O'Neal's departure following the 2004 season .
Bryant has become the cornerstone of the Lakers ' franchise , and was the NBA leading scorer during the 2005 - 06 and 2006 - 07 seasons .
Since O'Neal's departure following the 2004 season , Bryant has become the cornerstone of the Lakers ' franchise , and was the NBA leading scorer during the 2005 - 06 and 2006 - 07 seasons .