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Replicating Chicago: How Phil Jackson engineered the Kobe-Odom blueprint in LA
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- Replicating Chicago: How Phil Jackson engineered the Kobe-Odom blueprint in LA
Phil Jackson knew he had to make significant changes after Shaquille O'Neal left the Los Angeles Lakers for the Miami Heat in 2004. One of the first things he had to address was the elephant in the room: Kobe Bryant's new role on the team.
According to the Zen Master, he had tried to make Bryant the main facilitator while Shaq was the first option on offense. With O'Neal out of the picture, Jackson had to devise an offensive strategy with Kobe as the focal point.
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To do so, Phil followed the Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen blueprint. He utilized Lamar Odom's basketball IQ to become the point forward and Bryant's sidekick, just like Scottie and MJ with the Chicago Bulls back in the day.
"Eventually, I moved him into a role that was very similar to Michael Jordan's, which gave him much more latitude in the game, as we became adapted using a guy named Lamar Odom , a guard. A 6'9 forward became a lead guard - or an off guard," Jackson revealed on NPR's "Fresh Air.".
"We had a two-guard front," he continued. "So, yeah, there was room for him to grow and for me to accommodate."
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Nov 16, 2010; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom (7) dribbles the basketball in front of guard Kobe Bryant (24) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center. The Lakers defeated the Bucks 118-107. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The Kobe-Odom duo
As far as chemistry goes, Jackson's Kobe-Odom experiment worked. In his second season with Bryant and the Lakers , L.O. averaged 14.8 points and a career-best 5.5 assists per game.
On the other hand, Black Mamba also logged a staggering career-high 35.4 points per game. With Phil's guidance, the pair's synergy translated to wins. The Lakers made it back to the playoffs after a disappointing 2004-05 season without O'Neal.
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Two years later, Bryant and Odom helped the Lakers make it to the Finals once again. They fell short in 2008 against the Boston Celtics but bounced back and completed a back-to-back NBA championship run.
Kobe was better than Michael at one point
Coach Jackson recognized early on that Kobe was emulating Jordan . In terms of talent, the Zen Master was convinced that Kobe may have been better than MJ at one point.
However, it took a while for the 11-time champion coach to buy into the idea of giving Bryant the same role Michael played with the Bulls.
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"And you know, not to take anything away from Kobe, but we got used to the way Michael played and the level he played at," Jackson once said . "To see someone reach close to the way he could play is enough of a hint to want to make us recapture that lure that Michael held out for us."
"But Kobe's young. He's probably a better player at 21 than Michael was at 21," he added.
Maturity and Shaq's exit were the contributing factors that turned Bryant into the Jordan of his team. Looking back, it was perfect timing that Jackson acknowledged it and found a way to help Black Mamba reach his full potential and unlock his leadership qualities, just as he did with MJ.
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Phil also did a tremendous job in recognizing Odom's ability to play like Pippen to Kobe's Jordan.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
