Just over a decade ago, Kobe Bryant finally won an NBA championship without Shaquille O’Neal. But he wasn’t done. He headed into the 2009-10 season looking for his fifth ring, as well as one earned by beating the Boston Celtics, the hated rivals who had dispatched L.A. in the 2008 NBA Finals.
The Lakers started the new campaign in red-hot fashion, but there were some younger stars coming for Bryant’s place as the best player in the world. One of them was Dwyane Wade, whose game and mentality were very much like Bryant’s.
The Lakers hosted Wade’s Miami Heat on Dec. 4, and in the closing seconds, they trailed 106-102 and looked done. A 3-pointer by Derek Fisher allowed the Lakers to pull to within one, 106-105. Wade then made just one of two free throws off an intentional foul with 3.2 ticks remaining.
Bryant took the ensuing inbounds pass, and while drifting to his left, he banked in a 3-pointer for the win over Wade as time expired.
Bryant finished with 33 points, while Wade was held to 7-of-21 shooting. The win improved L.A.’s record to 15-3, and it was a reminder to men such as Wade, LeBron James and Kevin Durant that the Black Mamba wasn’t ready to relinquish his throne atop the NBA yet.