Kobe Bryant knew it all, everybody. A couple of years ago, the Black Mamba claimed this team was going to be successful sooner than later and they finally did it on Sunday night, when they beat the Miami Heat, 106-93 to win their 17th NBA title. Back in 2018, the team was struggling to get good results, immersed in a 5-year playoffs drought that ended this season thanks to LeBron James, Anthony Davis and co.
At that time, the Golden State Warriors were ruling the Western Conference and the entire NBA, but Kobe was confident his team was going to be good again, especially after the team acquired LeBron James in free agency.
“They will figure it out,” Bryant said of the Lakers, via ESPN. “They have talented pieces and (Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka) has put them in position with incredible flexibility. They will figure it out. So, enjoy the journey because we’ll be champions before you know it, and then we’ll just be laughing at all the Warrior fans who all of the sudden came out of nowhere.”
Kobe said the team had the tools to be successful but they needed to be patient to develop their young players and reach their best level.
“The patience is on all of us. We have to be patient,” Bryant said. “But as a player, you’re never patient with yourself. You’re patient with each other, but not with yourself. You want to be there now. And you work to be there now with an understanding that it is going to take time. But you want to be there now. That’s the way that you accelerate growth. They have a lot of potential, man. They’ll figure it out.”
The Lakers took a different direction last year when they saw a group of young players to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Anthony Davis. The Brow instantly became the perfect partner for LeBron James and the results can’t be better. The Lakers are NBA champions after 10 years, dominating through the entire postseason and leaving no doubts that they were the best team in the NBA this year.
