Summary
Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, a nostalgia-filled ride that will have you equal parts emotional and happy.
This recap of the Hulu series Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers season 1, episode 8 contains spoilers.
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Last week on Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers we saw the team reach the pinnacle, winning three straight championships. However, the demise was not far behind as Shaq and Kobe’s egos bumped heads leading to Shaq leaving the team. What’s life like for the Lakers post-Shaq and Phil Jackson? Let’s dive into this week’s episode.
Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers season 1, episode 8 review
The episode begins with the big Christmas Day matchup with the Lakers and Heat which saw Kobe miss the game-winning shot and lose the first matchup with Shaq since leaving the team.
Expectations have never been higher because the Lakers chose Kobe over Phil Jackson and Shaq. You are playing on a team that is a year removed from three championships, and while things were not going well, after the end of the first season, Phil Jackson came back to coach the Lakers. Hearing present-day Phil Jackson talk about the repairing of their relationship because of the downfall that was the year prior was terrific to listen to him unpack it all.
Next, the Lakers were picking relatively high in the draft, which is when we saw them take Andrew Bynum. Jim Buss was all in on taking Bynum, but Phil wanted someone with more experience as Bynum was coming out of high school. Every single sign pointed to Bynum having too many red flags, but Jimmy was convinced he would be the next big thing. Jimmy needed this because he could say it was his guy if he was successful.
When we start to get more in-depth on the Kobe era, one of the things I wish we could see within this next era of the Lakers was hearing Kobe, in his own words, talk about this time and the adversity they faced to get back into the title picture. But instead, we hear clips of him talking about the team, but it’s not the same. It’s really the first time it hit me since watching that Kobe is gone and how much this show would’ve benefitted from just him talking on it. Also, seeing Vanessa Bryant talking in the documentary about broke me down in tears.
We see Kobe struggle with those around him, he was going OFF, but the team around him wasn’t built to win championships. As this happened, Shaq won a championship in his first year with the Miami Heat. Next, we see the shift from Kobe going from wearing number 8 to wearing number 24. Shaq winning that title lit a spark in Kobe, giving him the killer instinct he needed but the team around him couldn’t help him win the big game.
The growth of Kobe on and off the court, from his more selfish days with Shaq to becoming a teammate and understanding that he needed those around him to be successful, was amazing to watch because you know this man as a one-man show who wanted to do it all. However, hearing guys like Lamar Odom and Paul Gasol talk about the changes he made makes you appreciate the greatness of Kobe even more.
Overall, the very Kobe-centric episode of Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers brought some true tears to my eyes because we got to relive one of the greatest to ever play the game. They did a great job of not taking away from Kobe, what he built and the transition into this megastar. It was the best edited and focused episode of the season.
What did you think of the Hulu documentary series Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers season 1, episode 8? Comment below.
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