ORLANDO - The performance over these past two weeks might not qualify as transcendent, but Kobe Bryant, in his own way, has ascended.
For the first time, he has won an NBA Finals as a leading man.
And yet, it also is as if he is running in place.
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Unlike Shaquille O'Neal, who rode Dwyane Wade's coattails in 2006, Kobe won this appearance in the Finals from the top of the scoring column.
But when Kobe shared in those previous three championships with the Lakers, he was the supporting player, with Shaq MVP of the Finals in 2000, '01 and '02.
And there still is that nagging 6-4 championship deficit in the ever-present judgments against Michael Jordan.
Perhaps it would feel different if this championship came in a rematch against the Celtics. Beating Boston always counts for extra.
Perhaps it would come off as loftier if it came against LeBron, who actually accomplished more against the Magic in his six games in the Eastern Conference finals than Kobe did in the five games of the Finals.
This was more like Federer finally winning Roland Garros with Nadal already eliminated.
It was Padraig Harrington winning last year's British Open and PGA Championship in the absence of Tiger.
It was Carlos Sastre winning the 2008 Tour with Lance Armstrong yet to unretire.
Beating opponents in blue pinstripes only carries so much NBA cache. Can greatness truly come on a court that features Stuff the Magic Dragon during timeouts?
Kobe, although certainly more complete for the experience, just as was the case last summer in Beijing, finds his stature at another level, but his ranking essentially where it stood before these grueling eight weeks of postseason:
The most feared perimeter player in the game today.
The greatest Laker of his era.
Second, at least, to Michael at his position in the league's modern marketing age.
And someone, who, frankly, still tries too hard for respect that already is there.
The angry-man face over these past two weeks?
Please. That merely was for public consumption. He was plenty playful behind the scenes, joking with the likes of Rafer Alston and Mickael Pietrus in the Amway Arena corridors.
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The dismissals of the significance of winning without Shaq?
Even in his absence, Shaq was everywhere during these Finals, from his unremitting Tweets about Kobe, to trade speculation that had O'Neal's potential move to LeBron's side as Sunday's NBA story No. 1A.
"Congratualtions kobe, u deserve it," came Sunday's ultimate Shaq tweet. "You played great . Enjoy it my man enjoy it. And I know what yur sayin rt now 'Shaq how my ass taste' "
Winning without Shaq meant plenty.
"I just don't have to hear that idiotic criticism any more," Bryant savored in the wake Sunday's victory. "That's the biggest thing.
"It's just silly. I mean every team has a dynamic duo. I think it's a shame, but it is what it is. I wasn't going to try to argue about it. It's accept the challenge and try to prove 'em wrong.
"It was annoying, it was like Chinese water torture."
As for his "It's not about me" rhetoric?
This was as much about Kobe as last year's Finals were about Kevin Garnett's title quest, only without the prepackaged scream and without the 39-point final margin in the series' deciding game.
"This," Bryant acknowledged, "means everything.
"I feel like I'm dreaming right now."
Sunday's individual MVP hardware was merely for the fleeting five-game Finals, but might as well have been for the entire postseason.
At every turn, when the Lakers needed the ultimate payoff, Kobe was there to cash in.
There were 38 points in Game 4 of the opening round in Utah, when the Jazz could have moved into a 2-2 tie.
There were 40 in Game 2 of the second round, when there otherwise could have been an 0-2 deficit heading to Houston.
Against Denver, there were 41 points when the Western Conference finals stood tied 1-1.
And in Sunday's 99-86 series-clinching victory, 30 points, six rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots.
He stood in for the fight, for the challenges.
Just as he has stood solely as a Laker.
This was not Shaq cutting and running to the Heat when the going got tougher. This was not Scottie trying to recreate his Chicago fortunes in Portland and Houston.
This was, after the threat of jumping ship to the Clippers and a few jumpy moments considering a trade, staying in one place and making it work. Like Larry. Like Magic. Like all the single-team stars who have stood for more than cashing in.
And, yes, he is staying, his early-termination option this summer and opt out next summer merely avenues to maximize the Lakers paycheck.
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"I think this one is special because you rarely have the opportunity to get back up to the mountain twice in a career," he said. "In other words, you have your first run and then you hit rock bottom, and then you've got to build back up and get back to the top again."
Shaq never went through that. Neither did Jordan. Nor has Duncan.
Yet, from legacy perspective, one measly Finals MVP hardly measures up, especially with the Lakers. Not only did Shaq have his three in Los Angeles, but Magic also has three. One merely puts Bryant in a Lakers lineage that also includes Wilt, Kareem and James Worthy.
And while the four championships tie Kobe with Shaq and Tim Duncan (and, yes, Derek Fisher) in the post-Jordan era, Duncan, like Shaq, is a three-time Finals MVP.
It has been six years since Eagle, Colo. It has been five since issuing a statement that read, in part, "I want to apologize directly to the young woman involved in this incident. I want to apologize to her for my behavior that night and for the consequences she has suffered in the past year."
A career has since been resurrected to its ultimate heights. Time has muted much of the personal questions. Even the fans in Denver seemed to have forgotten, if not forgiven, based on the crowd reactions during the Western Conference finals.
It's back to being about basketball, which is a major stride, like that sweep past Pietrus for a dunk in Sunday's decisive second quarter.
"He's learned how to become a leader," coach Phil Jackson said, "in a way in which people want to follow him."
No, this is not the Kobe who squabbled with Shaq, the Kobe who filled Phil's book, the Kobe who actually thought he could be like Mike.
This championship, this moment, is about a Kobe who has proven resilient, redoubtable, resurrected.
"You grow as a person," he said. "You grow as a man."
His place in league lore might remain stagnant.
But his place in today's NBA remains unquestioned.
At the top. Alone.
