The date June 17, 2010marks the night Kobe Bryant secured his fifth and final NBA championship, as his   Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics, 83-79,. The hard-fought, defensive Game 7 at the former Staples Center allowed the franchise to repeat as champions and claim its 16th title overall.

The victory was historically significant for the Lakers organization, as it narrowed the gap between them and the Celtics’ all-time record of 17 championships. This 2010 meeting was their 12th NBA Finals meeting  but it represented only the third time the Lakers had emerged victorious. Specifically, it was the first time the Lakers defeated the Celtics in a Game 7, following four previous losses in winner-take-all Finals matchups in 1962, 1966, 1969, and 1984.

Bryant recorded 23 points, 11 of which were earned at the free-throw line. Despite shooting 6-of-24 from the field, he finished as the game's leading scorer. Bryant played 45 of the 48 minutes and recorded a Finals career-high 15 rebounds.

"This one is by far the sweetest, because it's them," Bryant said during the postgame press conference. "This was the hardest one by far. I wanted it so bad, and sometimes when you want it so bad, it slips away from you. My guys picked me up.”

For his performance throughout the seven-game stretch, Bryant was named the NBA Finals MVP for the second consecutive year. He finished the 2010 series with averages of 28.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 steals.

This championship run followed the Lakers' victory the previous year, whenBryant led the Lakers to a Game 5 victory over the Orlando Magic to capture the organization’s 15th title. During that 2009 series, he averaged 32.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists, earning his first career Finals MVP award. That victory also marked the first time Bryant won a championship without teammate Shaquille O’Neal, following the Lakers' 65-17 regular season.