2003–04 Los Angeles Lakers season

Draft picks

Main article: 2003 NBA draft

Roster

• Phil Jackson
• Jim Cleamons
• Frank Hamblen
• Kurt Rambis
• Tex Winter

Regular season

Season standings

By division

By conference

Game log

Pre-season

|- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | October 7 | Golden State | W 107-89 | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Devean George (7) | Gary Payton (7) | Stan Sheriff Center (Honolulu, HI) 10,300 | 1–0 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 2 | October 8 | Golden State | L 83-99 | Gary Payton (11) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Shaquille O'Neal (5) | Stan Sheriff Center (Honolulu, HI) 10,300 | 1-1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 3 | October 14 | Phoenix | L 86-104 | Derek Fisher (14) | 3 players tied (6) | Gary Payton (4) | San Diego Sports Arena (San Diego, CA) 13,144 | 1–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | October 16 | Cleveland | W 86-78 | Karl Malone (18) | Karl Malone (13) | Malone & Payton (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 2-2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | October 17 | Phoenix | W 91-84 | Derek Fisher (18) | Eric Chenowith (7) | Luke Walton (4) | Staples Center 18,997 | 3–2 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 6 | October 19 | Cleveland | L 87-102 | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (6) | Luke Walton (5) | Centennial Garden (Bakersfield, CA) 9,772 | 3-3 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 7 | October 23 | L.A. Clippers | L 101-107 | Shaquille O'Neal (18) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Gary Payton (7) | Arrowhead Pond (Anaheim, CA) 18,298 | 3–4 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 8 | October 24 | Sacramento | L 87-93 | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Malone & O'Neal (5) | Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, NV) 18,234 | 3–5

Regular season

|- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | October 28 | Dallas | W 109–93 | Gary Payton (21) | Karl Malone (10) | Malone & Payton (9) | Staples Center 18,997 | 1–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2 | November 1 | @ Phoenix | W 103–99 | Shaquille O'Neal (24) | 3 players tied (12) | Gary Payton (9) | America West Arena 18,422 | 2–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 3 | November 2 | Golden State | W 87–72 | Kobe Bryant (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Gary Payton (11) | Staples Center 18,997 | 3–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | November 4 | @ Milwaukee | W 113–107 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Bradley Center 18,717 | 4–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | November 6 | @ San Antonio | W 120–117 (2OT) | Kobe Bryant (37) | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | O'Neal & Payton (6) | SBC Center 18,717 | 5–0 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 6 | November 7 | @ New Orleans | L 95–114 | Shaquille O'Neal (21) | Malone & O'Neal (6) | Gary Payton (11) | New Orleans Arena 18,717 | 5–1 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 7 | November 10 | @ Memphis | L 95–105 | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Kobe Bryant (5) | Pyramid Arena 19,351 | 5–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 8 | November 12 | Toronto | W 94–79 | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Gary Payton (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 6–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 9 | November 14 | Detroit | W 94–89 | O'Neal & Payton (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Staples Center 18,997 | 7–2 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 10 | November 16 | Miami | W 99–77 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Karl Malone (10) | Gary Payton (8) | Staples Center 18,997 | 8–2 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 11 | November 18 | @ Detroit | L 96–106 | Malone & O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | 3 players tied (5) | The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076 | 8–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 12 | November 19 | @ New York | W 104–83 | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Karl Malone (14) | Bryant & Malone (4) | Madison Square Garden 19,763 | 9–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 13 | November 21 | Chicago | W 101–94 | Kobe Bryant (28) | Karl Malone (18) | Bryant & Payton (4) | Staples Center 18,997 | 10–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 14 | November 23 | Memphis | W 121–89 | Kobe Bryant (28) | Slava Medvedenko (11) | Gary Payton (10) | Staples Center 18,997 | 11–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 15 | November 26 | Washington | W 120–99 | Kobe Bryant (22) | Horace Grant (6) | Malone & Payton (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 12–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 16 | November 28 | San Antonio | W 103–87 | Devean George (19) | Karl Malone (11) | Karl Malone (10) | Staples Center 18,997 | 13–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 17 | November 30 | Indiana | W 99–77 | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Karl Malone (15) | Kobe Bryant (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 14–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 18 | December 3 | @ San Antonio | W 90–86 | Kobe Bryant (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Gary Payton (6) | SBC Center 18,841 | 15–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 19 | December 4 | @ Dallas | W 114–103 | Kobe Bryant (32) | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Gary Payton (8) | American Airlines Center 20,596 | 16–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 20 | December 7 | Utah | W 94–92 | Bryant & O'Neal (19) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Staples Center 18,997 | 17–3 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 21 | December 9 | New York | W 98–90 | Kobe Bryant (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Kobe Bryant (9) | Staples Center 18,997 | 18–3 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 22 | December 12 | Dallas | L 93–110 | Shaquille O'Neal (25) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 18–4 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 23 | December 13 | @ Portland | L 108–112 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Rose Garden 20,630 | 18–5 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 24 | December 19 | Denver | W 101–99 | Shaquille O'Neal (26) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Gary Payton (11) | Staples Center 18,997 | 19–5 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 25 | December 21 | Phoenix | W 107–101 | George & Payton (19) | Shaquille O'Neal (18) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 20–5 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 26 | December 23 | @ Golden State | L 98–107 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Devean George (9) | Gary Payton (13) | The Arena in Oakland 20,310 | 20–6 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 27 | December 25 | Houston | L 87–99 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Horace Grant (11) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 20–7 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 28 | December 28 | Boston | W 105–82 | Shaquille O'Neal (22) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Bryant & Payton (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 21–7 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 29 | January 2 | @ Seattle | L 109–111 | Kobe Bryant (32) | Bryant & Grant (6) | Kobe Bryant (6) | KeyArena 17,072 | 21–8 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 30 | January 4 | @ L.A. Clippers | L 98–101 | Kobe Bryant (44) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Payton & Russell (4) | Staples Center 19,653 | 21–9 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 31 | January 6 | @ Minnesota | L 90–106 | Kobe Bryant (20) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Derek Fisher (5) | Target Center 20,095 | 21–10 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 32 | January 7 | @ Denver | L 91–113 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Brian Cook (8) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Pepsi Center 19,739 | 21–11 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 33 | January 9 | Atlanta | W 113–67 | Bryant & Medvedenko (26) | Slava Medvedenko (11) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 22–11 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 34 | January 12 | Cleveland | W 89–79 | Cook & Payton (13) | Devean George (12) | Fisher & Payton (4) | Staples Center 18,997 | 23–11 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 35 | January 14 | Denver | W 97–71 | Slava Medvedenko (22) | Horace Grant (11) | Gary Payton (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 24–11 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 36 | January 16 | @ Sacramento | L 83–103 | Kareem Rush (30) | Medvedenko & Sampson (9) | Luke Walton (5) | ARCO Arena 17,317 | 24–12 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 37 | January 17 | L.A. Clippers | W 91–89 | Slava Medvedenko (20) | Medvedenko & Sampson (10) | Gary Payton (15) | Staples Center 18,997 | 25–12 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 38 | January 19 | Phoenix | L 85–88 | Kareem Rush (18) | Payton & Sampson (8) | Gary Payton (9) | Staples Center 18,997 | 25–13 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 39 | January 21 | @ Memphis | L 82–88 | Gary Payton (24) | Slava Medvedenko (12) | Kareem Rush (5) | Pyramid Arena 19,351 | 25–14 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 40 | January 22 | @ Dallas | L 87–106 | Devean George (24) | Luke Walton (7) | Gary Payton (5) | American Airlines Center 20,512 | 25–15 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 41 | January 24 | @ Utah | W 93–86 | Slava Medvedenko (26) | Slava Medvedenko (12) | Bryant & Payton (6) | Delta Center 19,911 | 26–15 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 42 | January 28 | Seattle | W 96–82 | Gary Payton (24) | Horace Grant (10) | Gary Payton (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 27–15 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 43 | January 30 | Minnesota | L 84–97 | Shaquille O'Neal (22) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Gary Payton (9) | Staples Center 18,997 | 27–16 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 44 | February 1 | @ Toronto | W 84–83 | Shaquille O'Neal (36) | Horace Grant (9) | Shaquille O'Neal (5) | Air Canada Centre 20,116 | 28–16 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 45 | February 2 | @ Indiana | L 72–85 | Slava Medvedenko (14) | Gary Payton (8) | Gary Payton (7) | Conseco Fieldhouse 18,345 | 28–17 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 46 | February 4 | @ Cleveland | W 111–106 (OT) | Shaquille O'Neal (37) | Grant & O'Neal (12) | O'Neal & Payton (6) | Gund Arena 20,562 | 29–17 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 47 | February 5 | @ Philadelphia | L 73–96 | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Fisher & Walton (5) | Wachovia Center 20,965 | 29–18 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 48 | February 8 | @ Orlando | W 98–96 | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Luke Walton (7) | TD Waterhouse Centre 17,283 | 30–18 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 49 | February 10 | @ Miami | W 98–83 | Shaquille O'Neal (25) | Devean George (11) | Fisher & Payton (6) | American Airlines Arena 16,500 | 31–18 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 50 | February 11 | @ Houston | L 87–102 | Shaquille O'Neal (24) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Shaquille O'Neal (4) | Toyota Center 18,218 | 31–19 |- style="text-align:center;" |- style="background:#cfc;" | 51 | February 17 | Portland | W 89–86 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Staples Center 18,997 | 32–19 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 52 | February 18 | @ Golden State | W 100–99 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Kobe Bryant (8) | The Arena in Oakland 20,252 | 33–19 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 53 | February 20 | Philadelphia | W 116–88 | Shaquille O'Neal (29) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Bryant & Fisher (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 34–19 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 54 | February 22 | @ Phoenix | W 104–92 | Kobe Bryant (40) | Bryant & Fox (7) | 3 players tied (5) | America West Arena 18,422 | 35–19 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 55 | February 25 | @ Denver | W 112–111 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (8) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Pepsi Center 19,812 | 36–19 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 56 | February 26 | Sacramento | L 101–103 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Kobe Bryant (11) | Bryant & Payton (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 36–20 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 57 | February 28 | @ Washington | W 122–110 | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Kobe Bryant (14) | Kobe Bryant (10) | MCI Center 20,173 | 37–20 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 58 | February 29 | @ New Jersey | W 100–83 | Shaquille O'Neal (19) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Continental Airlines Arena 19,968 | 38–20 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 59 | March 2 | @ Atlanta | L 93–94 | O'Neal & Payton (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Gary Payton (10) | Philips Arena 19,445 | 38–21 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 60 | March 3 | @ Houston | W 96–93 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Kobe Bryant (13) | Toyota Center 18,172 | 39–21 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 61 | March 5 | Seattle | W 99–91 | Shaquille O'Neal (32) | Luke Walton (9) | Fox & Payton (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 40–21 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 62 | March 7 | New Jersey | W 94–88 | Shaquille O'Neal (32) | O'Neal & Payton (9) | Rick Fox (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 41–21 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 63 | March 8 | @ Utah | L 83–88 | Gary Payton (21) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Gary Payton (7) | Delta Center 19,911 | 41–22 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 64 | March 10 | @ Boston | W 117–109 | Shaquille O'Neal (28) | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Kobe Bryant (10) | FleetCenter 18,624 | 42–22 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 65 | March 12 | @ Minnesota | L 86–96 | Shaquille O'Neal (24) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Fox & Payton (6) | Target Center 20,391 | 42–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 66 | March 13 | @ Chicago | W 88–81 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (15) | Karl Malone (7) | United Center 23,067 | 43–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 67 | March 15 | Orlando | W 113–110 (OT) | Kobe Bryant (38) | Shaquille O'Neal (23) | Bryant & Malone (4) | Staples Center 18,997 | 44–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 68 | March 17 | @ L.A. Clippers | W 106–103 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (11) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center 19,668 | 45–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 69 | March 19 | L.A. Clippers | W 106–100 | Kobe Bryant (27) | Shaquille O'Neal (10) | Fox & O'Neal (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 46–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 70 | March 21 | Milwaukee | W 104–103 (OT) | Shaquille O'Neal (31) | Shaquille O'Neal (26) | Gary Payton (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 47–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 71 | March 24 | Sacramento | W 115–91 | Kobe Bryant (36) | Shaquille O'Neal (16) | Bryant & O'Neal (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 48–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 72 | March 26 | Minnesota | W 90–73 | Kobe Bryant (35) | Shaquille O'Neal (18) | Kobe Bryant (5) | Staples Center 18,997 | 49–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 73 | March 28 | Utah | W 91–84 | Kobe Bryant (34) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Kobe Bryant (4) | Staples Center 18,997 | 50–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 74 | March 30 | New Orleans | W 107–88 | Kobe Bryant (23) | Shaquille O'Neal (9) | Karl Malone (9) | Staples Center 18,997 | 51–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 75 | April 1 | Houston | W 93–85 | Kobe Bryant (26) | Karl Malone (14) | Karl Malone (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 52–23 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 76 | April 2 | @ Seattle | W 97–86 | Kobe Bryant (25) | Shaquille O'Neal (14) | Rick Fox (6) | KeyArena 17,072 | 53–23 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 77 | April 4 | San Antonio | L 89–95 | Kobe Bryant (28) | Malone & O'Neal (9) | Malone & O'Neal (4) | Staples Center 18,997 | 53–24 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 78 | April 6 | Portland | L 80–91 | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Staples Center 18,997 | 53–25 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 79 | April 9 | Memphis | W 103–95 | Kobe Bryant (33) | Shaquille O'Neal (12) | Bryant & Payton (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 54–25 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 80 | April 11 | @ Sacramento | L 85–102 | Gary Payton (15) | Karl Malone (11) | Fisher & George (5) | ARCO Arena 17,317 | 54–26 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 81 | April 13 | Golden State | W 109–104 | Kobe Bryant (45) | Shaquille O'Neal (13) | Kobe Bryant (8) | Staples Center 18,997 | 55–26 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 82 | April 14 | @ Portland | W 105–104 (2OT) | Kobe Bryant (37) | Medvedenko & O'Neal (14) | Fisher & Payton (6) | Rose Garden 20,609 | 56–26

Playoffs

|- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 | April 17 | Houston | W 72–71 | Shaquille O'Neal (20) | Shaquille O'Neal (17) | Kobe Bryant (6) | Staples Center 18,997 | 1–0 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 2 | April 19 | Houston | W 98–84 | Kobe Bryant (36) | Karl Malone (8) | Gary Payton (7) | Staples Center 18,997 | 2–0 |- style="background:#fcc;" | 3 | April 23 | @ Houston | L 91–102 | Shaquille O'Neal (25) | Malone & O'Neal (11) | Gary Payton (7) | Toyota Center 18,226 | 2–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 4 | April 25 | @ Houston | W 92–88 (OT) | Karl Malone (30) | Karl Malone (13) | Gary Payton (7) | Toyota Center 18,219 | 3–1 |- style="background:#cfc;" | 5 | April 28 | Houston | W 97–78 | Kobe Bryant (31) | Malone & O'Neal (9) | Kobe Bryant (10) | Staples Center 18,997

NBA Finals

Series summary

• (OT) denotes a game that required overtime.

The Finals were played using a 2-3-2 format, where the first two and last two games are held at the venue of the team with home court advantage. This was only used in the Finals.

Background

The Lakers had a star-studded lineup that included offseason acquisitions Karl Malone and Gary Payton as well as mainstays Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. Malone and Payton were perennial All-Stars; Payton had led the Seattle SuperSonics to the Finals in 1996, while Malone's Utah Jazz reached the Finals in 1997 and 1998. However, both had been defeated by Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. By 2003, Malone and Payton were in the latter stages of their respective careers and were no longer playing on championship-contending teams. Both Malone and Payton took pay cuts to sign with the Lakers in an effort to win a championship.

Game One

Sunday, June 6, 2004, 14:30 at the Staples Center.

Detroit stunned Los Angeles with imposing defense. They held the Lakers to 39% shooting. Outside of O'Neal and Bryant, the rest of the Lakers only managed to score 16 points.

The Pistons trailed the Lakers 41–40 at halftime, but a 10–4 surge in the third quarter gave them the lead and they never relinquished it. By the fourth quarter, their lead had increased to 13.

Box Score

Game Two

Tuesday, June 8, 2004, 15:04 at the Staples Center.

The Lakers led by eight after the first half. However, Detroit scored 30 points in the third quarter to keep the game close. With 2.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Kobe Bryant hit a three-point shot to tie the score at 89. The game went to overtime and the Lakers outscored the Pistons 10–2 to win their only game of the series.

Game Three

Thursday, June 10, 2004, 14:31 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Pistons beat the Lakers by 20 in their first NBA Finals appearance at The Palace of Auburn Hills since 1990 to take a 2–1 lead in the series. Karl Malone sprained his knee and was limited to 18 minutes. The 68 points scored by the Lakers set a franchise record for the fewest points scored in a playoff game. The previous night, a group of overzealous Pistons fans made it difficult for the Lakers to get their rest by harassing them until 4am at their hotel in nearby Birmingham. Fans were screaming outside the building until hotel management called the police.

Game Four

Sunday, June 13, 2004, 14:49 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Pistons defeated the Lakers, this time by eight, to take a 3–1 series advantage. Shaquille O'Neal scored 36 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, but the rest of the Lakers shot 17/57 from the field.

Game Five

Tuesday, June 15, 2004, 14:32 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

In Game 5, the Pistons won their first championship since 1990 and Larry Brown won his first title as an NBA coach. The Pistons defense had overcome the high-scoring Lakers offense, winning the game by 13 and the series 4–1. In four of the five games, the Lakers were held to less than 90 points.

After the series, Phil Jackson stepped down as coach (he would return for the 2005–06 season). Shaquille O'Neal was traded to Miami. Gary Payton and Rick Fox were traded to Boston. Karl Malone, who did not dress for Game 5, would have surgery on his knee and eventually retired the following February.

Player stats

Regular season

Playoffs

Award winners

• Shaquille O'Neal, All-NBA First Team
• Kobe Bryant, All-NBA First Team
• Kobe Bryant, NBA All-Defensive First Team
• Shaquille O'Neal, NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award

Transactions

During the offseason in July, the Lakers decided to trade their star center Shaquille O’Neal. The superstar big man was caught off guard by the news as he merely received a phone call during breakfast informing him of the move.

References

References

1. "2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats".
2. (July 16, 2003). "Lakers Sign Free Agents Gary Payton and Karl Malone". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.
3. Lazenby, Roland. (2006). "The Show: The Inside Story of the Spectacular Los Angeles Lakers in the Words of Those Who Lived It". [[McGraw-Hill Professional]].
4. Wise, Mike. (October 4, 2003). "Pro Basketball; With Bryant Absent, Lakers Begin Practicing". The New York Times.
5. May, Peter. (October 28, 2003). "Lakers are a lock -- for turmoil". The Boston Globe.
6. "A Complete Timeline of the Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant Feud".
7. DuPree, David. (May 4, 2004). "Changing of guard not easy". USA Today.
8. Adande, J. A.. (November 6, 2012). "West Side: Mike Brown's O is working". ESPN.com.
9. "Malone Out for a While". Los Angeles Times.
10. (April 15, 2004). "Bryant, Lakers on the Rise".
11. "Top Moments: Pistons shock NBA world, win championship in 2004".
12. (June 5, 2004). "Billups: Pistons 'ready to shock the world'".
13. (June 17, 2004). "Youth and Defense Should Be Lakers' Mantra".
14. Winderman, Ira. (June 17, 2004). "PISTONS ARE A REAL CHAMPIONSHIP T-E-A-M".
15. "Coach could move to another Lakers job". ESPN.
16. "Kobe remains with Lakers". ESPN.
17. "Utah Jazz". [[CBS]] Sports.
18. "Seattle Supersonics". [[CBS Sports]].
19. (August 7, 2004). "Lakers deal Payton, Fox to Celtics".
20. "Billups, Pistons Swipe Home-Court Advantage". NBA.
21. "DETROIT PISTONS HISTORY". Basketball Tickets.
22. (2004-06-13). "Lakers Facing Uphill Battle". Los Angeles Times.
23. "2004 NBA Finals Game 4: Lakers vs Pistons, June 13, 2004".
24. read, Peter Sunjic·3 min. (2025-08-27). ""I said I was gonna just take my stuff, but I was gonna fu-k Mitch Kupchak up" - Shaquille O'Neal reveals how he found out about his Lakers trade while eating cereal".