With the Lakers up four with 45 seconds left, he took the ball above the arc and faced down Scottie Pippen, himself a six-time champ as the Robin to MJ’s caped crusader. Kobe lost Pippen with a crossover. (The man could always get anywhere he wanted to go.) He ducked into the lane and was close enough to shoot. (He was, shall we say, seldom a reluctant shooter.) This time he didn’t. Shaq rose and crammed it through, leaving the backboard shaking. Running down the court, he raised both hands, his mouth making an “O” in wonder of what he and his little sometimes-buddy had just wrought.
Recalling the icy beauty of Kobe Bryant, 1978-2020
