Chauncey Billups had the chance to go against Kobe Bryant during his career, starring in big duels against the Black Mamba. It’s well remembered that he won the 2004 Finals MVP after his Detroit Pistons dismantled the superteam the Los Angeles Lakers formed that year, beating them in five games.
After that, Billups and Bryant clashed more times in the league, and one of their most memorable duels came in 2009. With the Denver Nuggets having a terrific regular season, they were poised to make it to the NBA Finals after clinching the No. 2 seed in the West.
However, they could only be stopped by one team: the No. 1 seed Los Angeles Lakers, led by Bryant. This series had a terrific start with one of the most incredible playoff duels ever, with Carmelo Anthony going toe-to-toe with KB24 in Game 1. In the end, Melo couldn’t keep up with Kobe and co., and the Lakers won that series in six games.
Chauncey Billups Recalls Kobe Bryant’s Emotional Reaction After Beating Nuggets In 2009
Billups couldn’t do much to beat Bryant, but he had big memories from that series. During a recent interview on Showtime’s “All The Smoke”, the current Portland Trail Blazers head coach recalled how he went to congratulate Kobe before Game 6 of that series was over and he saw the Black Mamba crying (45:57).
“He was so determined to win the championship without Shaq. It was Game 6, the game got away, checked the starters out. So they checking us out, I go up to him and tell him, ‘Good luck, good job.’ He was crying, bro. Crying, like tears crying. He was so happy to be going to the Finals.”
Kobe Bryant ended up winning the championship that season after beating the Dwight Howard-led Orlando Magic in five games, tying Shaquille O’Neal in total rings. He proved to the world that he could win without O’Neal after losing to the Boston Celtics the prior year and then got his second consecutive championship and 5th in his personal account.
He wanted to win as many or more than his idol Michael Jordan, and Billups played a big role in Kobe not achieving that feat. However, we all saw him win two more titles without Shaq, proving that he could be the guy on a championship team.
