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The Lakers again overtook Utah in the standings, but Kobe Bryant's season ended after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the 80th game of the season. The Lakers qualified for the playoffs on the last day of the season, defeating Houston to finish 45–37 and seeded seventh in the West.
Before he was chosen as the 13th overall draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, the 17-year-old Bryant had made a lasting impression on then-Lakers general manager Jerry West, who immediately foresaw potential in Bryant's basketball ability during pre-draft workouts.
Kobe Bean Bryant (/ ˈ k oʊ b i / KOH-bee; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
With the team of Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers played in four of the first five NBA Finals of the 21st century; winning three consecutively from 2000 to 2002, and losing the fourth in 2004.
With Dwight Howard's departure to the Houston Rockets during the offseason, Kobe Bryant playing only six games due to injury, and injuries to many other players, the Lakers finished the season with a record of 27–55—the sixth-worst record in the league.
The Lakers had a star-studded lineup that included offseason acquisitions Karl Malone and Gary Payton as well as mainstays Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. Malone and Payton were perennial All-Stars ; Payton had led the Seattle SuperSonics to the Finals in 1996 , while Malone's Utah Jazz reached the Finals in 1997 and 1998 . [ 17 ]
Kobe Bryant scored 36 points going 18-18 from the free throw line including the last 2 free throws that put the Lakers up by 3. Game 4 ended with a 100-103 Thunder win. [ 15 ] The Lakers held a 9-point lead with 6:01 to play in the 4th quarter but were unable to sustain.
It was his fourth time coaching an All-Star team and second time with the Los Angeles Lakers. [47] Kobe Bryant was voted to his 11th consecutive NBA All-Star Game as a starter. [48] Pau Gasol was selected to his second NBA All-Star Game. [49] Kobe Bryant was named the 2009 NBA All-Star MVP with former teammate Shaquille O'Neal. [50]