Kobe Can’t Hide Emotion on History Making Night

It was not the fade away that was the history making shot. Or, the step back three. Or, the two dribble pull up. Or, the turn around jumper. No, Kobe Bryant passed Michael Jordan’s scoring mark at the free throw line. In an odd way, it made sense. Kobe has made more free throws than almost everyone in NBA history. Only Karl Malone and Moses Malone have made more free throws and they were front court players. So, when Kobe passed Michael Jordan, he did it the way that got him into the rare air in the first place. Getting into the paint, getting fouled and going to the line.

Before the game started, Kobe was tipped off that the game would be stopped once he broke Michael’s record. But, what did that mean, exactly?  Kobe didn’t know what to expect.

Glen Taylor, Timberwolves owner, went all out. He stopped the game, gave Kobe the ball, made the announcement in the arena as the fans cheered and applauded. Kobe was overwhelmed by it. He went from player to player giving hugs. He embraced Byron Scott the longest which made sense. Byron was there in the beginning. And now Byron is there in the end.

As the Minnesota fans gave Kobe a standing ovation, many chanted his name, a familiar refrain in NBA arenas these days. Several times Kobe acknowledged them. But it still felt peculiar.

"I’m so used to being the villain all the time on the road it felt good to be appreciated like that. To have moments like that…it feels pretty damned good. When moments like this come around you are really overjoyed by it and at the same time you know the end is near."

Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan both congratulated him as did Lebron James. Kobe was touched by it.

"The most important thing is playing for the respect of the greats and feeling like I’m a part of that culture."

After the game ended, when Kobe was asked about the art of scoring, specifically what was it that got him to the point of having scored 32,310 points, he mentioned fundamentals.

"My generation saw the highlights (Michael Jordan). I saw the footwork, the spacing. I saw the timing, the fundamentals of the game that enabled him to get to the rim. That is what scoring is. You have to be fundamentally sound. You have to pay attention to detail. You got to love what you do. I love what I do. It doesn’t feel like I worked a day in my life."