Kobe Bryant finally stepped away of former team-mate Shaquille O'Neal's long shadow as his Los Angeles Lakers side won their 15th NBA title.
The Lakers beat the Orlando Magic 99-86 during Game Five of the NBA finals with Bryant scoring 30 points. It was Bryant's fourth NBA title and offered a strong case for him to be considered the best player since Michael Jordan retired.
He also answered the critics who said he couldn't win without O'Neal at his side. "It be like Chinese water torture," said Bryant. "I'd cringe every time. You can say it until you're blue in the face, but it's not going anywhere until you do something about it.
"I think we as a team answered the call because they understood the challenge that I had also we all embraced it."
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