Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol deliver Lakers' their 16th NBA championship on June 18, 2010: Watch

Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol scripting history, when they helped the Los Angeles Lakers win the 2010 NBA Finals with a Game 7 win over the Boston Celtics. By winning the Lakers vs Celtics Game 7, Bryant avenged his 2008 NBA Finals loss and helped coach Phil Jackson lift his fifth title with the Lakers. The 2010 NBA Finals win was the final championship Kobe Bryant won, before his retirement in 2016. 

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OTD 2010: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol help Lakers lift their 16th NBA championship 

The 2010 NBA playoffs was one of the many seasons where fans hoped that Kobe Bryant's Lakers and LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers faced off in the NBA finals. However, the Boston Celtics took care of the Cavaliers in six games in the second round, before setting up a 2010 NBA Finals clash with the Lakers. Kobe Bryant and the Lakers started well, clinching the first game 102-89 at the Staples Center.

However, Celtics fought back and won Game 2, before Lakers won the 3rd. Celtics clinched the next two games, only for the Los Angeles outfit to force a Lakers vs Celtics game 7 to decide the 2010 NBA finals winner. 

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Despite struggling to make shots, the Boston Celtics held the Lakers to a lower shooting percentage from the field and led 49-36 with a little more than eight minutes to play in the third quarter of the Lakers vs Celtics Game 7. However, an inspired Kobe Bryant led the Lakers' fightback, closing the third quarter on a 17-7 run and before outscoring the Celtics's 30-22 in the final period of the Lakers vs Celtics Game 7 to clinch the 2010 NBA finals.

Kobe Bryant scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter of the clash, helping Lakers register an 83-79 win. Pau Gasol also pitched in with a notable performance, finishing with 19 points, 18 rebounds, and four assists. The 2010 NBA finals remain the Lakers' final NBA championship till date and inched them closer to Celtics' record of 17 Championship wins. The 2010 NBA finals win was Phil Jackson's 11th NBA championship, making him the most successful coach in the history of the league. 

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Lakers vs Celtics Game 7: Kobe Bryant helps the Lakers to their final NBA championship; WATCH

How many rings does Kobe have?

Kobe Bryant has lifted five NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers before his retirement in 2016. Bryant's fifth championship win placed him above former teammate and fellow NBA Hall of farmer Shaquille O'Neal who lifted his fourth and final NBA championship ring in 2006 with the Miami Heat. Kobe won three consecutive NBA championships from 1999-2002 with the Lakers taking over from Chicago Bulls as the league's most dominant force. Bryant, however, had to wait long enough for his final two championship rings before clinching them in consecutive seasons in 2009 and 2010. 

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(Image Credit: NBA YouTube)