On the eve of his double jersey retirement with the Lakers, Kobe Bryant was asked whether he prefers the career he had as No. 8 or No. 24.

Bryant won three titles wearing No. 8 but he won an MVP and two titles wearing No. 24.

"It's the season where I ruptured my Achilles, actually," Bryant said. "Because I felt like I was playing the best basketball I've ever played in my entire career."

Bryant is referring to the 12-13 season in which the Lakers acquired Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. The Lakers entered that season as title contenders but Howard and Nash both had injury issues.

After the Achilles injury, Bryant was never the same, suffering season-ending injuries in each of his next two seasons.

"That was one of my favorite times, yeah," Bryant says, smiling. "It almost killed me, but it was fun."