How the Lakers fell from contention to ruin during Kobe Bryant’s final seasons

Secret Base
Secret Base
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Published 2019-09-06
As far as basketball goes, Kobe Bryant had what he needed by 2010. Without Shaq sharing his spotlight, Bryant won consecutive NBA championships, proving he could do that as the Lakers' primary superstar. But he wasn't done, and he wanted to stick around in Los Angeles, so the Lakers acted accordingly.

Or at least they tried to. LA -- run by a complex, ever-changing, and sometimes nepotistic front office -- soon realized the core that earned them back-to-back rings wasn't going to cut it against some rising Western Conference powerhouses. So they swung a huge trade to bring in superstar Chris Paul. When that trade got vetoed by the league, things started to spiral: Upset co-stars led to desperate dismissals, which led to desperate acquisitions, which led to diminishing organic growth and eventually a whole lot of losing.

The Lakers said farewell to Kobe with their worst seasons as a franchise. This episode of Collapse explains how they fell so precipitously within the twilight of their departing star.

Written and produced by Seth Rosenthal
Shot and edited by Jiazhen Zhang
Motion graphics by Michael Das

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All Comments (21)
  • @aml1588
    And now, 2020 NBA Champions. RIP Kobe.
  • @JJonslaught
    Winning 2 rings is worth losing for 5 years. A lot of teams have been losing since forever and have nothing to show for it.
  • @mattd.717
    Was gonna comment a Steve Nash joke... But I think I'll pass
  • @gabesachse5391
    RIP. One of the greatest to ever play sports. This day will go down as the day the Mamba went down forever, way too soon.
  • @spencersheen3893
    As a Laker fan, this one's going to hurt. At least we're not the Knicks tho
  • @sheeshshoot123
    I just discovered SB nation yesterday and I can't stop watching. You guys are like mini 30 for 30s and I love how much you hate Skip Bayless.
  • @jrcummings1162
    RIP Kobe his daughter an all off those who passed in the crash
  • @mayitakeyourhatsir8632
    Can you imagine having your dad die, so your sister becomes your boss and forces you to resign. Shit's wild
  • @SuPeRGrEyFoX25
    So we just gonna ignore Trevor Ariza for that first Championship?
  • @ferdinandcavanaugh8155
    Honestly, considering how things are going right now, you could probly make a Collapse episode about the 2019-20 Lakers.
  • @ASTK928
    "And Lakers fan hope more peaks lie ahead..." Over one year later – The Los Angeles Lakers are your 2019-20 NBA Champions!
  • @detailsmove
    "basketball experts were thrilled" shows Trump tweet 😂
  • @andulicious6129
    and then in 2020, the lakers won another championship to add to the superb reputation tied with the celtics for the most rings. RIP KOBE! this was for you
  • @Imac7065
    A story you guys should look into... Anthony Carter's agent forgetting to submit his clients papers to exercise his player option after the 2002-03 season. That single action had a domino effect that changed the history of the Lakers, Clippers, the Heat, and the NBA as a whole. The effect of that one mistake let the Heat sign Elton Brand (clippers matched) which led to Lamar Odom, which lead to Shaq, which lead to a Heat title, which lead to a Heat rebuild that spawned the Labron / Bosh / Wade era. Fascinating story if you do a deep dive on it. One mistake by a dumb agent lead to 3 NBA titles and a 4 year dynasty.