Kobe Bryant, one of the game’s brightest stars, will lead his Los Angeles Lakers against the Boston Celtics tonight in the NBA Finals.

AP File

BOSTON — Only one year ago, Kobe Bryant’s basketball life was in shambles.

Long known as one of the National Basketball Association’s singular talents, Bryant can also act like a one-man soap opera. One day last May, the Los Angeles Lakers’ star guard went on a New York sports radio show and said “I would like to be traded. As tough as it is to say that, as tough as it is to come to that conclusion, there’s no alternative.”

Later the very same day, Bryant told an ESPN radio interviewer, “I don’t want to go anyplace else. I don’t want to. I want to be a Laker. I want to be here for the rest of my career.”

Bryant’s conflict was simple. He wanted to win. He had tasted championship glory three times earlier (2000, 2001, 2002) in his career but those titles came with star center Shaquille O’Neal as his significant running mate. Once Shaq was traded in 2004, Bryant couldn’t lead the Lakers out of the first round of the playoffs. So basketball’s premier scoring guard not-so-subtly told his front office that if they couldn’t find him some help, he wanted out.

The Lakers talked trade for both Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett but neither panned out. No matter. Bryant, who earns more than $19 million per season, simply went out and enjoyed perhaps the best of his 12 seasons as a pro. He averaged 28.3 points, led L.A. to 57 wins and won the first MVP trophy of his career.

The Lakers eventually listened to Bryant’s demands. A midseason trade for center Pau Gasol has helped push the franchise back into the NBA Finals. They’ll face the Celtics in Game One tonight at TD Banknorth Garden and Bryant is simply elated to be in a position to win big once again.

“It’s a lot tougher the second time around because you’re fortunate to be at the top of the mountain and then you’re at the bottom and looking up again,” he said. “It’s tiring, but I feel very fortunate to have a group of guys around me that work. It’s very tough in this day and age to be able to pull that off. It’s an answer to prayer, to be honest with you.”

Few basketball stars of any era have sparked more divergent opinions than Bryant. When he entered the NBA 12 years ago as a precocious 18-year-old straight out of a Philadelphia prep school, Bryant was instantly singled out as one of the game’s next great stars. He delivered on that promise, flashing Michael Jordan-esque scoring ability and becoming a fixture in the All-Star game before he turned 20 years old. In a city of stars, Bryant shined as brightly as anyone.

But while no one disputed his talent, Bryant’s critics called him selfish, spoiled, a gunner. Some even went further. In the summer of 2003, Bryant was arrested in Eagle, Colo., and charged with felony sexual assault of a 19-year-old hotel employee. With his wife at his side, Bryant admitted an adulterous sexual encounter with his accuser, but denied her allegations. A year later, the case was dismissed when the woman refused to testify at trial, but Bryant’s public persona was clearly damaged.

Four years later, the spotlight is back on Bryant’s enormous basketball skills. He’s the team captain, trusts his teammates more than ever and receives praise for working with younger players. “I know how to communicate with hard heads,” he says. “We speak the same language.”

Bryant’s work ethic, like that of his hero Jordan, is legendary.

“I’ve known him since I was 16. He’s from Philadelphia, I’m from New York,” said Lamar Odom, the former University of Rhode Island flash and now a key teammate. “Kobe is totally committed to the game of basketball. Some of that has rubbed off on me … So you try to compete against him, but there’s no competing against him. If we have a 10 o’clock practice, Kobe is there at 8:45 preparing to be the best.”

Bryant is keenly aware of his place in history. He knows that his first three NBA titles came on teams where he shared the leadership mantle with O’Neal. This Lakers team is his alone. Asked if he needs to beat the Celtics to further validate his for-certain Hall of Fame career, Bryant said “depends which club you’re talking about. Are you talking about the Jordan-Magic [Johnson] club? If you want to get in that club, then you have to win [championships]. The other club you don’t have to win. Depends what club you want to get into, the 21-and-over or the 18-and-under.”

During Bryant’s summer of discontent, he frequently played pick-up games at UCLA with other pros including the Celtics’ Paul Pierce, who harbored his own trade demands. Pierce’s wishes were famously granted with the addition of Garnett and Ray Allen. In between games, the two stars shared their tales of woe. Tonight, one year later, they’ll square off for an NBA championship.

“I think we both are shocked in a pleasant way,” said Bryant. “We talked about a lot of things. We talked about who was getting traded first. I guess that’s one thing that I’m happy I did not win.”

kmcnamar@projo.com