By Kobe Bryant’s third NBA season, the Lakers finally belonged to him and Shaquille O’Neal.
They were just missing the third corner of their triangle.
Phil Jackson arrived after a 31-19 lockout-shortened 1999 season in which the Lakers had jettisoned Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones and Coach Del Harris. The series of moves pushed the young superstar Bryant to the forefront and set the Lakers up for the success that would soon follow.
A player who wanted nothing more than to play like Michael Jordan, Bryant now had Jordan’s former coach on his side.