Kobe Bryant’s throwback to the ‘fro days

Coming into last night’s Game 5 with the Hornets, one question loomed over LakerLand: Is Kobe Bryant healthy and able to play?

Really, who cares about Chris Paul. We need Kobe if we’re going to win it all. Whether we lose in the first round or the Finals, it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters in L.A. is winning a championship.

With that said, instead of struggling with a severely sprained foot/ankle (possibly broken), Bryant busted out the highlights, looking like he was 23-years-old again with an Afro.

Catching a bounce pass from Pau Gasol at the top of the key, Bryant attacked the rim with a fierce authority that we have not seen from the Black Mamba lately. As he launched for the throw down, so did Emeka Okafor. BOOM! Just watch this video and you’ll see what I mean.

For those of you who forgot, that means Kobe has now dunked on both the #1 and #2  draft picks from the 2004 NBA Draft (Dwight Howard and Okafor). Don’t remember the Dwight dunk? Here it is.

Like I said “BOOM!”

Just for kicks, here is the famed top-10 plays of Kobe’s 1999-2000 season, in which he rocked the ‘fro with extraordinary swag.

Even if this was just for one night, Kobe Bryant brought back the dunk factory and helped us reminisce on his “golden days.”

To contact Jovan, email him at jovan.buha@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @JovanBuha.