When I look at this footage I see two things....Kobe having to waste about 2 years of his prime with a piss poor roster....and Steve Francis, sheesh he was damn good
+Nana Gyambibi Kobe looked SO EFFING QUICK and STRONG and ATHLETIC man. I always forget how explosive he was back then. It's hard to defend a guy like that.
ayo basketball don't even look like this nomore. look at these men ballin out. showing skills players now are probably more athletic but have less skill
Kobe with the Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson physique in 2005. I think it hurt him a little. He lost a little weight in 2005-06. Still looked strong, but was a lot lighter. I mean he was good in 2005, but not Kobe good.
Yo, that Magic team was stacked with talent. Can't remember why they never hit. I know Howard was just beginning & Grant Hill wasn't the same superstar after coming back from the ankle surgeries, but even still you got a prime Hedo Turkuglou, Steve Francis & Cuttino Mobley. All really good players. Not to mention Pat Garrity could shoot the lights out from three.
Yeah, they had a decent enough roster all around. Then they traded Cuttino for Doug Christie, which I think was a downgrade (I think mobley was just as good a defender and a significantly better overall scorer/shooter). It's been well-documented that this trade also didn't sit well with Francis. Though, as you point out, Dwight was VERY raw this first year (I mean look at his post moves in this vid), and their center, Kelvin Cato had glaring weaknesses. But your point still stands. They had a prime francis, last part of his "prime" grant hill, a prime mobley, Turkoglu, a rising stevenson & Jameer, and the solid 3pt shooter garrity. If they never traded mobley and Francis wasn't hurt by both the new coach & injuries the following year, they should have at least been a 2nd round playoff team. I think they barely missed the playoffs in this year.
Imagine if it all panned out! Steve as your All-star point-man/Grant Hill as your All-star Shooting guard(no foot injuries)/ Hedo Turkalo as you're always reliable small forward/ Patt gritty as your rebounding Power forward man/D-12 as your Super-Star big man! That would have been a good team!
Exactly. This is back when the league was about the game and not all these damn story lines of who is going to be the next "sellout" player or superteams built with other major superstars. Good teams were built organically.
It's obvious that this laker roster wasn't going to be a title contender. Although, Caron Butler and Lamar Odom were both near all star caliber talent. I've seen Kobe play with worse teammates.
7:55 Kobe- DH Welcome to the NBA! U kno what u shud join my team ur not the only one who I've dunked on, crossed, shot on, blocked, or js beat period. Look at who else that has joined me since they realized they can't beat me so they shud js join me . Ron Artest, Steve Nash, Matt Barnes, Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Ronnie Turiaf, Antwaun Jamison, Lamar Odom to name a few.
Back when kobe had that "fuck everyone" attitude. Lol look at 8:39 the way he pushes tierre brown his own damn teammate lol.. If you werent producing he would treat you like a dog.. He doesn't do that as much anymore he'll still get in your face if your not playing right.. but he wont physically do anything like he did right there. he was a hot head back then
Number 8 Kobe was ill tempered and a hothead. Number 24 Kobe had better leadership towards his teammates. As he got older, he became more mature and wiser.
+jesus ayala To be honest, I don't think the years were 'wasted'. Kobe wanted to try to win a championship on his own (without Shaq) and of course, to do that he knew it would take a few years to build a team that could win. The fact that he made it back to the finals in just 4 years since Shaq left is pretty damn amazing. Rebuilding usually takes a lot longer. Also... those years with a shitty roster allowed Kobe to have games like his 81 and 62 in 3 quarters... cause the shitty-ness of everyone else made him have to do it all on his own. I don't know what Kobe would be without his 81. It was worth it to his career.... just my humble opinion though.
This was actually his prime year. He played better and more matured compared to his Rockets years and posting career high numbers. Magic was top 1 team in the east for a period of time and undoubtedly heading to the playoffs then it was Mobley trade ruined their chemistry. Francis was never the same from the next season on and quickly faded away after he got traded to Knicks.
@@noelywu2027This season was the last season of Stevies prime but his peak was actually his second season and then his 4th is very close. He was incredibly athletic still but as OP mentioned, he had lost some of that bounce. This is mainly because Stevie didn't take care of his body or really train at all in the off-season. He was a party animal and just loved to play 5s so just like Iverson, he didn't do skill training, shooting or weightlifting. Luckily for him, he was so naturally strong and ripped so he still was an incredible athlete at this time. Just not what he could have been. Despite his efficiency going down the shitter (he should have worked with a shooting coach/skill trainer in the off-season), he was a more confident and intelligent player due to experience. He used this in Orlando to relentlessly attack the hoop and get into the lane. He got to the free throw line like know other in his era. Stevie would be a stud today if he got into the right franchise and dedicated himself to his craft/shooting.
That dunk on Howard is out of this world.
Mark Price, Rod Strickland, Nick Van Exel, MIke Bibby, Tim Hardaway, Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis = Underrated Point Guard list
When I look at this footage I see two things....Kobe having to waste about 2 years of his prime with a piss poor roster....and Steve Francis, sheesh he was damn good
3*
+Nana Gyambibi Kobe looked SO EFFING QUICK and STRONG and ATHLETIC man. I always forget how explosive he was back then. It's hard to defend a guy like that.
41 points is better than 32
@@edisonvelasco2286 And yet they still lost didn’t they? I love Kobe but doesn’t matter how many points he put up, if they didn’t win it’s not better
@@edisonvelasco2286not if 32 wins!
That was a time when Kobe looks around him and says....... "Ya'll are scrubs, just give me the ball.......AND GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!"
007thematrix007 Crazy thing is, this was the year he averaged a career high in assists.
🙏🙏🙏 Rest Easy Mamba! Thank you for the years of highlights and all of the memories......
This is the biggest Kobe has been. He was like 225 here
Facts
Back When Dwight Howard Didn't Have Post Moves.....Oh, wait..
ayo basketball don't even look like this nomore. look at these men ballin out. showing skills
players now are probably more athletic but have less skill
+Anderson A. Agreed. If only Durant had the killer instinct of Kobe he could be unstoppable. Killer instinct is almost extinct today too :(
+eskimo289 W....KEVIN DURANT IS SOMETHING ELSE! THE MOST UNDERRATED PLAYER TODAY. He's better than curry and LeBron
Anderson A. Even the intros were better back then lol
Good Man Grab this L 🤦🏿♂️
@@goodman5836 KD is one of my favorite players but no way is he better than Lebron lol.
Sick upload. I've seen that poster on Dwight so many times but never the highlights from the game. You're awesome.
Kobe was the best back then.
Who ever was at this game witnessed some crazy shit. Like the entire game!
thats when dwight got baptized 7:57
If Stevie Franchise stayed on track he could've been remembered like a Dwayne Wade. He was nasty.
hes literally an assasin on the court
Love the magic Stevie and Grant...but Kobe is a real warrior, never backs down
And steve did ?
Steve was a beast what happen, he didn't even fade out he just drop off the planet.
+Sidney thomas Legal stuff and drugs. Stupid.
STEVE!
Imagine kobe, this age, this size, still in his athletic prime, w/ at the least a slightly more capable roster
Kobe with the Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson physique in 2005. I think it hurt him a little. He lost a little weight in 2005-06. Still looked strong, but was a lot lighter. I mean he was good in 2005, but not Kobe good.
Agreed, the weight loss Kobe had in 2006 benefitted him greatly and he ended up having his best individual season of his career.
Yo, that Magic team was stacked with talent. Can't remember why they never hit. I know Howard was just beginning & Grant Hill wasn't the same superstar after coming back from the ankle surgeries, but even still you got a prime Hedo Turkuglou, Steve Francis & Cuttino Mobley. All really good players. Not to mention Pat Garrity could shoot the lights out from three.
Yeah, they had a decent enough roster all around. Then they traded Cuttino for Doug Christie, which I think was a downgrade (I think mobley was just as good a defender and a significantly better overall scorer/shooter). It's been well-documented that this trade also didn't sit well with Francis.
Though, as you point out, Dwight was VERY raw this first year (I mean look at his post moves in this vid), and their center, Kelvin Cato had glaring weaknesses. But your point still stands. They had a prime francis, last part of his "prime" grant hill, a prime mobley, Turkoglu, a rising stevenson & Jameer, and the solid 3pt shooter garrity. If they never traded mobley and Francis wasn't hurt by both the new coach & injuries the following year, they should have at least been a 2nd round playoff team. I think they barely missed the playoffs in this year.
Basketball was competitive in the early 2000’s, every team had about 2-3 all stars and great role players.
hedo was not on his quite prime. he was best in 2008-10 but he was good tho
@@JLau910 The Mobley trade ruined that team. They were headed to the playoffs until that point.
@@slingblade8963 1000% agreed.
This magic team could've made it to the playoffs if they didn't trade mobley
Steve and Grant have chemistry.
Imagine if it all panned out! Steve as your All-star point-man/Grant Hill as your All-star Shooting guard(no foot injuries)/ Hedo Turkalo as you're always reliable small forward/ Patt gritty as your rebounding Power forward man/D-12 as your Super-Star big man! That would have been a good team!
kyrie irvings got that steve francis look to his ass
Back when the nba didn't have gimmick teams and overpowered teams like they do now.
Also what happened to Steve Francis ?
Exactly. This is back when the league was about the game and not all these damn story lines of who is going to be the next "sellout" player or superteams built with other major superstars. Good teams were built organically.
This magic team had a nice big 3 💯
thank you
11:11 is epic , Steve Francis new he was either a bucket, foul or a assist.
manly ass fastbreaks
Sad to see kobe in his prime playing with a poor roster smh
GUESS WHAT STEVE FRANCIS IS MY BASKETBALL COACH FREIND SOO I GET TO SEE HIM SOMETIME HE HE HE HAW
Yo! Can you get me an autograph if I send you a card? Can I get his number or email? He's my favorite player and I want to interview him
Any one else noticed Howard started at forward, not center?
It's obvious that this laker roster wasn't going to be a title contender. Although, Caron Butler and Lamar Odom were both near all star caliber talent. I've seen Kobe play with worse teammates.
Did they win the championship....players and crowd was going crazy
WOW look at the amount of trash kobe is playing with.
5:15 AAAAYYYYOOO KOB
I remember being so into this season as a kid, thing is this wasnt a good season at all
rip kobe bryant
7:55 Kobe- DH Welcome to the NBA! U kno what u shud join my team ur not the only one who I've dunked on, crossed, shot on, blocked, or js beat period. Look at who else that has joined me since they realized they can't beat me so they shud js join me . Ron Artest, Steve Nash, Matt Barnes, Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Ronnie Turiaf, Antwaun Jamison, Lamar Odom to name a few.
Explain how this man is 85 on 2k....explain #orlandofrancis
Steve was too good 4 Jelly Bean!
Nah, nice try though 😂😂
@rafaelmeza725 Yah, he was, youngstee. Francis was the sizzle nizzle. Boy could ball Kobe out da rizoom.
FRANCHISE
11.12.04
Back when kobe had that "fuck everyone" attitude. Lol look at 8:39 the way he pushes tierre brown his own damn teammate lol.. If you werent producing he would treat you like a dog.. He doesn't do that as much anymore he'll still get in your face if your not playing right.. but he wont physically do anything like he did right there. he was a hot head back then
Number 8 Kobe was ill tempered and a hothead. Number 24 Kobe had better leadership towards his teammates. As he got older, he became more mature and wiser.
also tmac could've stayed if grant was healthy
Smh 3 prime years from kobe wasted. ..
+jesus ayala To be honest, I don't think the years were 'wasted'. Kobe wanted to try to win a championship on his own (without Shaq) and of course, to do that he knew it would take a few years to build a team that could win. The fact that he made it back to the finals in just 4 years since Shaq left is pretty damn amazing. Rebuilding usually takes a lot longer.
Also... those years with a shitty roster allowed Kobe to have games like his 81 and 62 in 3 quarters... cause the shitty-ness of everyone else made him have to do it all on his own. I don't know what Kobe would be without his 81. It was worth it to his career.... just my humble opinion though.
9:45
Although Steve Francis was a little past his prime while with the magic, he was still explosive.
so his prime is his 1st or 2nd or 3rd or 4th and 5th season cuz that season is his 6th season, he was drafted at 1999..
He wasn't even 30 years old yet here lol!
I'm not saying he is past his prime because of age. Injuries played a significant role as well.
This was actually his prime year. He played better and more matured compared to his Rockets years and posting career high numbers. Magic was top 1 team in the east for a period of time and undoubtedly heading to the playoffs then it was Mobley trade ruined their chemistry. Francis was never the same from the next season on and quickly faded away after he got traded to Knicks.
@@noelywu2027This season was the last season of Stevies prime but his peak was actually his second season and then his 4th is very close.
He was incredibly athletic still but as OP mentioned, he had lost some of that bounce. This is mainly because Stevie didn't take care of his body or really train at all in the off-season. He was a party animal and just loved to play 5s so just like Iverson, he didn't do skill training, shooting or weightlifting. Luckily for him, he was so naturally strong and ripped so he still was an incredible athlete at this time. Just not what he could have been.
Despite his efficiency going down the shitter (he should have worked with a shooting coach/skill trainer in the off-season), he was a more confident and intelligent player due to experience. He used this in Orlando to relentlessly attack the hoop and get into the lane. He got to the free throw line like know other in his era.
Stevie would be a stud today if he got into the right franchise and dedicated himself to his craft/shooting.
Kobe was deisel af that year. Sad the Lakers wasted his prime talent with costars like Chucky Atkins, Chris Mihm, and an old Brian Grant.
lakers roster sucked back then
magic won Dwight howard lost
I always say (Kobe) was surrounded by trash😭
8:50 is that not a carry?
hesitation dribble bro. hand isnt under the ball
dwight howard sucked!!!!!!!! lol didnt see him score or get a block.. and he got dunked on!! wtw!!
wow plastic man i n starting 5 ;)