It was the 2009 NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and the Lakers were looking to repeat as Champions against the Dwight Howard-led Orlando Magic.
It was game 4 of the series, with seconds left in a close game, that Kobe Bryant made a pass to Pau Gasol after spinning between three defenders.
It was a huge play that put the Lakers in a position to win — which they did after getting into overtime.
According to JJ Redick, it was a defining moment for Bryant’s career and the greatest play he ever pulled off.
Here’s what he said about it during a recent episode of “The Old Man & The Three”
“That, to me, was the play. Cause if we had just run the clock another 10 seconds, you guys would have had to foul. Instead, we get the ball, get it to Dwight, he misses the two free-throws, which sets up Derek’s three-pointer. That pass, to me, was one of the greatest plays that Kobe Bryant made in his career. I know that sounds crazy but I really believe that.”
Pau Gasol, who was making a guest appearance on the podcast, agreed.
“It was definitely a great play and it was one of his best plays, I will agree with that. It was an NBA Finals that gave him and the Lakers another Championship. It was a critical play, I do agree with that. In that moment we were down 5 and it made such a huge difference. It was a high level of skill play and unselfishness. He could have shot that. He could have challenged the defenders. But he made the right play, which speaks very very highly of him as a player.”
Of course, the Lakers would go on to win Game 5 and secure their 17th Championship. For Bryant, it would be his fifth, and his last.
But for a guy as talented and accomplished as Bryant, for one of his best and most impactful moments on the court to be a pass to a teammate during the NBA Finals really speaks volumes about the way he played the game.
Kobe Bryant was truly one of a kind.
