Kobe Bryant built a career on moments that broke opponents’ spirits, but even among his endless list of iconic performances, one still stands out to Steve Nash.
The Hall of Fame point guard recently reflected on his favorite Kobe memory, a night during the 2010 Western Conference Finals that perfectly captured what made Bryant so different from everyone else.
Nash, who later became Bryant’s teammate with the Lakers, was on the opposite side of that experience at the time, leading the Suns in a heated playoff battle against Los Angeles.
“It all kind of blends into one, but the one memory that always rushes to the top is 2010 Western Conference Finals, Suns, Lakers,” Nash said speaking to NBA on Prime. “It was 2-2, we played at Staples [Center], he [Kobe Bryant] has a look at game winner, he airballs it, Metta [World Peace] gets it off his knee, throws it up and it goes in. So, we’re thinking we had such a great chance here, but we’ll go get them at home, they haven’t beat us at home. We went back to Phoenix, it was almost like because he missed that game winner, he’s like that’s all over now. Like literally, hold my beer. Grant Hill was guarding him, Grant was so good that night defensively, like all over him and he [Bryant] was making shots from everywhere, could not be guarded any better. Like 28-foot shots with Grant all over him, off the dribble. I literally took my hat off right there and was like this guy is unbelievable.”
Bryant finished that night with 37 points, ending the Suns’ season and punching the Lakers’ ticket to the NBA Finals.
The performance summed up why the veteran Lakers group consistently outlasted younger, faster opponents – Bryant simply rose when it mattered most.
That postseason, Bryant earned All-NBA First Team and First Team All-Defensive honors before leading Los Angeles to his 5th and final championship against the Boston Celtics.
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