The 2002-03 season got off to a bad start with the death of long-time announcer Chick Hearn and Shaquille O'Neal's surgery. It didn't get much better along the way for the Los Angeles Lakers. Here's a chronological look at how the Lakers' championship run came to an end.

Aug. 5, 2002
Chick Hearn, the only play-by-play announcer the Lakers ever had, dies at the age of 85. Kobe Bryant attends the funeral, but Shaquille O'Neal is notably absent.

Sept. 11, 2002
Shaq has surgery on his big toe, which has been bothering him since the end of the previous season. Shaq is criticized for deciding to postpone his surgery until right before the season rather than during the offseason. It's the second straight year he's missed significant early-season time by postponing surgery until right before training camp.

	One punch escalated the Kings-Lakers rivalry to new heights.

Oct. 25, 2002
After a back-and-forth verbal battle between the two teams, the Lakers-Kings rivalry finally blows up when Rick Fox and Doug Christie exchange punches during a preseason game. The altercation continues in the tunnel after the two are ejected, and Christie's wife jumps into the mix swinging a handbag. Fox ends up suspended for six games, Christie for two games.

Oct. 30, 2002
After Phil Jackson's prediction that the team would start off "0-7", the Lakers lose their first two games of the season for the first time since 1990. Shaq is still out.

Oct. 29-Nov. 22, 2002
Lakers lose 9 of the 12 games they play without Shaq ... but he returns to the lineup Nov. 22 vs the Bulls, posting 17 points in 21 minutes of play.

Nov. 27, 2002
Lakers lose in Orlando, dropping to 0-8 away from Staples Center on the season. Shaq and Kobe rip into the team's role players.

O'Neal: "We're playing like when Del Harris used to be our coach, playing with no fire and no enthusiasm. Guys coming off our bench, Slava (Medvedenko) and Kareem (Rush), they have to be ready. It just seems like guys aren't ready sometimes."

Bryant: "I play extremely hard, and I expect my teammates to play with the same intensity. And it's frustrating when they don't ... (Samaki) Walker's not hurting any more than I am. I am out there playing my butt off every single night. He should be out there playing."

The role players respond in kind; most notably, Brian Shaw: "You guys [Bryant and O'Neal] get 50 shots a game, and we as a team get only 80 or 85, so how can it be all our fault? Kobe, you criticize your teammates, and that puts a ton of pressure on a guy every time he catches a pass, because if he doesn't hit it, it's, 'Hey, f---in' make the shot.'"

Dec. 10, 2002
After a particularly frustrating 106-102 loss to the Golden State Warriors, Shaq is clearly not happy with his teammates again. "Don't talk to me," O'Neal said to reporters in the lockerroom. "Talk to the m-fs that ain't doing nothing." A few days later, he says this was just trying to get a rise out of his teammates.

Dec. 25, 2002
Nothing says Happy Holidays like sniping between Bryant and Jackson. After Christmas night loss to the Kings, Jackson admits he has "philosophical differences" with the way Kobe plays. Later, Kobe snaps back: "I have philosophical differences with Phil, too." Jackson also comments on Shaq's play, saying he's "not as explosive" as he'd been earlier in his career. The next day, Shaq is married.

Jan. 19, 2003
Bryant becomes a father for the first time, as his wife Vanessa gives birth to a daughter, Natalia.

Jan. 5-Feb. 8, 2003
Lakers win 11 of 14 and five straight heading into the All-Star break. Shaq and Kobe have fun at the All-Star Game playing on the winning West team. Kobe is fouled by Jermaine O'Neal, and makes the game-tying free throws to send the game into OT.

Feb. 24, 2003
Jackson has a kidney stone removed. He misses his first games as a head coach Feb. 25, but the Lakers defeat the Clippers anyway. All in all, he misses three games, and the Lakers go 2-1. Jackson is quoted as saying that the doctors named his kidney stone "Kobe" because "it wouldn't pass." Feb. 25 is also the day that Bryant's remarkable streak of 9 games with at least 40 points ends.

Jan. 1-April 16, 2003
Lakers go 37-13 in the 2003 calendar year to sneak all the way back into the fifth spot in the Western Conference. They face the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.

April 19, 2003
Laker fans (and probably Shaq as well) breathe a sigh of relief as Shaq's wife gives birth to the couple's third child, meaning Shaq won't miss any playoff games. The birth comes days after the death of Shaq's maternal grandfather.

April 27, 2003
In a column by Bill Plaschke of the LA Times, Bryant reveals that his father is not speaking to him and has not had contact with him since Bryant married his wife two years before. Bryant leaves tickets at games for his father, but he doesn't show. "My mom asked me to leave him a ticket, so of course I did," Kobe said, his voice dropping. "But I knew he wouldn't come down and see me. He never does." Bryant also reveals that his father has yet to see his new granddaughter at the time of the article.

May 11, 2003
Jackson learns he has an artery that is 90 percent blocked and undergoes an emergency angioplasty. he misses his first playoff game as head coach, but the Lakers win anyway.

May 15, 2003
The Lakers are eliminated from the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs. Bryant is visibly in tears as he leaves the court.

ESPN Research compiled this information.