WEBVTT 00:00:01.418 --> 00:00:03.595 Merry Christmas from Los Angeles. 00:00:03.795 --> 00:00:06.265 The forecast high today is 71 degrees. 00:00:06.465 --> 00:00:07.891 It's a great day to be outside. 00:00:08.091 --> 00:00:12.137 But for 19,000 very lucky ticket holders, 00:00:12.337 --> 00:00:13.647 they can't wait to get inside. 00:00:13.847 --> 00:00:15.107 About an hour and a half ago, 00:00:15.307 --> 00:00:17.609 the team bus for the Miami Heat pulled up, 00:00:17.809 --> 00:00:20.863 and into the building came Shaquille O'Neal. 00:00:21.063 --> 00:00:23.398 And about ten minutes later, driving up from his home 00:00:23.598 --> 00:00:26.318 in Orange County came Kobe Bryant. 00:00:28.987 --> 00:00:30.497 Kobe and Shaq- 00:00:30.697 --> 00:00:32.291 no last names necessary- 00:00:32.491 --> 00:00:35.164 made beautiful music together for eight years 00:00:35.364 --> 00:00:38.038 as teammates, three championships, 00:00:38.238 --> 00:00:39.173 tremendous success. 00:00:39.373 --> 00:00:42.426 But off court, a lot of discordant notes, 00:00:42.626 --> 00:00:44.715 which of course led to the departure of O'Neal, 00:00:44.915 --> 00:00:46.805 which led to the great breakup. 00:00:47.005 --> 00:00:49.049 And thus today, for the first time ever, 00:00:49.249 --> 00:00:50.476 the two face each other. 00:00:50.676 --> 00:00:53.141 At center, number 32, 00:00:53.341 --> 00:00:55.975 13th year out of LSU, 00:00:56.175 --> 00:00:58.809 Shaquille O'Neal. 00:01:01.603 --> 00:01:04.606 Number eight, from Lower Merion High School, 00:01:04.806 --> 00:01:06.942 Kobe Bryant. 00:01:09.319 --> 00:01:12.331 The head coach, Rudy Tomjanovich. 00:01:12.531 --> 00:01:14.375 Kobe and Shaq had just broken up. 00:01:14.575 --> 00:01:16.126 There's no Phil Jackson anymore. 00:01:16.326 --> 00:01:19.083 But now Shaq was on a way better team. 00:01:19.283 --> 00:01:22.040 And Kobe was on this team with the guys 00:01:22.240 --> 00:01:23.217 that had been traded for Shaq. 00:01:23.417 --> 00:01:25.552 But they weren't expected to contend for anything, 00:01:25.752 --> 00:01:29.322 whereas Miami was immediately a championship contender. 00:01:29.522 --> 00:01:32.417 For Kobe, there was no agony of defeat. 00:01:32.617 --> 00:01:35.445 It was gonna be a win for him either way. 00:01:35.645 --> 00:01:38.273 If the Lakers won the game, it was a win. 00:01:38.473 --> 00:01:41.318 If the Lakers lost and someone out-dueled him, 00:01:41.518 --> 00:01:44.688 it was a win because he knew that would be his motivation 00:01:44.888 --> 00:01:46.565 to fuel the next challenge. 00:01:48.608 --> 00:01:49.701 And Kobe reaches- 00:01:49.901 --> 00:01:50.911 He already gave it to 'em. 00:01:51.111 --> 00:01:51.954 He gave them the timeout 00:01:52.154 --> 00:01:53.330 with 9.2 now in the game. 00:01:53.530 --> 00:01:54.414 That's right. 00:01:54.614 --> 00:01:56.575 It's coming down to the last play. 00:01:56.775 --> 00:01:57.417 Timeout's called. 00:01:57.617 --> 00:02:00.045 Kobe's running the huddle. 00:02:00.245 --> 00:02:03.882 We had a new coach, Rudy Tomjanovich. 00:02:04.082 --> 00:02:09.588 And Kobe says, we're gonna run the "what the F" play. 00:02:09.788 --> 00:02:11.348 So I called Phil. 00:02:11.548 --> 00:02:12.683 He was in New Zealand. 00:02:12.883 --> 00:02:15.144 And I said, you won't believe it, 00:02:15.344 --> 00:02:17.804 but, like, Kobe called the "what the F" play. 00:02:18.004 --> 00:02:19.815 - It's an expression for a play 00:02:20.015 --> 00:02:21.600 that we run at the end of the game. 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:24.820 But does Rudy have that play? 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:27.397 Kobe doesn't trust what's going on there. 00:02:27.597 --> 00:02:28.615 It's too bad. 00:02:28.815 --> 00:02:31.009 He doesn't have anything to go to to help him out. 00:02:31.209 --> 00:02:32.852 Jumaine Jones to inbound. 00:02:33.052 --> 00:02:34.274 Bryant gets doubled. 00:02:34.474 --> 00:02:35.697 Kobe Bryant. 00:02:38.408 --> 00:02:40.669 Amazing, but it didn't go in... 00:02:40.869 --> 00:02:43.839 I went, oh, my gosh, Kobe misses Phil. 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:47.167 Like, he liked the way Phil coached the team. 00:03:01.348 --> 00:03:03.275 There he is. His first shot as an owner. 00:03:03.475 --> 00:03:04.751 You think he likes it? 00:03:08.438 --> 00:03:10.315 At this moment, I can't believe it. 00:03:11.817 --> 00:03:12.826 What's the future? 00:03:13.026 --> 00:03:14.528 Want to replace your father at the top? 00:03:14.728 --> 00:03:16.413 Yeah. 00:03:18.573 --> 00:03:20.042 Between my daughters and my sons, 00:03:20.242 --> 00:03:23.078 there are certainly enough sports teams to go around. 00:03:27.124 --> 00:03:28.525 Are you and the rest of the family, 00:03:28.725 --> 00:03:30.127 are you guys all on the same page? 00:03:32.629 --> 00:03:33.968 The Lakers caught in the middle 00:03:34.168 --> 00:03:35.507 of a family power struggle. 00:03:40.429 --> 00:03:42.514 I think I've really left them with something. 00:03:50.522 --> 00:03:51.907 Part of me always wanted to feel 00:03:52.107 --> 00:03:53.650 what it was like to be a Laker. 00:03:55.235 --> 00:03:56.653 But, you know, my manifestation, I guess, 00:03:56.853 --> 00:03:57.904 came true. 00:04:00.699 --> 00:04:02.501 I was in the Shaq trade. 00:04:02.701 --> 00:04:04.628 I mean, I was excited 'cause I was like, 00:04:04.828 --> 00:04:06.755 I get to be Scottie Pippen, you know? 00:04:06.955 --> 00:04:09.336 And, of course, Kobe would have been Michael Jordan. 00:04:09.536 --> 00:04:11.718 But I was surprised that Phil left. 00:04:11.918 --> 00:04:12.844 So who was your coach? 00:04:13.044 --> 00:04:14.045 Yeah, who was our first coach? 00:04:17.007 --> 00:04:20.302 I think it was Rudy T. 00:04:20.502 --> 00:04:21.353 Yeah. 00:04:21.553 --> 00:04:22.729 Rudy T is awesome. 00:04:22.929 --> 00:04:24.648 What an amazing man Rudy T is. 00:04:24.848 --> 00:04:27.067 His energy, like, his passion- 00:04:27.267 --> 00:04:29.936 it was a lot of fun to be around Rudy T. 00:04:30.136 --> 00:04:31.772 But that year was destined to fail, 00:04:31.972 --> 00:04:33.323 no matter who took over, right? 00:04:33.523 --> 00:04:35.946 I mean, you're coming in to fill the shoes 00:04:36.146 --> 00:04:38.570 of Phil Jackson and Shaq-Kobe dynasty? 00:04:38.770 --> 00:04:39.871 It's just not gonna happen. 00:04:40.071 --> 00:04:42.115 Where he was and where Kobe was trying to go 00:04:42.315 --> 00:04:44.409 was just two different mindsets. 00:04:45.869 --> 00:04:48.872 When my dad and Jimmy hired Rudy, 00:04:49.072 --> 00:04:50.382 they did so together. 00:04:50.582 --> 00:04:52.776 When Phil was being hired the first time, 00:04:52.976 --> 00:04:55.170 Jimmy wasn't part of the process at all. 00:04:55.370 --> 00:04:58.348 So now this was definitely Jimmy's 00:04:58.548 --> 00:05:04.062 becoming more assertive in the basketball side of things. 00:05:04.262 --> 00:05:08.483 My dad wanted to empower Jimmy in that position. 00:05:08.683 --> 00:05:11.903 And he did that for me when I started in the business 00:05:12.103 --> 00:05:15.982 in team tennis, when he said, I want you to have the success, 00:05:16.182 --> 00:05:19.119 or I want you to feel the failure of, you know, 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:22.039 what you decide, and so kind of felt that 00:05:22.239 --> 00:05:24.324 that's what he wanted Jimmy to do. 00:05:25.784 --> 00:05:28.954 What's important is that organizations 00:05:29.154 --> 00:05:30.631 hire the right coaches. 00:05:30.831 --> 00:05:34.292 And Rudy Tomjanovich was a championship coach. 00:05:34.492 --> 00:05:36.553 So there's a lot of rationale 00:05:36.753 --> 00:05:38.597 that would make that make sense. 00:05:38.797 --> 00:05:41.591 But Jim didn't really understand the business 00:05:41.791 --> 00:05:43.727 of sports and basketball. 00:05:43.927 --> 00:05:49.182 So I thought the contract for Rudy was too much money. 00:05:49.382 --> 00:05:50.975 That wasn't my decision 00:05:51.175 --> 00:05:53.415 of how much Rudy was paid. 00:05:53.615 --> 00:05:55.656 It was my dad's decision. 00:05:55.856 --> 00:05:58.817 But statistically, Rudy is fantastic. 00:05:59.017 --> 00:06:01.987 He had won a championship. 00:06:02.187 --> 00:06:03.613 It made sense. 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:08.201 Players-we've always felt that not every player can play 00:06:08.401 --> 00:06:10.504 in New York or play in Los Angeles 00:06:10.704 --> 00:06:13.252 when you have these exorbitant expectations on you. 00:06:13.452 --> 00:06:15.801 And you can't coach there either, 00:06:16.001 --> 00:06:18.341 'cause there's a lot of pressure that's involved 00:06:18.541 --> 00:06:20.778 and a lot of media scrutiny in those two cities. 00:06:20.978 --> 00:06:23.216 So you've got to be able to handle all of that. 00:06:26.636 --> 00:06:30.390 Halfway through the season, he just came to me and said, 00:06:30.590 --> 00:06:33.485 Mitch, I can't do it anymore. 00:06:33.685 --> 00:06:35.612 I couldn't shut it off 00:06:35.812 --> 00:06:40.200 when I was away from the arena. 00:06:40.400 --> 00:06:43.904 I can't remember exactly how I was before. 00:06:44.104 --> 00:06:45.864 It was bad, and it was kind of just 00:06:46.064 --> 00:06:47.386 like everyone was in shock. 00:06:47.586 --> 00:06:48.909 No one knew what was going on. 00:06:49.109 --> 00:06:50.243 It was no good. 00:06:55.498 --> 00:06:56.591 Phil Jackson is coming back 00:06:56.791 --> 00:06:58.468 to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. 00:06:58.668 --> 00:07:00.011 It wasn't about the money. 00:07:00.211 --> 00:07:03.256 It was about the intrigue of this situation. 00:07:03.456 --> 00:07:05.258 And it's a tremendous story. 00:07:05.458 --> 00:07:07.060 It's a tremendous opportunity. 00:07:07.260 --> 00:07:10.597 It's a story of reconciliation, redemption. 00:07:10.797 --> 00:07:12.149 It's a story of reuniting. 00:07:12.349 --> 00:07:16.895 It's a lot of things in this that make for, you know, 00:07:17.095 --> 00:07:18.938 really a wonderful opportunity for the team 00:07:19.138 --> 00:07:21.658 and for the Lakers and myself. 00:07:21.858 --> 00:07:24.411 Phil Jackson coming back to the Lakers 00:07:24.611 --> 00:07:27.414 is one of the most surprising things 00:07:27.614 --> 00:07:30.000 I've ever seen in covering the team. 00:07:30.200 --> 00:07:32.452 I just couldn't believe that Kobe would want him back. 00:07:32.652 --> 00:07:34.671 But that's what losing does. It humbles you. 00:07:34.871 --> 00:07:36.856 Here's my question to you, Kobe. 00:07:37.056 --> 00:07:38.842 How many times have I asked you, 00:07:39.042 --> 00:07:40.710 "How's things going with Phil Jackson," 00:07:40.910 --> 00:07:41.761 you got a smile on your face, 00:07:41.961 --> 00:07:43.133 you say, "Everything's going well. 00:07:43.333 --> 00:07:44.306 I'm happy the fact that Phil is back." 00:07:44.506 --> 00:07:47.133 How can you be happy that that man is back? 00:07:47.333 --> 00:07:48.947 - You know what? 00:07:49.147 --> 00:07:50.562 Life is short, OK? 00:07:50.762 --> 00:07:53.098 And you can't go around life carrying baggage. 00:07:53.298 --> 00:07:54.608 Did you ever want him to apologize- 00:07:54.808 --> 00:07:57.310 the "uncoachable" comment, and I think him at one point 00:07:57.510 --> 00:07:58.612 wanted you traded from the Lakers, 00:07:58.812 --> 00:08:00.689 at least that's what he said in the book. 00:08:03.400 --> 00:08:04.367 Nah, I didn't need an- 00:08:04.567 --> 00:08:05.577 I didn't need an apology from him. 00:08:05.777 --> 00:08:06.620 No? You know, just him 00:08:06.820 --> 00:08:07.913 coming back to the Lakers- 00:08:08.113 --> 00:08:09.247 Was enough? Was enough. 00:08:09.447 --> 00:08:11.453 Nobody's uncoachable. 00:08:11.653 --> 00:08:13.460 Was he hard to coach? 00:08:13.660 --> 00:08:16.254 Yeah, he was hard to coach. 00:08:16.454 --> 00:08:18.731 You know, when you reach a certain status, 00:08:18.931 --> 00:08:20.846 you begin to flex a little bit, 00:08:21.046 --> 00:08:22.761 and you voice your opinion. 00:08:22.961 --> 00:08:24.804 And maybe you don't always agree with the coach. 00:08:25.004 --> 00:08:28.216 Or maybe you say to yourself, I can do it better. 00:08:30.343 --> 00:08:32.479 Kobe's a very competitive 00:08:32.679 --> 00:08:34.940 and "win at all costs" type of guy. 00:08:35.140 --> 00:08:38.476 But I think with a year apart, kind of realized, like, dang, 00:08:38.676 --> 00:08:39.361 it really was- 00:08:39.561 --> 00:08:41.563 uh, it really was something special. 00:08:41.763 --> 00:08:43.865 And thankfully they did, 00:08:44.065 --> 00:08:47.869 because it allowed Phil and Kobe to reunite. 00:08:48.069 --> 00:08:51.614 Kobe came to understand, that is the genius of Phil, 00:08:51.814 --> 00:08:54.159 being able to take controversy, 00:08:54.359 --> 00:08:55.377 or to take disharmony, 00:08:55.577 --> 00:08:57.370 or to take a moment of tension 00:08:57.570 --> 00:08:58.547 and have that become glue 00:08:58.747 --> 00:09:00.915 for a better and deeper relationship. 00:09:01.115 --> 00:09:02.884 Kobe knew that, deep down, 00:09:03.084 --> 00:09:06.008 what mattered most to Phil was winning rings. 00:09:06.208 --> 00:09:08.932 And that's the only thing that mattered to Kobe. 00:09:09.132 --> 00:09:12.969 So to that extent, they were always 100% on the same page. 00:09:15.722 --> 00:09:19.651 I sat and talked to Kobe before I took the job. 00:09:19.851 --> 00:09:23.563 Kobe had made a choice to go it alone. 00:09:23.763 --> 00:09:25.690 And we had to talk about that. 00:09:27.317 --> 00:09:30.195 And I said to Kobe, you know, are you willing to come back 00:09:30.395 --> 00:09:33.740 and be a coachable player? 00:09:33.940 --> 00:09:35.542 "Yeah." 00:09:35.742 --> 00:09:37.702 You know that it's gonna take a while 00:09:37.902 --> 00:09:38.703 for us to get back and win? 00:09:38.903 --> 00:09:40.088 "Yeah, I know." 00:09:40.288 --> 00:09:41.923 The relationship that we've always had 00:09:42.123 --> 00:09:44.885 when it came to the game was we knew, you know, 00:09:45.085 --> 00:09:48.597 what we needed to do to get the job done, period. 00:09:48.797 --> 00:09:51.349 You know, now that relationship has gone beyond 00:09:51.549 --> 00:09:53.843 just, you know, strategies and schematics 00:09:54.043 --> 00:09:54.811 of the game of basketball. 00:09:55.011 --> 00:09:56.229 It's just a deeper respect 00:09:56.429 --> 00:09:58.815 that goes beyond our profession. 00:09:59.015 --> 00:10:01.960 I had every belief that the team could rebound. 00:10:02.160 --> 00:10:05.105 I thought that Kobe's talent was significant enough 00:10:05.305 --> 00:10:06.898 for him to be a winner. 00:10:15.532 --> 00:10:18.460 There's been some suggestion that Jimmy is now 00:10:18.660 --> 00:10:21.121 kind of the one who's your number one advisor. 00:10:21.321 --> 00:10:22.839 Is that accurate? 00:10:23.039 --> 00:10:24.958 That is accurate. 00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:31.885 When I came back to the job again with the Lakers, 00:10:32.085 --> 00:10:36.052 I felt like Jim was more involved in basketball 00:10:36.252 --> 00:10:37.220 than his dad was. 00:10:38.638 --> 00:10:41.733 - My dad wanted Jimmy to feel, 00:10:41.933 --> 00:10:44.694 you know, this is- this is your show. 00:10:44.894 --> 00:10:48.314 My dad had confidence in Jeanie and myself 00:10:48.514 --> 00:10:49.950 to keep the ball rolling, 00:10:50.150 --> 00:10:51.860 you know, keep the business moving. 00:10:53.695 --> 00:10:57.332 Jimmy wanted to, uh, prove himself, 00:10:57.532 --> 00:11:00.685 just like anybody wants to prove themselves in business. 00:11:00.885 --> 00:11:04.038 Jimmy looked at the game differently. 00:11:04.238 --> 00:11:07.217 He relied on data, analytics 00:11:07.417 --> 00:11:09.552 to help him make decisions about players. 00:11:09.752 --> 00:11:12.297 The way I was brought up, everything's numbers. 00:11:12.497 --> 00:11:14.516 Everything that goes on 00:11:14.716 --> 00:11:17.811 in a basketball game has an effect. 00:11:18.011 --> 00:11:20.872 How much does a missed free throw hurt a team? 00:11:21.072 --> 00:11:23.733 What is the impact of the player? 00:11:23.933 --> 00:11:27.687 When I was basically running the team with my dad and Mitch, 00:11:27.887 --> 00:11:30.991 that's where the numbers really came in. 00:11:31.191 --> 00:11:33.510 But Jimmy was also the kind of guy 00:11:33.710 --> 00:11:35.666 that always thought, you know, 00:11:35.866 --> 00:11:37.622 I'm gonna hit that lotto. 00:11:37.822 --> 00:11:40.579 I'm gonna go to Vegas and make $100,000, 00:11:40.779 --> 00:11:43.536 it's just a matter of luck and timing. 00:11:47.248 --> 00:11:50.960 With the tenth pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, 00:11:51.160 --> 00:11:53.150 the Los Angeles Lakers select 00:11:53.350 --> 00:11:55.140 Andrew Bynum... 00:11:55.340 --> 00:11:58.560 From St. Joseph's High School. 00:11:58.760 --> 00:12:01.479 And rare to see the Lakers draft 00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:03.773 a high school player. Remember, Charlotte took 00:12:03.973 --> 00:12:05.525 Kobe Bryant when it was the Charlotte Hornets... 00:12:05.725 --> 00:12:07.652 He didn't have any statistics, you know? 00:12:07.852 --> 00:12:11.439 He-it was basically high school, and that was it. 00:12:11.639 --> 00:12:15.401 This was, you know, the eye test. 00:12:17.195 --> 00:12:20.865 We were at the combines, which were so much fun to go to. 00:12:21.065 --> 00:12:22.825 You see all the new talent, all the players 00:12:23.025 --> 00:12:24.669 you scouted throughout the year. 00:12:24.869 --> 00:12:26.120 Here's Bynum trailing. 00:12:27.163 --> 00:12:28.423 And he's fouled. 00:12:28.623 --> 00:12:31.417 And here's this guy, Andrew Bynum, 17. 00:12:31.617 --> 00:12:33.011 He's a 7-footer. 00:12:33.211 --> 00:12:35.263 His moves were so sweet. 00:12:35.463 --> 00:12:38.558 Had the Kareem skyhook already. 00:12:38.758 --> 00:12:41.603 I was in love with him five minutes after the game. 00:12:41.803 --> 00:12:43.730 And Bynum is there with the big... 00:12:43.930 --> 00:12:45.523 I went to my dad first. 00:12:45.723 --> 00:12:47.392 I said, we need to get this guy. 00:12:47.592 --> 00:12:48.568 You know? The- 00:12:48.768 --> 00:12:51.196 I don't care what he looks like right now. 00:12:51.396 --> 00:12:54.649 He had the talent to be the best center in the league. 00:12:54.849 --> 00:12:55.825 He was 17. 00:12:56.025 --> 00:12:56.993 He was just a kid. 00:12:57.193 --> 00:12:59.470 We asked Andrew when he started playing, 00:12:59.670 --> 00:13:01.948 and he said he was, like, 15 or something. 00:13:02.148 --> 00:13:03.625 That's very late. 00:13:03.825 --> 00:13:05.376 And he only played, I think, like, 00:13:05.576 --> 00:13:06.961 ten games in high school or something 00:13:07.161 --> 00:13:08.997 because he had an elbow problem. 00:13:09.197 --> 00:13:11.091 - Phil was not a fan. 00:13:11.291 --> 00:13:13.251 I mean, he saw the same things we saw, 00:13:13.451 --> 00:13:15.011 you know, great hands and- 00:13:15.211 --> 00:13:19.382 but he wanted us to get a four-year college player, 00:13:19.582 --> 00:13:21.092 not a 17-year-old. 00:13:22.552 --> 00:13:24.637 Bynum had not been as successful in high school 00:13:24.837 --> 00:13:26.981 as Kobe was, but there was the sense, 00:13:27.181 --> 00:13:28.900 it's just an intriguing prospect. 00:13:29.100 --> 00:13:31.940 And Jim Buss had not established himself 00:13:32.140 --> 00:13:35.233 in any meaningful way as an executive yet. 00:13:35.433 --> 00:13:37.797 And so it just felt like he was gonna draft 00:13:37.997 --> 00:13:40.161 some high school kid that he believed in, 00:13:40.361 --> 00:13:42.638 and if it worked out, it was gonna be his guy. 00:13:42.838 --> 00:13:44.916 It was gonna be his claim to fame. 00:13:45.116 --> 00:13:48.036 Jimmy made sure that everybody in the world knew 00:13:48.236 --> 00:13:51.184 that Andrew Bynum was his draft pick. 00:13:51.384 --> 00:13:54.133 Jimmy wanted Andrew to be successful 00:13:54.333 --> 00:13:59.088 because it would make Jimmy's name in basketball. 00:14:00.214 --> 00:14:01.599 Andrew had only played really 00:14:01.799 --> 00:14:03.726 one season of high school basketball. 00:14:03.926 --> 00:14:06.137 I knew that it would be tough on him to come 00:14:06.337 --> 00:14:10.892 from no attention to Laker spotlight. 00:14:11.092 --> 00:14:12.986 Wow, that's something 00:14:13.186 --> 00:14:17.857 for anybody to really be worried about. 00:14:19.025 --> 00:14:20.159 But he wanted to learn. 00:14:20.359 --> 00:14:23.825 And he figured that he could learn best from me. 00:14:24.025 --> 00:14:27.306 So the Lakers gave me the opportunity to coach him. 00:14:27.506 --> 00:14:30.587 I just tried to appeal to his work ethic 00:14:30.787 --> 00:14:35.708 and just see if I could get him to do a few fundamental things 00:14:35.908 --> 00:14:38.177 and get him to understand the game. 00:14:38.377 --> 00:14:40.838 Now Bynum. 00:14:42.548 --> 00:14:44.475 Turned away by Kenyon Martin. 00:14:44.675 --> 00:14:47.103 A real experience for Andrew Bynum- 00:14:47.303 --> 00:14:48.563 I was thinking the same thing. 00:14:48.763 --> 00:14:50.648 Matched up against Kenyon Martin. 00:14:50.848 --> 00:14:53.101 The fact was he didn't understand the game, 00:14:53.301 --> 00:14:54.402 how to win, 00:14:54.602 --> 00:14:56.195 what that was all about. 00:14:56.395 --> 00:14:58.689 And he had to learn teamwork. 00:15:00.358 --> 00:15:03.703 Phil saw Andrew as a 17-year-old 00:15:03.903 --> 00:15:06.289 who doesn't know how to be a professional, 00:15:06.489 --> 00:15:09.450 needs to be taught how to be a professional. 00:15:09.650 --> 00:15:11.169 And that takes time. 00:15:11.369 --> 00:15:13.212 And you have to earn that. 00:15:13.412 --> 00:15:15.585 And Jimmy wanted it faster. 00:15:15.785 --> 00:15:17.759 I sided with Phil, 00:15:17.959 --> 00:15:22.138 because Phil had been doing it for so long, 00:15:22.338 --> 00:15:25.600 and understanding what he went through with his body- 00:15:25.800 --> 00:15:31.389 two knee replacements, a hip replacement, a spinal fusion- 00:15:31.589 --> 00:15:34.651 all those things that you can attribute 00:15:34.851 --> 00:15:37.195 to playing the game of basketball. 00:15:37.395 --> 00:15:43.067 And what kind of life would Andrew have as, you know, 00:15:43.267 --> 00:15:46.946 somebody over 7 feet tall, and the wear and tear 00:15:47.146 --> 00:15:48.748 that you're putting on this young body? 00:15:48.948 --> 00:15:51.534 That's what I wanted to see was, like, 00:15:51.734 --> 00:15:53.753 the slow and steady raising 00:15:53.953 --> 00:15:57.131 of a professional basketball player. 00:15:57.331 --> 00:16:00.151 And you have to develop them the right way, 00:16:00.351 --> 00:16:03.171 because if you don't, then their careers 00:16:03.371 --> 00:16:06.299 don't ever meet their potential. 00:16:13.181 --> 00:16:15.474 We actually flunked Andrew Bynum 00:16:15.674 --> 00:16:17.110 on the physical exam. 00:16:17.310 --> 00:16:19.729 The kid had a bad skeleton. 00:16:20.938 --> 00:16:23.424 They told us, he's gonna get bigger. 00:16:23.624 --> 00:16:25.910 And every time he lands, the load, 00:16:26.110 --> 00:16:29.238 because of the way his feet are and his knees are, 00:16:29.438 --> 00:16:31.574 it's going to limit the amount of time 00:16:31.774 --> 00:16:33.910 that he's gonna be able to play the game- 00:16:34.110 --> 00:16:36.004 just physically, it's gonna happen. 00:16:36.204 --> 00:16:37.755 Even in high school, he'd already had 00:16:37.955 --> 00:16:42.001 several knee surgeries at 17 years old. 00:16:43.544 --> 00:16:45.630 Andrew, his knees kind of, like, 00:16:45.830 --> 00:16:46.639 bent in like that. 00:16:46.839 --> 00:16:48.474 That's why when he jumped and came down, 00:16:48.674 --> 00:16:50.143 it was like, oh, shit, is he gonna be all right? 00:16:50.343 --> 00:16:54.309 Because every jump looked like it'd be his last time landing. 00:16:54.509 --> 00:16:58.476 The ownership was aware of that before they drafted him. 00:16:58.676 --> 00:17:01.103 But Jimmy was really high on him. 00:17:01.303 --> 00:17:03.531 They drafted him anyway. 00:17:03.731 --> 00:17:06.159 But down the line, he had his own team 00:17:06.359 --> 00:17:09.162 of physicians and physical therapists. 00:17:09.362 --> 00:17:14.033 And his own personal team was allowed in the locker room, 00:17:14.233 --> 00:17:16.794 in the weight room, on the court. 00:17:16.994 --> 00:17:20.882 When Phil tried to address Andrew's team 00:17:21.082 --> 00:17:23.301 and say, look, during our practice times 00:17:23.501 --> 00:17:24.635 you can't be in the locker room, 00:17:24.835 --> 00:17:26.721 you can't be in the weight room, 00:17:26.921 --> 00:17:30.308 you can't be on the court, nothing changed. 00:17:30.508 --> 00:17:33.056 The guy was back in there doing what he was doing. 00:17:33.256 --> 00:17:35.805 Jimmy Buss told him, don't worry about 00:17:36.005 --> 00:17:38.232 what Phil is telling you. 00:17:38.432 --> 00:17:40.685 I'm the owner of the team. 00:17:40.885 --> 00:17:41.652 He's my guy. 00:17:41.852 --> 00:17:43.854 And so do what you need to do. 00:17:58.869 --> 00:18:00.838 You know, I always dreamed as a kid that, 00:18:01.038 --> 00:18:03.758 you know, it was possible to score 80 or 90 or 100. 00:18:03.958 --> 00:18:05.334 What do you say we play a little basketball 00:18:05.534 --> 00:18:06.219 here at Staples Center? 00:18:06.419 --> 00:18:08.638 The Raptors and the Lakers. 00:18:08.838 --> 00:18:10.631 You know, like, sometimes you lay down in bed, 00:18:10.831 --> 00:18:11.849 and you visualize things. 00:18:12.049 --> 00:18:13.476 That's at least how I would go to sleep. 00:18:13.676 --> 00:18:16.270 I'd lay down, and I'd imagine playing for the Lakers. 00:18:16.470 --> 00:18:18.356 And I would imagine what the uniforms looked like. 00:18:18.556 --> 00:18:21.025 I would imagine where we'd be playing, and, you know, 00:18:21.225 --> 00:18:23.152 the smell of the arena and all this other stuff. 00:18:23.352 --> 00:18:25.521 And I would see myself, you know, getting hot. 00:18:25.721 --> 00:18:26.739 Now to Kobe. 00:18:26.939 --> 00:18:28.316 Still six and a half to play in the third. 00:18:28.516 --> 00:18:30.868 He pulls up for a 3-yes! 00:18:31.068 --> 00:18:33.621 Kobe again! 00:18:33.821 --> 00:18:34.997 But in a dream, like, 00:18:35.197 --> 00:18:36.290 why would you ever interrupt that? 00:18:36.490 --> 00:18:37.658 Like, you're not gonna have a dream and be like, 00:18:37.858 --> 00:18:39.034 OK, and then he misses his next six. 00:18:39.234 --> 00:18:40.211 Like, it's not gonna happen. 00:18:40.411 --> 00:18:42.004 So you just keep dreaming and dreaming and dreaming. 00:18:42.204 --> 00:18:45.708 And before I go to sleep, I'm, like, at 120 points, you know? 00:18:45.908 --> 00:18:48.886 And so when you grow up downloading that 00:18:49.086 --> 00:18:51.088 into your brain over and over and over, 00:18:51.288 --> 00:18:52.632 then that becomes possible. 00:18:54.592 --> 00:18:55.768 We think he gonna do something special 00:18:55.968 --> 00:18:57.703 every night because that's how he play. 00:18:57.903 --> 00:18:59.439 But to be there actually seeing it, 00:18:59.639 --> 00:19:02.475 see the ball drop in, hearing the squeaking of the shoes, 00:19:02.675 --> 00:19:04.110 the way they really sticking him hard. 00:19:04.310 --> 00:19:06.020 Because sometimes on TV it don't look 00:19:06.220 --> 00:19:07.029 like they playing defense. 00:19:07.229 --> 00:19:08.656 You got to really be there to see 00:19:08.856 --> 00:19:11.571 how intense this is and how he's really getting them 00:19:11.771 --> 00:19:14.287 off of him with his moves and his fakes 00:19:14.487 --> 00:19:16.822 and the shot that he's taking and the degree of difficulty 00:19:17.022 --> 00:19:18.249 with this man all in his face, 00:19:18.449 --> 00:19:20.080 and how he's still making the shot. 00:19:20.280 --> 00:19:21.711 Kobe Bryant. 00:19:21.911 --> 00:19:23.004 Scored 20 in that quarter. 00:19:23.204 --> 00:19:24.538 Oh, he scored 20 in this quarter. 00:19:24.738 --> 00:19:25.590 Damn, he scored another 20. 00:19:25.790 --> 00:19:29.297 It's like, you know, you've seen him do it, 00:19:29.497 --> 00:19:32.805 but to see him do it four quarters in a row, 00:19:33.005 --> 00:19:36.509 you just sit back and say, how amazing is this dude? 00:19:36.709 --> 00:19:37.894 It's just mind-blowing. 00:19:38.094 --> 00:19:40.763 And an 81-point game. 00:19:46.352 --> 00:19:49.071 All he was doing was just chasing greatness, 00:19:49.271 --> 00:19:51.816 and I was just hoping that some of that greatness 00:19:52.016 --> 00:19:54.527 would just sprinkle off on me. 00:20:02.243 --> 00:20:03.044 Do you think you'll ultimately 00:20:03.244 --> 00:20:04.754 be measured by championships? 00:20:04.954 --> 00:20:07.798 The thing that I'm afraid of is, uh, 00:20:07.998 --> 00:20:09.634 not winning another championship. 00:20:09.834 --> 00:20:11.610 You know, and that's why I play the game because, 00:20:11.810 --> 00:20:13.387 you know, winning is the ultimate goal. 00:20:13.587 --> 00:20:14.388 But it's a team game, 00:20:14.588 --> 00:20:15.965 and you can only do so much. 00:20:17.216 --> 00:20:18.851 After Shaq left, 00:20:19.051 --> 00:20:22.772 it became an opportunity for Kobe to really show, 00:20:22.972 --> 00:20:26.058 who's the main guy in this winning all the championships? 00:20:26.258 --> 00:20:27.643 It wasn't Shaq. It was me. 00:20:30.104 --> 00:20:31.572 We're talking about the Los Angeles Lakers. 00:20:31.772 --> 00:20:33.983 The Clippers had a better record than y'all. 00:20:34.183 --> 00:20:35.910 You still aching for a title, Kobe? 00:20:36.110 --> 00:20:37.453 Because a lot of people look at you right now. 00:20:37.653 --> 00:20:39.305 You're taking it game to game, season to season. 00:20:39.505 --> 00:20:40.957 I know you've been talking about that. 00:20:41.157 --> 00:20:43.117 People look at Kobe Bryant and they say, when his- 00:20:43.317 --> 00:20:45.795 when is his championship coming? 00:20:45.995 --> 00:20:47.255 Kobe went beyond 00:20:47.455 --> 00:20:49.465 what any of us thought he could do. 00:20:49.665 --> 00:20:51.384 I mean, he scored 81 points in a game. 00:20:51.584 --> 00:20:53.753 And it was like, every night he was dropping 50 on people. 00:20:53.953 --> 00:20:55.846 And he had a belief in himself 00:20:56.046 --> 00:20:59.183 that he could just get anybody to win with him, 00:20:59.383 --> 00:21:02.261 that he was good enough to rise to that level. 00:21:02.461 --> 00:21:05.231 He didn't have the team around him. 00:21:05.431 --> 00:21:08.184 Listen, two pit bulls are better than one. 00:21:09.560 --> 00:21:11.153 He had some puppies with him. 00:21:11.353 --> 00:21:13.239 Miami Heat- they've done it! 00:21:13.439 --> 00:21:15.191 They win their first championship 00:21:15.391 --> 00:21:16.776 in franchise history! 00:21:19.028 --> 00:21:22.656 Shaq goes out and wins a ring without Kobe. 00:21:22.856 --> 00:21:24.041 Kobe saw everything. 00:21:24.241 --> 00:21:27.128 That lit a fire under Kobe's *. 00:21:27.328 --> 00:21:31.165 Like, all right, Shaq got a ring without me first? 00:21:31.365 --> 00:21:33.217 I can't let that stand. 00:21:33.417 --> 00:21:37.004 But for Kobe, there was not a championship team around him. 00:21:37.204 --> 00:21:39.765 - This is a trip. 00:21:39.965 --> 00:21:42.426 Been signing for, like, ten years, dude. 00:21:42.626 --> 00:21:44.678 This is crazy. 00:21:44.878 --> 00:21:45.855 - What? 00:21:46.055 --> 00:21:49.317 When Kobe changed his number from 8 to 24, 00:21:49.517 --> 00:21:51.936 I just said, what's the main driving factor of the change? 00:21:52.136 --> 00:21:53.521 And he said, carpe diem- 00:21:53.721 --> 00:21:55.740 24 hours in a day. 00:21:55.940 --> 00:21:58.113 There's 24 seconds on the shot clock. 00:21:58.313 --> 00:22:00.286 Every second of your day matters. 00:22:00.486 --> 00:22:02.121 And that's what this number represents. 00:22:02.321 --> 00:22:04.156 Now, we're talking with number 8 00:22:04.356 --> 00:22:05.416 or, uh, number 24. 00:22:05.616 --> 00:22:07.460 And I've seen where that you've talked 00:22:07.660 --> 00:22:11.372 about a number change as a new chapter in your life. 00:22:11.572 --> 00:22:12.882 I'm not an old man. But, you know, 00:22:13.082 --> 00:22:14.508 you start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel's 00:22:14.708 --> 00:22:16.710 much brighter than the one at the beginning of the tunnel. 00:22:16.910 --> 00:22:18.941 So it's really about appreciating every day 00:22:19.141 --> 00:22:21.173 as it comes, you know, every game, every win, 00:22:21.373 --> 00:22:23.258 every loss, every practice. 00:22:23.458 --> 00:22:25.344 It's just soaking every day in. 00:22:35.312 --> 00:22:37.031 Inside for Kobe Bryant... 00:22:41.151 --> 00:22:42.328 He's got it! 00:22:42.528 --> 00:22:44.246 Silences the crowd! 00:22:44.446 --> 00:22:46.374 The Mamba is loose. 00:22:46.574 --> 00:22:49.627 Somebody has to put him back in the cage. 00:22:49.827 --> 00:22:51.170 How much do you have left, Mamba? 00:22:51.370 --> 00:22:52.880 At the top of the clock, Mamba style. 00:22:53.080 --> 00:22:54.215 And there is the Mamba 00:22:54.415 --> 00:22:55.633 hitting the patented- 00:22:55.833 --> 00:22:57.126 There's a difference between who you are 00:22:57.326 --> 00:22:58.344 and what you are. 00:22:58.544 --> 00:23:00.946 And what I am when I step on that court is- 00:23:01.146 --> 00:23:03.549 I become that, you know, I am- 00:23:03.749 --> 00:23:04.975 I am that killer snake. 00:23:09.597 --> 00:23:11.774 It's OK to be a nice guy off the court. 00:23:11.974 --> 00:23:13.934 We want you to be nice and do different things. 00:23:14.134 --> 00:23:17.021 But on the court, you got to be a prick. 00:23:17.221 --> 00:23:18.447 I mean, you really do, 00:23:18.647 --> 00:23:21.233 'cause everybody's trying to take what you have 00:23:21.433 --> 00:23:22.827 away from you- your opportunities 00:23:23.027 --> 00:23:25.471 to win a championship, your contracts, your money. 00:23:25.671 --> 00:23:27.915 You don't get to play this for 50 years. 00:23:28.115 --> 00:23:30.084 You get a very limited time to play this. 00:23:30.284 --> 00:23:33.579 So if you're not a prick out there 00:23:33.779 --> 00:23:35.256 trying to elevate yourself, 00:23:35.456 --> 00:23:38.125 elevate your team to get to the levels 00:23:38.325 --> 00:23:39.885 that you want 'em to get at, 00:23:40.085 --> 00:23:42.446 you ain't gonna make it. You're not gonna make it. 00:23:42.646 --> 00:23:44.807 And to me, he was just lethal out there. 00:23:45.007 --> 00:23:47.055 He was willing to rip your heart out 00:23:47.255 --> 00:23:49.303 in order to achieve his goals. 00:23:50.679 --> 00:23:52.982 That's what I got out of Mamba Mentality. 00:24:00.022 --> 00:24:01.157 It was impossible to keep Kobe down. 00:24:01.357 --> 00:24:05.986 If you shoot him between the eyes with a .45 Magnum, 00:24:06.186 --> 00:24:07.830 he'd catch the bullet back here 00:24:08.030 --> 00:24:09.365 and throw it back at you, you know. 00:24:10.616 --> 00:24:13.210 The Mamba Mentality simply means 00:24:13.410 --> 00:24:15.713 trying to be the best version of yourself. 00:24:15.913 --> 00:24:19.249 Every day, you know, you're trying to become better. 00:24:19.449 --> 00:24:20.646 And it's a constant quest. 00:24:20.846 --> 00:24:22.044 It's an infinite quest. 00:24:24.296 --> 00:24:26.098 OK, let's talk about your game face. 00:24:26.298 --> 00:24:28.142 A lot of people talking about the Kobe Bryant- 00:24:28.342 --> 00:24:30.519 we have a picture here, and you can- 00:24:30.719 --> 00:24:32.772 This face- 00:24:32.972 --> 00:24:35.332 I got the impression that you would take that face home 00:24:35.532 --> 00:24:37.893 at night and eat ice cream with that face, you know? 00:24:40.479 --> 00:24:42.147 When you play, like, all your emotions 00:24:42.347 --> 00:24:44.900 just pour out in that face. 00:24:46.485 --> 00:24:47.745 The face has it, you know what I mean? 00:24:47.945 --> 00:24:49.371 Good face. 00:24:55.327 --> 00:24:56.462 - Come on. 00:24:56.662 --> 00:24:59.210 Come on, come on. Whoo. 00:24:59.410 --> 00:25:01.759 - Not tonight. Not tonight. 00:25:01.959 --> 00:25:04.086 Might be game six, might be game seven. 00:25:04.286 --> 00:25:05.095 We'll see. 00:25:05.295 --> 00:25:07.640 Not tonight, God damn it. 00:25:07.840 --> 00:25:10.059 The Lakers told Kobe 00:25:10.259 --> 00:25:14.438 that they wanted to win now. 00:25:14.638 --> 00:25:18.851 But some of the actions that they were doing, 00:25:19.051 --> 00:25:21.153 specifically Andrew Bynum, 00:25:21.353 --> 00:25:25.924 looked more like they were building for the future 00:25:26.124 --> 00:25:30.696 instead of trying to surround Kobe with the talent 00:25:30.896 --> 00:25:34.375 that he needed immediately to win. 00:25:34.575 --> 00:25:35.876 So this is a tall task 00:25:36.076 --> 00:25:37.978 for this Laker team down 3-1. 00:25:38.178 --> 00:25:39.880 But for Kobe, once again, 00:25:40.080 --> 00:25:42.416 he's got to feel out the game, gather whatever is there, 00:25:42.616 --> 00:25:43.509 whatever his team needs. 00:25:43.709 --> 00:25:45.594 He's gonna try and bring that tonight. 00:25:45.794 --> 00:25:47.847 Those kind of lean years, 00:25:48.047 --> 00:25:49.844 where it was really kind of just him, 00:25:50.044 --> 00:25:51.642 opened his perspective a little bit 00:25:51.842 --> 00:25:54.599 on how difficult it is to win, even, you know, 00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:57.556 as frustrating as it could be playing with Shaq, 00:25:57.756 --> 00:25:59.016 not having Shaq as a teammate. 00:26:00.726 --> 00:26:01.944 Kobe was not interested 00:26:02.144 --> 00:26:05.564 in leading the league in scoring or, you know, 00:26:05.764 --> 00:26:07.867 putting up 81 all the time. 00:26:08.067 --> 00:26:13.030 Kobe, in order to justify the decision to go it alone, 00:26:13.230 --> 00:26:14.999 to be without Shaq, 00:26:15.199 --> 00:26:17.793 to prove himself, he needed to win. 00:26:17.993 --> 00:26:19.628 And our second round is set 00:26:19.828 --> 00:26:22.256 in the Western Conference Semifinals. 00:26:22.456 --> 00:26:25.217 Phoenix has eliminated Los Angeles 00:26:25.417 --> 00:26:28.470 and Phil Jackson four games to one. 00:26:28.670 --> 00:26:30.139 The Lakers weren't going in the right direction. 00:26:30.339 --> 00:26:31.965 They were just middling and throwing away 00:26:32.165 --> 00:26:33.767 the best years of his career. 00:26:33.967 --> 00:26:35.594 How do you describe this end 00:26:35.794 --> 00:26:36.896 to this kind of season? 00:26:37.096 --> 00:26:39.707 - Um, well, you know, it's- 00:26:39.907 --> 00:26:42.318 it's always tough losing, 00:26:42.518 --> 00:26:44.837 very tough, very frustrating, extremely frustrating. 00:26:45.037 --> 00:26:47.156 How do you guys get this turned around? 00:26:47.356 --> 00:26:49.274 And what do you hope that the management can do 00:26:49.474 --> 00:26:50.567 to get it going in a better direction 00:26:50.767 --> 00:26:51.744 than what it is right now? 00:26:51.944 --> 00:26:54.446 Um, do something, and do it now. 00:26:56.907 --> 00:26:58.083 There were some conversations 00:26:58.283 --> 00:27:00.544 around a willingness to trade Andrew Bynum. 00:27:00.744 --> 00:27:05.082 So for Kobe, it was, I need to put this out there, 00:27:05.282 --> 00:27:07.897 because it's gonna engage everything Laker 00:27:08.097 --> 00:27:10.512 to get this thing back on the right page. 00:27:10.712 --> 00:27:13.340 There was never a thought of moving Andrew Bynum, 00:27:13.540 --> 00:27:14.892 never even a thought. 00:27:15.092 --> 00:27:18.938 But there was a huge cloud over there 00:27:19.138 --> 00:27:23.225 that Kobe wanted to, you know, accelerate this. 00:27:24.768 --> 00:27:26.403 Maybe it's a combination of ego 00:27:26.603 --> 00:27:29.615 and being stubborn, or just Jimmy planting his flag 00:27:29.815 --> 00:27:33.360 and saying, Andrew's gonna be my contribution 00:27:33.560 --> 00:27:36.038 and my impact that I'm having 00:27:36.238 --> 00:27:41.535 on building of the next era of Laker championship teams. 00:27:41.735 --> 00:27:45.434 And so I have to be behind him and support him 00:27:45.634 --> 00:27:48.051 and my decision to take him, and it has to work. 00:27:48.251 --> 00:27:50.469 Yeah, I would like to be traded. 00:27:50.669 --> 00:27:52.096 And as tough as it is to say that, 00:27:52.296 --> 00:27:55.474 as tough as it is to come to that conclusion, 00:27:55.674 --> 00:27:58.577 I just don't see that there's a chance to build that trust. 00:27:58.777 --> 00:28:01.480 My phone starts ringing off the hook. 00:28:01.680 --> 00:28:03.473 You know, Mitch, I know you're not gonna trade him. 00:28:03.673 --> 00:28:05.726 But just in case, you know, we have interest. 00:28:05.926 --> 00:28:06.568 OK. 00:28:06.768 --> 00:28:08.353 You know, it was quite a firestorm. 00:28:14.985 --> 00:28:16.912 He was not bluffing at all. 00:28:17.112 --> 00:28:18.864 I was like, what the- we're *- 00:28:19.064 --> 00:28:19.990 we're building something here. 00:28:20.190 --> 00:28:20.916 What are we talking about? 00:28:21.116 --> 00:28:22.584 And then it turned into, you know, 00:28:22.784 --> 00:28:26.496 naive phone calls between me and other teammates. 00:28:26.696 --> 00:28:28.006 We don't need him anyway. 00:28:28.206 --> 00:28:30.375 You know, we'd kind of be, like, laughing, 00:28:30.575 --> 00:28:31.885 like, well, we kind of do need him, 00:28:32.085 --> 00:28:34.463 but if he doesn't want to be here, * him. 00:28:34.663 --> 00:28:36.131 - Is he gonna stay in LA? 00:28:36.331 --> 00:28:37.599 Are they gonna trade him? 00:28:37.799 --> 00:28:39.268 And what do you make of this whole thing? 00:28:39.468 --> 00:28:42.162 Well, first of all, uh, it's a mess, basically. 00:28:42.362 --> 00:28:44.857 It concerned me, yeah. Well, I texted him, 00:28:45.057 --> 00:28:47.267 and I'm like, Kobe, what's up, you know what I mean? 00:28:47.467 --> 00:28:49.269 And he's like, look, there's some things 00:28:49.469 --> 00:28:51.739 that aren't sitting right with me. 00:28:51.939 --> 00:28:55.492 But, you know, when it comes right down to it, 00:28:55.692 --> 00:28:59.404 uh, if you're offered something better 00:28:59.604 --> 00:29:01.039 than what you have, you- 00:29:01.239 --> 00:29:02.833 most people would take it. 00:29:03.033 --> 00:29:07.371 But I can't imagine anybody giving enough 00:29:07.571 --> 00:29:09.164 to compensate for Kobe. 00:29:11.667 --> 00:29:13.464 We had several meetings. 00:29:13.664 --> 00:29:15.262 And we decided, 00:29:15.462 --> 00:29:20.008 Kobe, if you want us to explore a trade, 00:29:20.208 --> 00:29:21.218 we'll do it. 00:29:23.303 --> 00:29:24.646 And just so you know, 00:29:24.846 --> 00:29:27.641 we feel you are the best player in the world. 00:29:27.841 --> 00:29:29.693 Any team we talk to, 00:29:29.893 --> 00:29:31.899 we're gonna want their best player. 00:29:32.099 --> 00:29:34.106 But we reached out to all the teams. 00:29:36.441 --> 00:29:37.659 Sometimes, you know, 00:29:37.859 --> 00:29:39.886 teams will just hypothetically throw something out. 00:29:40.086 --> 00:29:41.914 And then the other team will say, sure, I'll do it. 00:29:42.114 --> 00:29:44.282 And then you'll start working through some of the details, 00:29:44.482 --> 00:29:45.501 and then somebody will back out. 00:29:45.701 --> 00:29:48.829 And that's what I just expected to happen with this deal. 00:29:49.029 --> 00:29:50.047 But then I talked to Jerry, and usually, 00:29:50.247 --> 00:29:52.899 when two owners talk, it's gonna be a done deal. 00:29:53.099 --> 00:29:55.752 That's kind of the cementing the deal, right, 00:29:55.952 --> 00:29:59.431 owner to owner, not GM to GM, 00:29:59.631 --> 00:30:03.301 saying, OK, you know, we've got a deal. 00:30:03.501 --> 00:30:05.053 And, bam, this is going to happen. 00:30:05.253 --> 00:30:06.605 We never had a deal with Dallas. 00:30:06.805 --> 00:30:10.225 Yeah, you can't always believe Mark, OK? 00:30:10.425 --> 00:30:12.477 And you can tell him I said so. 00:30:15.063 --> 00:30:17.950 We had a meeting at Dr. Buss's house. 00:30:18.150 --> 00:30:20.744 It was myself and Kobe and Mitch 00:30:20.944 --> 00:30:24.072 and Jimmy and Dr. Buss sitting around, 00:30:24.272 --> 00:30:25.290 talking everything through. 00:30:25.490 --> 00:30:27.868 Yeah, we kind of, like, went around the room, 00:30:28.068 --> 00:30:29.578 and, well, did you contact this team? 00:30:29.778 --> 00:30:30.712 Yeah, we did. 00:30:30.912 --> 00:30:33.048 And, well, they wouldn't give us all we wanted, Kobe. 00:30:33.248 --> 00:30:37.002 He says, well, if they gave you everything that you asked for, 00:30:37.202 --> 00:30:40.881 then I would be the only guy on that team. 00:30:41.081 --> 00:30:42.224 And we said, that's true. 00:30:42.424 --> 00:30:45.260 He said, well, that team would be no better than the Lakers. 00:30:45.460 --> 00:30:46.970 And we said, yes, that's true. 00:30:48.638 --> 00:30:52.067 And the team will remain nameless, 00:30:52.267 --> 00:30:57.981 but we found a team that wouldn't give us equal value, 00:30:58.181 --> 00:31:00.284 but they gave us everything. 00:31:00.484 --> 00:31:02.636 They had said, hey, we've got a framework 00:31:02.836 --> 00:31:04.788 for a potential trade to the Pistons. 00:31:04.988 --> 00:31:10.035 And that was not something Kobe was interested in doing. 00:31:12.037 --> 00:31:13.042 Because I wasn't going 00:31:13.242 --> 00:31:14.047 to move to Detroit. 00:31:14.247 --> 00:31:15.299 Why's that? 00:31:15.499 --> 00:31:17.150 I'm a Cali girl. I-you know, I- 00:31:17.350 --> 00:31:18.618 everyone- like, my family's here. 00:31:18.818 --> 00:31:20.087 It's just one of those things. 00:31:22.255 --> 00:31:24.474 Before Kobe and I got married, 00:31:24.674 --> 00:31:26.472 I had told him I wasn't going to move. 00:31:26.672 --> 00:31:28.326 I used to joke with him and say, like, 00:31:28.526 --> 00:31:30.180 you can move, but I'm not gonna move. 00:31:31.473 --> 00:31:32.733 He loved LA. 00:31:32.933 --> 00:31:36.023 So I remember calling Rob Pelinka, Kobe's agent. 00:31:36.223 --> 00:31:39.733 And I asked him if there was any possible way 00:31:39.933 --> 00:31:43.243 that we could find a loophole to keep Kobe in LA. 00:31:43.443 --> 00:31:47.076 And he says, there's something called a no-trade clause. 00:31:47.276 --> 00:31:50.909 And I said, I need Kobe to have that in his contract. 00:31:52.160 --> 00:31:54.171 And I made sure that we put that in there. 00:31:54.371 --> 00:31:55.881 You made sure? Yeah. 00:31:56.081 --> 00:31:56.924 Only LA? 00:31:57.124 --> 00:31:58.926 - Only LA-the sunshine. 00:31:59.126 --> 00:32:01.132 I agree with you. 00:32:03.338 --> 00:32:04.781 I don't think Kobe ever wanted 00:32:04.981 --> 00:32:06.224 to be anywhere else. 00:32:06.424 --> 00:32:08.727 He wanted to be a Laker for life. 00:32:08.927 --> 00:32:12.564 But he needed my dad and my dad's vision 00:32:12.764 --> 00:32:17.894 and his commitment to put this franchise back on top. 00:32:23.483 --> 00:32:24.743 In a swift and bold move, 00:32:24.943 --> 00:32:27.320 the Lakers front office acquired one of the best 00:32:27.520 --> 00:32:28.330 big men in the game. 00:32:28.530 --> 00:32:30.749 Simply the biggest NBA in-season trade 00:32:30.949 --> 00:32:34.161 so far this year, as the Lakers acquire talented big man, 00:32:34.361 --> 00:32:35.629 Pau Gasol, from the Grizzlies. 00:32:35.829 --> 00:32:38.231 Who would have ever thought that the Lakers could 00:32:38.431 --> 00:32:40.834 come up with this kind of a player? 00:32:43.170 --> 00:32:47.007 When Mitch Kupchak came to you and said something like, 00:32:47.207 --> 00:32:50.218 I can get you Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown, 00:32:50.418 --> 00:32:53.355 what did you say back? 00:32:53.555 --> 00:32:56.228 No, you can't. 00:32:56.428 --> 00:32:58.902 But- 00:32:59.102 --> 00:33:01.354 We made the trade a day or two later, 00:33:01.554 --> 00:33:03.824 and nobody knew. 00:33:04.024 --> 00:33:07.068 I think the night before, I told Phil. 00:33:07.268 --> 00:33:09.287 Like, really? That's good. 00:33:09.487 --> 00:33:12.082 Right, and then walked in the locker room. 00:33:12.282 --> 00:33:14.334 I think, had that trade leaked out, 00:33:14.534 --> 00:33:16.328 there would have been another team that would have 00:33:16.528 --> 00:33:19.623 offered more or would have convinced Memphis 00:33:19.823 --> 00:33:21.883 not to make the Lakers better. 00:33:22.083 --> 00:33:23.844 It was one of those game changers, 00:33:24.044 --> 00:33:28.506 bringing a talent like Pau to join Kobe Bryant. 00:33:28.706 --> 00:33:29.433 I was not happy. 00:33:29.633 --> 00:33:30.967 There are certain trades where you think, 00:33:31.167 --> 00:33:32.019 OK, thank God they made that trade. 00:33:32.219 --> 00:33:33.220 And there are certain trades where you go, 00:33:33.420 --> 00:33:34.938 aw, shit, this is not good. 00:33:35.138 --> 00:33:37.149 I was in shock. I couldn't process it. 00:33:37.349 --> 00:33:40.894 It was, um, something that I didn't really expect 00:33:41.094 --> 00:33:44.397 at that time, but it happened. 00:33:44.597 --> 00:33:47.701 And a whole new world opened up. 00:33:47.901 --> 00:33:48.994 Bryant is spinning in the lane. 00:33:49.194 --> 00:33:51.079 Back for Gasol-a pretty pass! 00:33:51.279 --> 00:33:53.114 And it's back to a 3-point game. 00:33:56.451 --> 00:33:57.961 As soon as I landed in Washington, 00:33:58.161 --> 00:33:59.629 he said, Pau, let me know when you land. 00:33:59.829 --> 00:34:01.581 When you get to the hotel, I want to come see you. 00:34:01.781 --> 00:34:02.591 I said, OK, are you sure? 00:34:02.791 --> 00:34:03.884 You got a game tomorrow at noon. 00:34:04.084 --> 00:34:05.552 He's like, no, no, I'm coming to see you. 00:34:05.752 --> 00:34:09.097 And Kobe comes, and again, it's past 1:00 a. m. 00:34:09.297 --> 00:34:10.932 And he's like, Pau, welcome to the team. 00:34:11.132 --> 00:34:14.636 I can tell you, like, I'm super happy that you're here. 00:34:14.836 --> 00:34:16.221 But now, let's go win a championship. 00:34:16.421 --> 00:34:17.806 We're not gonna wait for next season. 00:34:18.006 --> 00:34:19.766 We're gonna go for it right now. 00:34:19.966 --> 00:34:21.559 And he was dead serious. 00:34:25.897 --> 00:34:27.423 The Lakers got Pau Gasol, 00:34:27.623 --> 00:34:28.950 and I was just over the moon. 00:34:29.150 --> 00:34:30.235 There's nothing that can stop us. 00:34:30.435 --> 00:34:31.078 We're gonna win. 00:34:31.278 --> 00:34:32.329 We're gonna win the championship. 00:34:32.529 --> 00:34:34.206 And just his basketball, like, his passing, 00:34:34.406 --> 00:34:36.658 you know, his ability to handle the ball at that size, 00:34:36.858 --> 00:34:38.418 his synergy already with Kobe- 00:34:38.618 --> 00:34:40.624 because Kobe's such a high basketball IQ player, 00:34:40.824 --> 00:34:42.631 that it didn't really take too long 00:34:42.831 --> 00:34:45.500 for them to learn how to play together. 00:34:47.460 --> 00:34:48.887 Right off the bat, everything clicked. 00:34:49.087 --> 00:34:50.430 I just saw my teammates were moving. 00:34:50.630 --> 00:34:51.640 They were screening for each other 00:34:51.840 --> 00:34:53.137 when I had the ball in the post. 00:34:53.337 --> 00:34:54.434 We were playing pick and roll, 00:34:54.634 --> 00:34:56.886 whether it was on the side or on the top of the floor. 00:34:57.086 --> 00:34:58.647 Kobe Bryant handling the ball, 00:34:58.847 --> 00:35:01.854 attracting my defender, and getting me open. 00:35:02.054 --> 00:35:04.375 It was just a matter of making reads and plays. 00:35:04.575 --> 00:35:07.054 He was a perfect number two, 00:35:07.254 --> 00:35:09.533 a perfect Robin to a Batman. 00:35:09.733 --> 00:35:11.843 And that's kind of when I was like, OK, 00:35:12.043 --> 00:35:13.854 this could be one of those special teams. 00:35:13.905 --> 00:35:17.033 I have to tip my hat off to Buss and Mitch for- 00:35:17.233 --> 00:35:19.210 you know, for going forward with this. 00:35:19.410 --> 00:35:22.209 And, you know, now it's on us to go out there and work hard. 00:35:22.409 --> 00:35:25.008 This is a move that puts the Lakers 00:35:25.208 --> 00:35:26.968 right among the leaders in the West, 00:35:27.168 --> 00:35:29.429 and puts them in position to contend 00:35:29.629 --> 00:35:33.299 not just for the Western crown but, uh, for the NBA title. 00:35:37.053 --> 00:35:38.897 Kobe, you guys are 32 and 7 now 00:35:39.097 --> 00:35:41.066 since Pau Gasol has been wearing that uniform. 00:35:41.266 --> 00:35:43.643 - That's a pretty good trade. - Yeah, it's not bad. 00:35:46.813 --> 00:35:49.649 I don't think anybody could have ever imagined 00:35:49.849 --> 00:35:51.109 us being here right now. 00:35:56.906 --> 00:35:58.959 And the Lakers win by 8 00:35:59.159 --> 00:36:02.337 and win the series four games to one. 00:36:02.537 --> 00:36:05.540 Los Angeles on to the NBA Finals. 00:36:07.250 --> 00:36:08.802 The buzz is back in Boston. 00:36:09.002 --> 00:36:10.637 Celtics fans have waited 21 years 00:36:10.837 --> 00:36:12.906 for this moment, a chance to play 00:36:13.106 --> 00:36:14.975 for their 17th championship. 00:36:15.175 --> 00:36:17.519 This is the NBA's marquee matchup 00:36:17.719 --> 00:36:20.221 between the two most successful franchises 00:36:20.421 --> 00:36:21.398 in NBA history. 00:36:21.598 --> 00:36:22.524 Yeah, I mean, it's Lakers-Celtics. 00:36:22.724 --> 00:36:24.684 That's a classic, and you hadn't seen that 00:36:24.884 --> 00:36:25.527 since the '80s. 00:36:25.727 --> 00:36:29.781 Rajon Rondo! 00:36:29.981 --> 00:36:31.941 Being in Boston, they hadn't won a championship 00:36:32.141 --> 00:36:33.693 in 21 or 22 years at the time. 00:36:33.893 --> 00:36:35.453 So me being 20 years old, 00:36:35.653 --> 00:36:38.531 I didn't care about Magic or Bird. 00:36:38.731 --> 00:36:39.574 I just wanted to win. 00:36:40.783 --> 00:36:41.918 Celtics were supposed to win. 00:36:42.118 --> 00:36:44.746 They just made this huge trade for Kevin Garnett. 00:36:44.946 --> 00:36:45.797 They had Paul Pierce. 00:36:45.997 --> 00:36:47.340 They had traded for Ray Allen. 00:36:47.540 --> 00:36:50.213 This was the team to beat all year long. 00:36:50.413 --> 00:36:52.887 Beat LA! Beat LA! Beat LA! 00:36:53.087 --> 00:36:55.432 The worst feeling of all the feelings 00:36:55.632 --> 00:36:58.551 you get in basketball is if you lose in the Finals. 00:36:58.751 --> 00:37:00.478 Beat LA! Beat LA! 00:37:00.678 --> 00:37:04.149 The Lakers are in a world of hurt. 00:37:04.349 --> 00:37:05.542 Any time you play for the Lakers 00:37:05.742 --> 00:37:06.989 and you lose to the Celtics, 00:37:07.189 --> 00:37:08.236 it's a terrible thing. 00:37:08.436 --> 00:37:13.658 But the loss to the Celtics in '08 felt gut-wrenching. 00:37:13.858 --> 00:37:16.453 Boston's blowing out LA right now. 00:37:16.653 --> 00:37:18.972 You have to kind of start to ask yourself, 00:37:19.172 --> 00:37:21.291 hey, is this meant to be again, or is that it? 00:37:21.491 --> 00:37:26.120 Game, set, match, season, championship. 00:37:28.206 --> 00:37:29.507 Knowing the history of the game, well, 00:37:29.707 --> 00:37:33.503 I know that teams that make it to the Finals and lose, 00:37:33.703 --> 00:37:36.172 the next year, they don't go back. 00:37:36.372 --> 00:37:37.840 They don't go back. 00:37:39.968 --> 00:37:40.935 I'm going in my mind, like, 00:37:41.135 --> 00:37:42.512 you're not gonna have any more chances. 00:37:42.712 --> 00:37:43.521 Like, you blew this. 00:37:43.721 --> 00:37:45.014 This was your chance to win without Shaq. 00:37:45.214 --> 00:37:46.775 Now he's laughing because, you know, 00:37:46.975 --> 00:37:49.143 everybody's saying that you can't win without him. 00:37:49.343 --> 00:37:50.353 You can't get it done. 00:37:53.982 --> 00:37:55.992 Check it, you know how I be 00:37:56.192 --> 00:37:58.987 Last week, Kobe couldn't do without me 00:38:00.321 --> 00:38:01.539 You know how I be 00:38:01.739 --> 00:38:04.284 Last week, Kobe couldn't do without me 00:38:04.484 --> 00:38:06.077 Now stop, think about that 00:38:06.277 --> 00:38:07.087 It ain't about that 00:38:07.287 --> 00:38:09.839 It's about B-I-G, AKA Big Shaq 00:38:10.039 --> 00:38:12.458 Now, that's the difference between first and last place 00:38:12.658 --> 00:38:16.712 Kobe, you, tell me how my * tastes 00:38:16.912 --> 00:38:20.967 OK, Kobe, tell me how my * tastes 00:38:22.802 --> 00:38:24.391 Shaq's allowed to say that now. 00:38:24.591 --> 00:38:25.980 He won, and Kobe didn't. 00:38:26.180 --> 00:38:27.690 Like, you're allowed to. 00:38:27.890 --> 00:38:30.018 And if you know Kobe the way that we all know Kobe, 00:38:30.218 --> 00:38:32.562 Kobe's like, * you, I'm gonna show you. 00:38:34.939 --> 00:38:36.282 - He wanted it bad. 00:38:36.482 --> 00:38:38.860 And he wanted all his teammates to want it as bad as he did, 00:38:39.060 --> 00:38:41.904 because he understood that he needed his teammates 00:38:42.104 --> 00:38:44.165 in order to win. 00:38:44.365 --> 00:38:47.210 Being great is a lonely place. 00:38:47.410 --> 00:38:49.954 And that's why he didn't really have too many friends. 00:38:50.154 --> 00:38:51.172 But he had a one-track mind. 00:38:51.372 --> 00:38:53.249 And when it was time to work, it was time to work- 00:38:53.449 --> 00:38:56.344 just work, work, work, work 00:38:56.544 --> 00:38:59.013 till the wheels fall off. 00:38:59.213 --> 00:39:02.934 And he just said, yo, Lamar, don't be afraid to be great. 00:39:03.134 --> 00:39:06.095 It really was like a team going into that season. 00:39:06.295 --> 00:39:07.647 Like, we were on each other every day 00:39:07.847 --> 00:39:11.276 about the only thing that matters is the championship. 00:39:11.476 --> 00:39:13.236 And I had a conversation with him at the end 00:39:13.436 --> 00:39:15.897 of the year about how the team was gonna change, 00:39:16.097 --> 00:39:18.074 and about how to do it. 00:39:18.274 --> 00:39:20.243 But he kind of figured it out. 00:39:20.443 --> 00:39:21.619 He made it plain to everybody, 00:39:21.819 --> 00:39:24.998 this is my agenda I'm working towards. 00:39:25.198 --> 00:39:26.708 Coming back that next year, 00:39:26.908 --> 00:39:28.418 from a leadership standpoint, 00:39:28.618 --> 00:39:32.422 he just was a more balanced, calm, relaxed dude. 00:39:32.622 --> 00:39:35.796 Like, he still wanted to win and obsessed about winning, 00:39:35.996 --> 00:39:38.943 but he started to process and understand 00:39:39.143 --> 00:39:42.090 just human interaction and relationship 00:39:42.290 --> 00:39:44.267 in a different way. 00:39:44.467 --> 00:39:48.605 I thought that made for a better leader. 00:39:48.805 --> 00:39:51.182 There was definitely desire to like, OK, 00:39:51.382 --> 00:39:52.433 let's figure out how to get back 00:39:52.633 --> 00:39:53.935 to the top of this mountain. 00:39:56.020 --> 00:39:59.649 That year, I took the girls to go visit Kobe. 00:39:59.849 --> 00:40:02.744 And Natalia and Gianna were Girl Scouts. 00:40:02.944 --> 00:40:05.738 So we came up with an idea of hitting up the rookies 00:40:05.938 --> 00:40:07.823 to buy some Girl Scout cookies. 00:40:08.023 --> 00:40:09.709 So Kobe walked us downstairs. 00:40:09.909 --> 00:40:13.913 He bangs on the door, and in walks Kobe. 00:40:14.113 --> 00:40:15.215 So they're all shocked. 00:40:15.415 --> 00:40:20.002 And one of the newbies bought a $4 box of cookies. 00:40:20.202 --> 00:40:22.388 I looked at Kobe. Kobe looks at me. 00:40:22.588 --> 00:40:24.090 We're like, yeah, that's not gonna work. 00:40:24.290 --> 00:40:26.571 So I grab the order form. 00:40:26.771 --> 00:40:28.853 And I went to the guys, 00:40:29.053 --> 00:40:31.685 and I was like, I need you to show him 00:40:31.885 --> 00:40:34.727 how badly you want to be here next year. 00:40:34.927 --> 00:40:37.770 And they bought a shit ton of cookies. 00:40:37.970 --> 00:40:40.240 So many cookies 00:40:40.440 --> 00:40:43.234 that Natalia was the highest-selling Girl Scout 00:40:43.434 --> 00:40:44.369 in Orange County. 00:40:44.569 --> 00:40:45.987 That's gangster. 00:40:50.199 --> 00:40:51.000 - Hey, this is Jeanie. 00:40:51.200 --> 00:40:52.101 And it is Sunday, April 19th. 00:40:52.301 --> 00:40:53.202 It's the start of the Playoffs. 00:40:53.402 --> 00:40:54.462 Here we are finally, 00:40:54.662 --> 00:40:56.914 what we've been waiting for all year. 00:40:57.114 --> 00:40:57.757 It's a beautiful day. 00:40:57.957 --> 00:40:59.717 Let's hear what Phil has to say. 00:40:59.917 --> 00:41:02.236 Oh, honey, you sound like you're in a rush. 00:41:02.436 --> 00:41:04.755 No, well, I'm just excited, I guess. 00:41:04.955 --> 00:41:06.849 It's early morning. It's- 00:41:07.049 --> 00:41:10.219 it's like, you know, the timing is just different. 00:41:10.419 --> 00:41:11.229 - Yeah, it is. Different. 00:41:11.429 --> 00:41:13.018 How do you think your team will 00:41:13.218 --> 00:41:14.607 react to such an early game? 00:41:14.807 --> 00:41:18.069 Well, it's always hard, you know, to- 00:41:18.269 --> 00:41:20.313 what do you do, have a breakfast at 9 o'clock, 00:41:20.513 --> 00:41:21.447 and then you start playing the game, 00:41:21.647 --> 00:41:24.321 and by, you know, noon, you're hungry as a bear? 00:41:24.521 --> 00:41:26.995 You know, do you have steak at 10:00, you know, 00:41:27.195 --> 00:41:30.364 and, uh, you know, have a big meal to start out your day 00:41:30.564 --> 00:41:32.637 so you can sustain, you know, whatever? 00:41:32.837 --> 00:41:34.711 I would do whatever Kobe does 00:41:34.911 --> 00:41:36.879 because Kobe always has good games. 00:41:37.079 --> 00:41:39.207 Really? In early morning games. 00:41:39.407 --> 00:41:40.049 Yes. - Is that so? 00:41:40.249 --> 00:41:41.542 Yes. - I can count on it, OK. 00:41:41.742 --> 00:41:42.427 Yes. 00:41:42.627 --> 00:41:43.678 Let's go, man. It's dance time. 00:41:43.878 --> 00:41:44.929 Make it today now. Make it today. 00:41:45.129 --> 00:41:46.139 It's dance time. Let's go! 00:41:46.339 --> 00:41:47.340 Been the best damn team all year long. 00:41:47.540 --> 00:41:48.349 Let's get it, team! 00:41:48.549 --> 00:41:49.600 Let's cap this shit off the right way. 00:41:49.800 --> 00:41:50.801 Let's go out there and take what's ours, man. 00:41:51.001 --> 00:41:51.811 Let's go get this *. 00:41:52.011 --> 00:41:53.646 What time is it? Game time, ooh! 00:41:53.846 --> 00:41:56.140 Fisher, off the dribble, putts it in. 00:41:56.340 --> 00:41:58.109 There he is-! 00:41:58.309 --> 00:41:59.736 Bryant gets inside. 00:41:59.936 --> 00:42:01.938 Wow! Fires from Kobe Bryant! 00:42:05.066 --> 00:42:06.117 Congratulations, Coach. 00:42:06.317 --> 00:42:09.612 You won Game 1 of the first round. 00:42:09.812 --> 00:42:10.696 How do you feel? 00:42:12.198 --> 00:42:13.499 Well, I'm happy we won that game. 00:42:13.699 --> 00:42:15.626 That's a-you know, just to get a game in. 00:42:15.826 --> 00:42:17.670 And Fish looking for 3. Yes! 00:42:17.870 --> 00:42:18.921 Gasol with the left-hand- 00:42:19.121 --> 00:42:22.295 You know, there's a stat on the stat sheet 00:42:22.495 --> 00:42:25.470 that said, you know, tonight Phil Jackson tied 00:42:25.670 --> 00:42:28.965 for the most Playoff games ever coached in the NBA. 00:42:30.591 --> 00:42:32.101 - And-you know, I had no idea. 00:42:32.301 --> 00:42:34.057 I mean, I have no idea what that even means. 00:42:34.257 --> 00:42:35.744 It means you've coached 00:42:35.944 --> 00:42:37.231 a lot of games. - Yeah. 00:42:37.431 --> 00:42:38.707 Lamar- From Fish! 00:42:38.907 --> 00:42:39.984 And the foul. 00:42:40.184 --> 00:42:41.986 On to the Western Conference Semifinals 00:42:42.186 --> 00:42:44.405 as the Lakers eliminate the Utah Jazz... 00:42:44.605 --> 00:42:47.237 Time to see what's on Phil's mind. 00:42:47.437 --> 00:42:50.069 Phil? - Oh, what a night 00:42:52.154 --> 00:42:53.915 Kobe scooping, 00:42:54.115 --> 00:42:55.917 driving, and putting it in! 00:42:56.117 --> 00:42:58.419 How in the world did he do that? 00:42:58.619 --> 00:43:00.797 Lamar shot. Packs it in. 00:43:00.997 --> 00:43:02.590 Odom is picking up steam. 00:43:02.790 --> 00:43:04.045 A dominant blowout victory 00:43:04.245 --> 00:43:05.301 here in Game 7. 00:43:05.501 --> 00:43:07.178 As we said, Lakers now advance 00:43:07.378 --> 00:43:09.171 to the Western Conference Finals. 00:43:09.371 --> 00:43:10.139 Gets away from that. 00:43:10.339 --> 00:43:11.432 Floats it up and in. 00:43:11.632 --> 00:43:13.179 Fisher with the save. 00:43:13.379 --> 00:43:14.595 Farmar, inside. 00:43:14.795 --> 00:43:15.812 Nice move. 00:43:16.012 --> 00:43:17.021 As the LA Lakers 00:43:17.221 --> 00:43:18.689 are Western Conference Champions. 00:43:18.889 --> 00:43:20.066 They win the series in six games. 00:43:20.266 --> 00:43:24.687 Would this championship be special or just the same, 00:43:24.887 --> 00:43:26.322 doing it without Shaquille? 00:43:26.522 --> 00:43:28.983 You know, a lot of people make a lot out of that. 00:43:29.183 --> 00:43:30.118 Yeah. - People that don't know 00:43:30.318 --> 00:43:32.245 what they talking about make a lot out of that. 00:43:32.445 --> 00:43:34.956 And the truth is, he never would have won without me. 00:43:35.156 --> 00:43:36.912 And we would never would have won without Fisher, 00:43:37.112 --> 00:43:38.668 Robert, or Phil, and everybody else. 00:43:38.868 --> 00:43:40.086 I mean, that's just the truth of the matter. 00:43:40.286 --> 00:43:42.130 So to be back in this position now, 00:43:42.330 --> 00:43:44.966 to try to redeem a finish, you know, 00:43:45.166 --> 00:43:48.085 what we started last season, would be extremely special. 00:43:48.285 --> 00:43:51.255 And for us to get back to that mountaintop 00:43:51.455 --> 00:43:54.016 would just be an amazing feeling. 00:43:54.216 --> 00:43:55.685 Playing against that Lakers team 00:43:55.885 --> 00:43:57.678 in the Finals, it just seemed like everything 00:43:57.878 --> 00:43:58.896 was going right for 'em. 00:43:59.096 --> 00:44:01.065 Wow! Bryant banks it in. 00:44:01.265 --> 00:44:03.042 Off-balance, falling down. 00:44:03.242 --> 00:44:04.819 - Kobe drove down the lane. 00:44:05.019 --> 00:44:08.022 And I jumped up to try to block his shot. 00:44:08.222 --> 00:44:11.025 And he went up between my arms, 00:44:11.225 --> 00:44:13.465 came back down, went over, 00:44:13.665 --> 00:44:15.705 and shot it off the glass. 00:44:15.905 --> 00:44:17.990 There's no way he had this much hangtime. 00:44:18.190 --> 00:44:20.117 And I was like, man, it must be- 00:44:20.317 --> 00:44:22.378 it must be their time. 00:44:22.578 --> 00:44:24.297 And there's the final seconds. 00:44:24.497 --> 00:44:26.174 As the buzzer sounds, it's official. 00:44:26.374 --> 00:44:29.710 The Lakers are NBA Champions once again. 00:44:29.910 --> 00:44:31.712 LA wins the 2009... 00:44:33.339 --> 00:44:34.182 Rings! 00:44:34.382 --> 00:44:35.383 All that mother* hard work, 00:44:35.583 --> 00:44:37.134 all that hard work. 00:44:58.912 --> 00:45:01.790 The locker room felt different 00:45:01.990 --> 00:45:03.291 than other years. 00:45:05.585 --> 00:45:07.054 Like, the first three when we won, 00:45:07.254 --> 00:45:09.306 you almost felt like if you had Shaq on the team, 00:45:09.506 --> 00:45:11.591 like, you can't have the biggest dude on the block 00:45:11.791 --> 00:45:13.352 and not figure out how to win. 00:45:13.552 --> 00:45:16.350 But after losing to the Pistons in '04, 00:45:16.550 --> 00:45:19.149 losing to the Celtics in '08, 00:45:19.349 --> 00:45:20.400 and then at that time, like, 00:45:20.600 --> 00:45:23.570 understanding what Kobe's legacy meant 00:45:23.770 --> 00:45:26.398 around winning championships without Shaq, 00:45:26.598 --> 00:45:28.358 what does basketball really mean? 00:45:30.986 --> 00:45:36.992 Like, winning the title in '09 just kind of... 00:45:37.192 --> 00:45:39.378 like, it just-it felt right. 00:45:39.578 --> 00:45:42.793 Like, it felt like, OK, this is where I belong. 00:45:42.993 --> 00:45:46.209 It was really special, man, like, really special. 00:45:46.409 --> 00:45:48.345 And Kobe and I were sitting on, 00:45:48.545 --> 00:45:50.213 like, kind of a wooden, like, bleacher thing, 00:45:50.413 --> 00:45:51.265 like, in the locker room. 00:45:51.465 --> 00:45:54.096 and we were just kind of sitting there. 00:45:54.296 --> 00:45:56.928 And-remember LL Cool J had the song 00:45:57.128 --> 00:45:59.147 "Mama Said Knock You Out." 00:45:59.347 --> 00:46:03.902 And there's a verse in the song where he says- 00:46:04.102 --> 00:46:07.272 Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years 00:46:07.472 --> 00:46:09.044 I'm rocking the- 00:46:09.244 --> 00:46:10.617 And I'm like, literally, 00:46:10.817 --> 00:46:12.986 Kobe and I are just sitting there for a second 00:46:13.186 --> 00:46:15.956 in the locker room in Orlando. 00:46:16.156 --> 00:46:19.543 And I just-I broke into this LL Cool J verse. 00:46:19.743 --> 00:46:21.878 And we both died and started laughing, 00:46:22.078 --> 00:46:29.002 and just, like, in that moment recognizing, um, 00:46:29.202 --> 00:46:31.505 like, we're back where we belong. 00:46:36.510 --> 00:46:38.136 Back where we belong.