The Second Dynasty

Kobe held the ball, studying his opponent. He knew Stackhouse's mind was already in turmoil. A wounded beast was often at its fiercest, and at times like this, a hunter would usually avoid its edge. Perhaps pulling up for a jumper would have been a good choice? But was that Kobe's basketball philosophy? No.

The basketball philosophy Kobe believed in was to destroy both body and spirit. He liked to press relentlessly, shatter and crush his opponents' will, making them tremble with fear the next time they faced Kobe Bryant on the court.

Kobe took a probing step to the right, and Stackhouse still gave him half a step of space. He was gambling—gambling that Kobe would miss if he pulled up for a three. Kobe did not rise for the shot. Although he knew that, against this level of defense, his three-pointer would likely go in, he wanted to finish this battle in a more "Kobe" way.

He dribbled right and drove. Starks defended him fiercely, but Kobe did not cross over or fake a shot. He simply backed him down step by step toward the baseline.

What was he doing? He had already lost all room to shoot. Stackhouse thought to himself that young people were still young after all, then pressed even harder into Kobe's space.

Kobe reached the baseline and feigned a jumper. Stackhouse did not bite. Instead, he crowded closer.

Using Stackhouse's body contact, Kobe flew directly out beyond the baseline, then leaned back, raised his hand, and shot in one fluid motion!

What? That was behind the backboard! Stackhouse lunged forward with all his strength, but he did not affect Kobe's shot at all.

The basketball traced an incredibly high arc, then dropped straight through the hoop!

It went in! Kobe, sprawled on the ground, clenched his fist tightly!

It went in? Stackhouse, unable to stop his momentum in time, had not seen the ball's flight. But he heard the gasps of the surrounding crowd.

"My God, this is... this is a miracle." Rob Pelinka grabbed Coach Lucas. "Have you ever seen a shot like that?"

Amid the exclamations of the staff from the surrounding teams, Kobe got to his feet. He dusted off his jersey, knowing that this time, he had won.

"Ding."

Rebirth Side Quest 1: Defeat an active NBA starting player in a one-on-one match—Completed

System replenishing energy. Some system functions are expected to activate in 3 days.

Kobe heard the voice by his ear. Good, the first step was complete. Once the system activated, would he be able to find out where Gianna had gone?

Stackhouse lowered his head. He had lost—and in such a manner, too. A clean 5–0 defeat at the hands of a high school student. It was hard for him, a man who considered himself the best player beneath Jordan, to accept.

No one cared about the loser. The NBA only pursued victory, and Stackhouse's usual terrible temper had also cost him the support of the staff. The assistant coaches on site took notes. This one-on-one game had revealed many issues. Kobe Bryant's scouting report needed to be revised immediately.

"Thank you, Mr. Lucas, for giving us this workout opportunity. I believe this workout has shown you Mr. Kobe Bryant's talent. He will undoubtedly become the face of the league!" Pelinka enthusiastically pitched Kobe to Lucas.

"A local Philadelphia prodigy, a future league superstar. If you draft him, your reputation for recognizing talent will surely spread far and wide!"

"Very well, Mr. Pelinka, Mr. Bryant. Thank you for taking part in this workout. I'll speak with the front office." Lucas suppressed his shock and brought the workout to an end.

Kobe and Pelinka left the gym and returned to the car.

"Mr. Bryant! This workout was a huge success! I believe your scouting report will definitely reach the front office's desk. Philadelphia may even consider selecting you first overall!" The moment Pelinka got into the car, his forced calm gave way to excitement.

"Oh, come on. It was only a workout. Philadelphia won't pick a high schooler, especially after I destroyed Stackhouse today. He's the future Philadelphia's front office has already chosen." Kobe knew that the first pick in this draft would go to that hip-hop star whose career would shine as brilliantly as fireworks. He would become Philadelphia's savior—and Kobe's future archrival.

"I still believe Philadelphia will draft you. You deserve the first overall pick. Oh, right—I recorded your matchup with Stackhouse. Should I send it to the other teams?" Pelinka shook the miniature camera in his hand and smiled.

"You really are something. Philadelphia definitely won't want footage like that made public." Kobe laughed. He knew Pelinka was capable, but he had not expected him to secretly record the matchup.

"Then send it to the Los Angeles Lakers. To Jerry West." Kobe thought of the old man who would look after him throughout his career, like a second father.

Jerry Alan West was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. Born in West Virginia, he was the first player in NBA history to win the NBA Finals MVP despite being on the losing team. His dribbling silhouette served as the prototype for the NBA logo, earning him the nickname "Mr. Logo."

West was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team four times, the All-NBA Team ten times, and the All-Star Game fourteen times. During the NBA's thirty-fifth anniversary celebration in 1980, he was selected to the NBA 35th Anniversary Team. In 1996, during the NBA's fiftieth anniversary, he was again named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team.

A perfect shooter, he averaged 29.1 points per game across 153 playoff games. In eleven playoff games in 1965, he averaged 40.6 points per game. In the 1970 championship series, he hit a shot from sixty feet in the closing moments—the longest two-pointer in history—creating one of the NBA's most iconic scenes. Yet West won his only NBA championship in 1972. After retiring in 1974, he continued serving in various club roles, then coached the Lakers and led them to the playoffs three times between 1976 and 1979.

In 1980, the Lakers won the NBA championship under Magic Johnson's leadership. In 1982, Jerry West was appointed the Lakers' general manager. Through shrewd trades and skillful drafting, he kept the Lakers among the NBA's leading teams throughout the 1980s. The Lakers' core players at the time were Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Worthy, and the Lakers became the first team after the Boston Celtics to win consecutive championships.

After a period of decline in the early 1990s, West led the Lakers back to the playoffs last year and won the 1995 NBA Executive of the Year award. That same year, West was appointed the team's Vice President of Basketball Operations.

Kobe knew that in the years to come, West would single-handedly build the OK dynasty, the tough Memphis Grizzlies, and the Golden State Warriors dynasty. As an executive, he would win eight championships in total. Even in the year he departed, West would build a championship-contending roster for the Clippers. He was synonymous with championships.

"The Lakers? But they only have the twenty-fourth pick."

"West will take care of everything. Don't worry." Kobe remained supremely confident. He had no intention of attending any workouts other than the Lakers'. Once purple and gold, always a Laker.

"Understood, BOSS. I'll do everything I can to make it happen." Pelinka knew Kobe's resolve was firm. That meant the only draft options were Philadelphia and Los Angeles, which carried considerable risk. If things went wrong and Kobe slipped out of the lottery, his career would start far behind everyone else's.

Whether in terms of team status or commercial value, lottery picks and other rookies were worlds apart. A team would never let a lottery pick sit without playing, while many teams would not even give their low-picked players minutes, let alone a meaningful role in the offense.

Kobe was not too worried about that. After parting with Pelinka, he returned to his home in Philadelphia. Joe Bryant had earned a fair amount during his professional career, and as the freshman basketball coach at Lower Merion High School, he had bought a modest detached villa in Philadelphia.

"Has Game 3 of the Finals started yet?" Kobe dropped his gym bag. He had hurried home specifically to watch Game 3 between the Bulls and the SuperSonics.

"You little brat, you're finally back. The game just started!" Joe Bryant had no idea Kobe had gone to work out for the Philadelphia 76ers. Kobe knew that if he told Old Joe, the man would surely start lecturing him endlessly again. Life was life, and career was career—that was Kobe's principle for handling family relationships in this life.

Kobe had watched Jordan's Finals performances many times, but seeing them on videotape and watching a live broadcast while living in this era felt completely different. He was gradually becoming part of this time.

The first two games between the Bulls and the SuperSonics had ended a few days earlier. The Bulls won the first game 107–90 and the second 92–88. Both games had been played on the Bulls' home court. After two hard-fought losses, the SuperSonics had no way out. There had never been a team in history to come back from 3–0 in the Finals.

The Bulls had posted the best regular-season record this season. Led by Jordan, the Chicago Bulls had achieved the best regular-season record in history to date with a win percentage of 87.8%. The 72–10 Bulls were also known as the greatest Bulls team. This record would not be broken until years later, when Curry led the Golden State Warriors to a 73–9 record.

For Game 3, the Bulls put out a big lineup. The NBA was still in an era where every extra inch of height meant extra strength. The 1.98-meter Jordan and the 2.03-meter Pippen formed an iron-blooded perimeter defensive line. The 2.01-meter rebounding king Dennis Rodman and the 2.08-meter big shooting forward Toni Kukoc made up the frontcourt, while the 2.18-meter Luc Longley guarded the paint.

This lineup emphasized a height advantage. Even against smaller guards, Jordan and Pippen held every advantage in point-of-attack defense, while the three tall players in the frontcourt gave opponents endless headaches on both offense and defense.

The Bulls' Triangle Offense had also reached its peak. Pippen initiated the sets with the ball, Jordan played off the ball, and Kukoc stayed outside, ready to take spot-up shots at any time. The Triangle Offense placed extremely high demands on a star's one-on-one ability. If Jordan could not draw enough defensive attention while off the ball, or could not quickly complete an attack before the double-team arrived after receiving the ball, the team's offense would stagnate.

Jordan, at the height of his powers, fit this system perfectly. His offense was remarkably efficient both with and without the ball, and his perfect decision-making when double-teamed gave his teammates incredibly smooth offensive spacing.

Kobe knew the Triangle Offense inside and out. He had won five championships under Phil Jackson's Triangle Offense. He clearly understood its strengths and weaknesses. If the opponent could shut Jordan down one-on-one, or if Jordan was having an off night, the Triangle Offense would naturally fall apart, and the team would then descend into isolated one-on-one play.

Could Gary Payton, the Glove, do that? At least, he could not in this game. In Game 3, Jordan delivered a superstar performance, shooting 11-for-23, 3-for-4 from three, and 11-for-11 from the free-throw line for 36 points. That total might be common in later years, but in this era, an entire team sometimes took fewer than fifty shots in a game. Scoring so many points with so few possessions showed just how great Jordan was.

The game ended with the Bulls winning 108–86. With three wins in three games, Jordan stood on the brink of another championship.

Was Jordan's second dynasty about to begin?

Thank you all for your support. I read every reader comment, and I will work hard to portray every detail of this turbulent era.

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