Kobe Bryant admitted having a better team improved his game: "They allow me to explore those other areas of my game"

Kobe Bryant experienced every phase of team-building during his run with the Los Angeles Lakers. He started playing with a future Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal, endured years of carrying thin rosters on his own and eventually returned to the top with a balanced, championship-ready squad.

It was a long wait, but for Bryant, it was all worth it. What he appreciated the most, though, was that through that process, he polished various aspects of his already-impeccable game.

“Oh, without a doubt,” Bryant said in a 2009 interview with The New York Times’ Jonathan Abrams when asked if his game experienced growth over the past several years. “A lot of that has to do with the team that I have because they allow me to explore those other areas of my game because they’re better basketball players, so that enables me to sit back and say, ‘OK, I don’t have to score 40 points a game to keep us competitive.'”

Kobe welcomed the change

When the Lakers slowly re-tooled the roster around Bryant, the tide began to change. Derek Fisher returned in 2007 and the franchise felt his impact right away. Andrew Bynum, meanwhile, made massive strides to become the paint presence L.A. envisioned him to be.

Then, because of Bynum’s knee injury, the Lakers managed to trade for Pau Gasol without giving up any of their core players. They instantly became title contenders, stringing two straight finals appearances at the time of the Abrams’ interview.

Needless to say, Bryant was ecstatic, mainly because he could sharpen more of his tools with a better supporting cast around him.

“I can start thinking the game more and thinking how can I use the pieces that I have here as opposed to thinking, ‘Damn, I’ve got to put my head down and go out there and try to beat two or three guys just to keep us in the game.’ So, I think they help me get to another level of understanding the game,” the 2008 MVP added.

Kobe became a better leader

Back when he was starting alongside Smush Parker in he backcourt, Bryant knew the Lakers had no chance if he didn’t look to score almost every time.

In the 2006-07 season, Kobe averaged 31.4 points per game. Unbelievably, the team’s second-leading scorer, Lamar Odom, had an output that was nearly half of Kobe’s (15.9). He also missed 26 games that season.

It was amazing how the Purple and Gold managed to win 42 games with such a roster in a stacked Western Conference.

When reinforcements came in as early as the next season, Bryant felt he could now pick his spots more and strike when necessary. Moreover, with better players around, it was easy for Kobe to utilize everyone to advance the team, much like a general deploying his troops.

“It’s all leadership, how I get the best out of these guys, how I make these guys better. Because them better makes me better,” stated Bryant. “Pau Gasol’s a great player in his own right. It’s a lot easier for me to make him better. It’s easier for me to make Lamar better. It’s easier to make Derek Fisher better. They have the commitment, they have the work ethic. They’re already here. They’re just making me look a lot better than I actually am.”

What began as years of shouldering an impossible burden ended with a roster strong enough to let Kobe flourish in new ways. The Lakers’ revival in the late 2000s wasn’t only about depth, but also about how those pieces unlocked a more complete version of their leader.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 30, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Kobe Bryant admitted having a better team improved his game: “They allow me to explore those other areas of my game”

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