The winning began when Phil Jackson de-Kobe'd him.
Jackson stifled Kobe Bryant's overflowing shooting and scoring instincts and made Bryant accept the great disappointment but greater responsibility that he had a primary job before shooting and scoring. Bryant was to set the ball up in deep post position for a slow Diesel truck named Shaquille O'Neal to hold ongoing pole position in the Lakers' lineup.
Bryant didn't often want to and didn't always do so when his own personal growth was at stake. But O'Neal won three NBA Finals MVPs and Bryant collected his first three titles.
In a sense, this is now coming full circle for Bryant.
Time to de-Kobe him again, eh? Step aside and let Steve Nash be the No. 1? Defer more with whoever among Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol can lord over the Lakers' interior in an era when Bryant turns 34 next month?
Actually ... no, no and no.
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