In some sense, it was. Not every athlete gets a second chance to climb back onto the pedestal from which they had been knocked.

At this time in 2004, allegations of a sexual assault and admitted infidelity in his marriage back in 2003 had destroyed the "pristine" off-the-court image Bryant and his handlers so carefully had crafted.

Later that summer, Bryant bore the criticism for the Los Angeles Lakers not winning a fourth NBA championship in 5 years. His selfish play was sighted as a key component to the Lakers being upset by the Detroit Pistons in the Finals.

Then Bryant was slammed again, fairly or unfairly, for allegedly running coach Phil Jackson and center Shaquille O'Neal out of town by giving the Lakers a them-or-me ultimatum in contract negotiations.

When Jackson and O'Neal left, many believed Bryant had gotten just what he deserved.

Even before the start of this season, when Bryant seemed to be waffling day-to-day about wanting to be traded and wanting to stay, there was little indication of what was to come.

In fact, had Bryant gotten his wish and the Lakers traded him to the Chicago Bulls or any other team, there is a good chance he would not have been named the 2008 Most Valuable Player of the National Basketball Association yesterday.

Few would disagree that Bryant had MVP-caliber talent.

Still, there was so much baggage - some he checked in himself and some heaped on him - to honestly believe he would join the ranks of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Julius Erving and be honored as the greatest player in the game.

"I didn't know if it was going to come in my career, but to have the moment come now is special, especially to share it with the group of guys we have here," Bryant said on Saturday when word leaked out that he would be named MVP. "We talked about how winning the MVP is extremely special because that means I'm doing good. I'm making teammates better, putting them in a position to win."

Again, you have to understand where Bryant was to appreciate where he has arrived.

It wasn't until September 2004 that the threat of incarceration was lifted from Bryant when a judge in Eagle, Colo., dismissed the sexual-assault case after the accuser refused to testify.

The settlement of a civil suit did little to ease speculation that Bryant had bought his freedom.

Things didn't go nearly as well for Bryant on the basketball court.

Jackson slammed Bryant on his way out the door by calling him "uncoachable" in his book, "The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul."

O'Neal won a title in Miami in 2006, furthering the belief that Bryant's three championships had more to do with his riding Shaq's extra-large coattails than anything he contributed.

Even with Jackson returning to the fold in 2005, Los Angeles looked like its past glory was way in the rearview mirror.

By the end of last season, the Lakers were viewed as nothing more than a midlevel team.

Bryant decided he wanted out rather than lose any more of his prime years. He wasn't shy about letting everybody know it.

Because I believed Bryant's public bridge-burning had made his departure an inevitability, I picked Chicago to make the NBA Finals on the belief that Bryant ultimately would end up in a Bulls uniform.

No trade happened, but instead of being a disruptive force, Bryant unleashed leadership abilities many thought he did not possess. He decided to change his game and do whatever was necessary to help the Lakers push to the next level.

The coach who once deemed Bryant "uncoachable" was now calling him the ultimate team player and leader.

The Lakers' MVP campaign for Bryant emphasized over and over how Bryant made his teammates better.

Bryant, who averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists, got the Lakers off to a quick start, and management erased any lingering doubts he might have had about its commitment to winning with him still there by acquiring All-Star center Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies.

With Bryant and Gasol headlining, the Lakers finished with the best record in the rugged Western Conference and are poised to make a legitimate run at the NBA title for now and the next several seasons.

Today, Kobe Bryant - who won't turn 30 until August - is the MVP of the NBA, and soon he again could become an NBA champion.

It took him 4 long and arduous years to get back to the top after falling to the bottom. *

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