Former Kings PG Recalls ‘Dual Interview’ With Kobe Bryant Post Game 7 of 2002 WCF
The Los Angeles Lakers were the best team in the league in the early 2000s. Still, the last team to win three NBA titles, the Lakers, were nearly unbeatable at the time. However, during the 2002 championship, they faced stiff competition from the Sacramento Kings, but ultimately won the Western Conference Finals in seven games. Mike Bibby’s misery didn’t end after the loss, as he was pulled aside for a double interview alongside the late, great Kobe Bryant.
Bibby recently recalled the experience of being interviewed after a loss, about ‘Forgotten seasons’ podcast. The NBA veteran said that he initially couldn’t even understand the logic behind the interview. He said,
“Can you believe that shit? I think that’s the only time it’s happened.
Man, you saw it in my face: what the hell did they bring me here for?
Bibby’s Kings lost 106-112 in overtime and although he had an incredible performance in game seven with 29 points, the Lakers took the series 4-3.
Understandably, Bibby was furious as he was interviewed alongside the man who had just hit him. But since after that he couldn’t just leave the court, he was looking for the right opportunity to get as far away from the camera as possible.
Bibby said Jim Gray grabbed him as he tried to leave the court and then, to his surprise, he also pulled Kobe in and started asking them questions about each other. Although dual interviews are pretty regular, the situation Bibby got caught in was surely something we don’t see very often.
Mike Bibby believes his team was the best in 2002
Although the 2002 season ended up being a disappointment for Bibby and the Kings, the 45-year-old still believes they were the better team at the time. During an appearance on the ‘Point to God Podcast’ in 2022, he said,
“I knew we were the best team in the league that year. playing against them [Lakers] and you can go see all the movies… You can see it in their faces, they knew it was about to come to an end.”
The 2002 WCF is remembered for many reasons besides the seven-game battle between the Lakers and Kings. Allegations of betting were made and players have repeatedly said the series was rigged for the Kings.
Bibby also brought up the topic during her conversation, but didn’t discuss anything in detail. However, he acknowledged that his team lost the bag in the seventh game and made the difference.
