Top 5 iconic moments of Kobe Bryant's illustrious 20-year career

#1 Winning the 2010 NBA Finals Game 7 against the Boston Celtics

Kobe Bryant celebrating with the crowd after winning the 2010 NBA title.

Kobe Bryant is all about championships.

“Losing is losing, there aren’t different degrees of losing. You either win a championship or you’re s**t. It’s very black and white to me.” – Bryant.

Bryant has an overall record of 5-2 in the NBA Finals, losing once to the Detroit Pistons in 2004 and once to the Boston Celtics in 2008. However, he’s always stated the ‘08 Finals pinched and hurt a lot more because of the manner in which the Celtics beat them. Boston clinched the title courtesy of a 39 point win in Game 6, drubbing the Lakers 131-92.

He’s repeatedly stated that the 2008 Finals loss was in fact, the blueprint to the Lakers winning the next two NBA titles because it taught them just offense wouldn’t hold. You’ve got to be dominant on the defensive end of the floor to give yourself a chance at the a title.

Los Angeles had already won the 2009 NBA title defeating Dwight Howard’s Orlando Magic 4-1 but they were hungry for more and it was time for redemption when it was set that they were to face the Celtics in their quest to repeat.

Five games in, things weren’t going according to plan as the Lakers were flying back to Los Angeles for the final two games facing an elimination situation in Game 6. With their backs against the wall, the team gutted out both wins to clinch back to back NBA titles. Game 7 was just a defensive masterclass by both teams and the team victorious really needed to grind their way out.

Bryant also mentioned how the 2010 Finals win was the sweetest championship ever:

"This one is by far the sweetest, because it's them," Bryant said after the Lakers beat Boston for the first time in a Game 7.

"This was the hardest one by far. I wanted it so bad, and sometimes when you want it so bad, it slips away from you. My guys picked me up."

The 2010 NBA Championship is the last title Bryant won. It’s the title that took him to five championships for his career, just one shy of his idol MJ’s six. Here’s the mini-movie of the 2010 NBA Finals Game 7: