En route to his first NBA championship, Kobe Bryant was tested by a player who gave him all sorts of problems.
Within just two years of his NBA career, Kobe Bryant had established himself as an All-Star caliber player who had a sky-high ceiling.
Despite some LA Lakers staffers initially doubting Bryant, he quickly rose to prominence and became a huge name for them.
And by the 1999-00 NBA season, flanked by Shaquille O’Neal and coached by legendary Chicago Bulls honcho Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers went on to compete for an NBA championship.
But before he could play in his first NBA Finals, Bryant had to overcome playing against one of the toughest defenders he had ever faced.
Photo by Todd Warshaw/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesKobe Bryant says Bonzi Wells made life difficult for him in 2000 WCF
During a 2020 interview on All The Smoke recorded prior to his untimely passing, Kobe Bryant looked back on the struggles he had against the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2000 Western Conference Finals.
Bryant named Blazers star Bonzi Wells as a player who gave him trouble on both ends of the court, and how he would learn to develop his interior defense after the series.
“Damn, really? I remember us being really excited that we got through Portland. He [Bonzi Wells] was a nightmare. A nightmare matchup for me.
“He was really strong, and I was like 120, soaking wet. He beat the s— out of me in the post. Him and Stacy Augmon really helped me develop my post defensive presence. That was a weakness.”
LA Lakers went on to three-peat after Portland Trail Blazers series
After the series against the Portland Trail Blazers, the LA Lakers were unstoppable in the NBA Finals. They would go on to make quick work of the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals.
After their championship win in 2000, the Lakers would go on to three-peat, winning three straight NBA championships between 2000 and 2002.
But their dynasty wouldn’t last too long. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal’s issues led to their pairing ending as O’Neal got traded to the Miami Heat.
Many feel that Kobe and Shaq could have won 10 championships with the Lakers, had they not separated.