Kobe’s Milestone of Passing Wilt on Scoring List Marred by Lakers Swoon
By Fern Rea
Feb 28, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) pumps his fist in the second half of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Staples Center. Lakers won 116-94. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Assuming Kobe does play tonight against the Sacramento Kings he will pass the great Wilt Chamberlain for 4th on the NBA’s all time scoring list. In the NBA’s 64 years of existence only 3 players, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, can claim to have scored more than Kobe in their career after tonight. Think about that, 64 years and only 3 will remain! Amazing.
31,419 points! That’s the mark that Kobe will pass tonight.
Who does 30,000 of anything, let alone something as difficult as scoring in the NBA that has some of the greatest athletes in the world, the elite in their sport, whose job it is to stop you from scoring.
Kobe’s current point total of 31, 415 points consists of 10,963 field goals and 7,860 free throws, which is good for 7th and 3rd all time in the NBA respectively.
17 seasons of a sickening work ethic, uber competitive nature and unrelenting dedication has taken Kobe to this illustrious moment. Kobe has spent thousands of tireless hours working on his body to stay in shape and fight off injury. He’s worked on his game every year to either add a dimension or improve upon it; as a result he is still an elite player in this league at the age of 34.
Yet when it is announced tonight during the game, and then talked about later in the locker room following it, the milestone will be marginalized by the importance of the game for the Lakers team. A game that is significantly more important because of the circumstances that the Lakers themselves have created by their poor play for most of this season.
The Lakers are currently out of the playoff picture and playing for their playoff lives. Everything else right now, such as personal accomplishments, takes a back seat.
The Lakers’ struggles this season has claimed many victims: Mike Brown’s job, Lakers’ fans hope, my good mood, and now this transcendent moment.
So its pat on the back and hey, congratulations Kobe on passing Wilt for 4th all time on the scoring list, now lets back to fighting for the last spot in the playoffs. That’s it.
This moment deserved more.
Kobe will pass Micheal Jordan next season for 3rd on the all time scoring list. Hopefully, at that time the Lakers season won’t be marred by their struggles and we can all rejoice in the moment.