Q: Kobe, the obvious question: Can you put into words what this means, and can you talk about where you see this franchise? When Magic won his first one, he talked about a dynasty. Do you see that possibly happening?

Bryant: Well, right now we just want to enjoy this first championship. And are we looking forward to coming back next year and defending our throne? Absolutely. We'll just take it one year at a time; just do what we did this year, not get too far ahead of ourselves. Hard work pays off. If at first you don't succeed, keep trying, keep pushing. You'll get there eventually. If you become obsessed with a goal and you're really determined to get it, you're going to get it no matter what it is.

Q: At what stage in the game did you know you had it wrapped up?

Bryant: From opening tip. We didn't know it was open, but we played with that type of confidence as we did in Game 7 when we played Portland. We felt that was the toughest game we faced all year long, and that prepared us for this type of situation and this moment. Even though we were down 10, seven, they kept making a run and pushing it up, we remained poised because we had the confidence to come back.

Q: Reggie Miller's shot with about 30 seconds left - he shot a 30-foot three-pointer. Can you tell me from the view on the floor if that surprised you, why you think he shot that shot?

Bryant: No, it didn't surprise me. Reggie's the type of guy that likes to go for the kill. It didn't surprise me. What's surprising is that he didn't make it. He usually makes those types of shots in those situations.

Q: Can you talk about the fact that you started driving to the basket in the third, and particularly in the fourth quarter, what the thinking was, getting the ball to Shaq and penetrating?

Bryant: Just had to attack them. That was my whole mind state. Throughout the series, we knew that play, that screen-and-roll we were running pretty much the whole fourth quarter was giving them problems, giving them trouble, because they didn't know where they wanted to rotate from. And once I saw a gap, I just attacked.

Q: When you were going back to the bench during the last timeout, you're pointing fingers. What did that mean?

Bryant: That means that's one ring. That's one. We did it for ourselves, and we did it for the city of Los Angeles who supported us all year long; and they deserve it, because it's been a long drought and, you know, it's finally here.

Q: Shaq's growth in the span of just one season, can you try to summarize how far he has come?

Bryant: You know, Shaq is pretty much the same player. He just understands how to attack and where the defense is coming from. I think Phil [Jackson] brought the system, which made it very, very easy for us to play around him and to play with him. Plus he was healthy. I mean Shaq had a hole in his abdomen last year. You know, that's a tough thing to play with. But this year, Shaq was completely healthy and he just attacked from the beginning of the season, and he's been great for us all year long.

Q: Did Phil Jackson merely have to wave those six championship rings, and you guys would basically follow him to this title? Was it that simple?

Bryant: Well, the thing that Phil brought to us was obviously leadership and the confidence and the belief that his system works, because we've seen it work firsthand for six championships. So if anything, we just had confidence. But, you know, you guys ask like we had a choice, if we were going to utilize the system or not. We didn't have a choice.

Q: How did the ankle feel today?

Bryant: It felt all right. I got kicked in it fourth quarter, and it hurt pretty bad. Right now it's hurting a little bit. But it's just numb. It's just numb right now. My whole body's numb.

Q: On that one play, you split the defense and flipped that pass off to Shaq, he bounced it off the glass and it went in. It looked like he was down with a knee injury, what were you thinking at that point?

Bryant: That he was going to get up. This was the moment he was waiting for his whole life. Shaq was going to get up. I had no worries. Right now, I'm sticky as hell because that champagne is all over the place. I didn't know champagne burned that much when it gets in your eyes. That thing is brutal.

Q: Could you talk about next year, what do you want from the team? There have been talk that some players are not going to stay. Which kind of players do you want to come in?

Bryant: Right now, I haven't even thought about it. I'm just enjoying this, this win right here. Summertime, just work hard on our game; and, you know, Jerry West has always done an excellent job with this ballclub, and I'm sure he's going to make the right decisions again.