Remember Shaquille O’Neal’s childish, profanity-filled rap directed at Kobe Bryant after the Lakers’ humiliating exit in Game 6 of the 2008 National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals? You know, the one where he said Kobe couldn’t win without him (“Kobe, you couldn’t do it without me”)?

Even if Shaq’s impromptu performance was a lot of fun and there are no hard feelings between former teammates (NOTE: the players shared 2009 All-Star Game MVP honors), it provided Kobe with ample motivational fuel for the season. 2008-09 NBA. Elite athletes are intrinsically driven to perform at the highest level and rarely need outside sources to drive them. However, nothing turns a competitor on like a perceived firing from a rival.

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Refusing to be denied again, Kobe Bryant adopted the scowl and persona of his role model Michael Jordan, hiring Jordan’s renowned personal trainer to achieve peak performance. As a result, he led the Los Angeles Lakers to their fifteenth NBA championship in 2009 and exorcised the remaining personal and professional demons from his Hall of Fame career.

By winning playoff MVP (MVP) award, the four-time champion completed an impressive 12-month cycle that also included Olympic gold and the 2007-08 MVP award. Kobe was now vindicated with a first championship without his old sidekick O’Neal, also known as Shaq “Diesel.” Together, Shaq and Kobe were the cornerstones of the Lakers’ titles from 2000-02, but Bryant was the junior partner on those teams. With coach Phil Jackson’s “triangle” offense catering to Shaq’s strengths, a younger, immature Kobe found himself stifled by his “1A” status. Personality conflicts ensued, as did accusations of selfish gambling and countless business lawsuits. All of which tarnished Bryant’s image even after O’Neal’s move to Miami.

The mark of a champion is the ability to overcome adversity and exceed expectations. In team sports like basketball, superstars must also lead by example, improve the players around them, and manage offensive and defensive responsibilities. One only had to witness the reactions of his younger teammates during the 2009 playoffs to confirm Bryant’s passionate leadership on the court.

On the eve of his fourteenth season in the NBA, Kobe Bryant has come full circle as an athlete and a human being. In 2003, his world seemed to be collapsing around him, as a serious sexual assault allegation threatened to derail both his playing career and his marriage. Today, Bryant is the undisputed leader of the Lakers and arguably the face of the NBA as it heads into a new decade. As further evidence of his enhanced stature, note that it was Kobe (along with Magic Johnson) who represented the Lakers organization at Michael Jackson’s Staples Center memorial.

Kobe Bryant had the last laugh, or did he? No doubt he is motivated to defend his championship and claim a fifth overall title next season. Yet so is Shaq, newly rejuvenated as a Cleveland Cavalier and also in pursuit of championship number five.

So can Bryant do it again, or will Shaq lead another superstar, “King” Lebron James, to the promised land? Will the competition’s “Drives for Five” collide next summer, during a highly anticipated Los Angeles-Cleveland final?

Now, that would be special…