2002 NBA Finals Game 6 vs New Jersey Nets

Lore & Background

The Lakers became the first team since the Chicago Bulls to achieve a three-peat in NBA history. The series began on June 5 and ended on June 12. Lakers coach Phil Jackson won his ninth ring, tying him with Red Auerbach for most all-time. During the series, he surpassed Pat Riley for most career playoff wins with 156. Shaquille O'Neal was named NBA Finals MVP for the third consecutive year, averaging 36.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game. This was the last Finals to be broadcast by NBC; ABC acquired the rights starting in 2003. As of 2026, the Lakers are the most recent team in the four North American major professional sports leagues to accomplish a three-peat.

In Their Own Story

Inside the Staples Center, the air crackled with a rare mixture of anxiety and euphoria as the fourth quarter ticked away. Shaquille O'Neal, battered from the series but unyielding, became an unstoppable force of nature. He carved through the Nets' defense, absorbing contact from multiple defenders before elevating for a thunderous slam that seemed to shake the arena's foundations. His roar cut through the noise, silencing any doubt left in New Jersey's camp. Beside him, Kobe Bryant—usually the one demanding the ball in crunch time—stepped back with a rare, quiet deference, watching his partner dismantle the opposition. When the final buzzer sounded, it didn't feel like an end; it felt like a coronation. The hardwood had witnessed history: three championships in three years, sealing a dynasty that would be remembered forever.

Reader's Guide

The Lakers entered the 2002 playoffs as the third seed in the Western Conference with a 58–24 record. They swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, dispatched the San Antonio Spurs in five games, and defeated the Sacramento Kings in a seven-game Western Conference finals. In the Finals, the Lakers swept the Nets, who had won the Eastern Conference as the number-one seed with a 52–30 record. The Lakers and Nets split their regular-season series, each winning on their home court.

Did You Know?

• The Lakers' 15–1 record in the 2001 playoffs was the greatest postseason winning percentage in NBA history at the time.
• Jason Kidd averaged a triple-double in the Eastern Conference finals (17.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 10.2 assists per game).
• The Nets' 26-win improvement from the previous season was the largest in franchise history at the time.
• Robert Horry hit a game-winning three-pointer in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against Sacramento.