The Lakers’ 2013 season and how it changed Kobe Bryant’s career forever

The Los Angeles Lakers are a storied franchise with a rich history. They have won 17 NBA championships, which is the second most of all time by an NBA franchise. It was the 1980s when the Lakers truly took over as the NBA’s best franchise.

The Lakers, led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, won five NBA titles during the decade, while beating their franchise rivals, the Boston Celtics, two out of three times in the Finals.

After a slow 1990s, the Lakers put the NBA in a chokehold during the 2000s, winning five more titles from 2000 to 2010, largely thanks to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Since the 2012-13 season, however, things have been nothing short of a roller coaster for LA’s most popular basketball team.

Kobe’s injury

It all started when Kobe tore his Achilles tendon on April 12, 2013, in a game against the Golden State Warriors. Before the injury, the Lakers were on their way to make some noise in the playoffs.

The Lakers started the season very slowly; at one point, they were 15–21, which was their worst start to a season since the 1993–94 season. LA caught fire after the All-Star break, winning eight of their first 10 games and regaining a spot in the playoff race.

Kobe’s horrible injury in the 80th game of the season essentially ended it. The Lakers did make the playoffs as the 7th seed, but without Kobe, they had no shot. The Lakers were swept in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs.

Kobe’s injury kept him out of all but six games during the 2013–14 season. The Lakers finished 27–55 that year, while missing the playoffs by a mile. The next two seasons would be Kobe’s last.

Despite some classic performances, like Kobe’s 60 points in his final game, the Lakers missed the playoffs in each season, winning just 21 games in 2014–15 and 17 in 2015–16, respectively.

Kobe retired with five NBA titles, one less than his idol, Michael Jordan. If Kobe hadn’t torn his Achilles tendon, maybe he could’ve pushed the Lakers to another championship.