On the anniversary of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 16th title, Hall of Fame guard Dwyane Wade reflected on Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol’s final championship with a hot Finals MVP take in favor of Gasol. Looking back on the 2010 NBA Finals, which Lamar Odom did in his tribute to Kobe, Wade says people forget about Bryant’s subpar performance. For Dwyane, the Finals MVP trophy should have gone to Gasol in 2010.

Wade looked back on the 2010 NBA Finals while thinking about how efficient Gasol was en route to an NBA title.

“A lot of people don’t know in that Finals that they won, Kobe didn’t play well,” Wade said. “Kobe didn’t shoot the ball well. Everybody thought Paul Gasol should have been MVP. That’s how well Pau was playing, and Kobe was playing awful. But you never could tell when you turned the TV on that he was struggling because his leadership is always there. His intensity is always there. That fire is always there.

So, because he’s 8-for-24 from the field or something like that, you could never tell with a player like Kobe,” Wade concluded.

Lakers' Pau Gasol averaged 18.6 points while shooting at a 47.8% clip, 11.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.6 blocks throughout the best-of-7 series. Bryant posted 28.6 points on 40.5% shooting, 8.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 steals throughout the 2010 NBA Finals. However, to Wade’s point, it was Gasol’s 19 points on an efficient 6-for-16 shooting, 7-of-13 free throws, 18 rebounds, and two blocks that helped secure Game 7 against the Boston Celtics.

Bryant finished with 23 points on 6-of-24 attempts, 11-of-15 free throws, 15 rebounds, and one block in the series clincher.

Lamar Odom’s tribute to Kobe Bryant on anniversary of Lakers title

Lakers forward Lamar Odom (left) talks with guard Kobe Bryant against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Lakers defeated the Suns 99-95
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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Another member of the 2010 Lakers, Lamar Odom, posted a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant to commemorate the anniversary of their championship. As the Lakers are heading into a new era of ownership, their 2010 championship, Bryant’s fifth and final title, celebrated its 15th anniversary. While others, such as Dwyane Wade, reflected on the epic battle against the Celtics in 2010, Kobe’s teammate on that squad, Odom, posted pictures with a sincere message.

Odom shared his special tribute to Bryant on his Instagram account.

“I was told it’s been 15 years since we got the championship 🏆, but it feels like 5🤯🫡🫡. This crew will forever be my brothas!!! Miss you Bean,” he wrote.

The Lakers captured their 17th NBA championship when LeBron James and Anthony Davis guided the storied franchise past the Heat in 2020.