the world that he could be the focal point of the Los Angeles Lakers winning a championship. If only to prove that he didn't need Shaquille O'Neal in order to win at the highest level.

"It was always the challenge of, 'Kobe can't win without Shaq, right?' If I had went my whole career and we had won championships," Bryant said. "God bless you guys, but guys would be saying at the Hall of Fame, 'He wont with Shaq.' I didn't want to hear that. At some point I was going to take that challenge, and it was either you guys are right or I'm right."

Kobe Bryant led the Los Angeles Lakers to two championships without Shaquille O'Neal on the roster, winning back-to-back rings in 2009 and 2010, both while playing with the legendary Pau Gasol.

Furthermore, Kobe Bryant ended his career with more championships than Shaquille O'Neal, winning five compared to Shaq's four - once again proving his competitive nature and desire to prove everyone wrong.