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After seven seasons with the Lakers, Divac was traded to the Charlotte Hornets for the recently drafted Kobe Bryant on July 1, 1996.

Even after Johnson’s stunning retirement after his HIV diagnosis, the Lakers missed the playoffs just once before they fully reloaded, first with Shaquille O’Neal, then with Kobe Bryant and finally with Phil Jackson.

Bryant took a fateful step at the end of a game late in the 2013 season, his Achilles tendon rupturing in his left leg.

Tensions between O’Neal, Bryant and Jackson ended with the dissolution of another dynasty after three consecutive championships.

Belief in Bryant led to two more rings once they reunited him with Jackson and added Pau Gasol to the mix.