Top 7 Kobe Bryant Games of the 2014-15 Season

Nov 18, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Fans of Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (not pictured) hold up a sign after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Lakers won 114-109. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Last week, it was announced that Kobe Bryant still has the third best-selling jersey among all NBA players, which is remarkable given the fact he missed much of the last three seasons and is in the waning days of his career. When the 2014-15 season started, no one had any idea what to expect from him. At age 36, after suffering two consecutive major injuries, would he resemble the player we once knew? During preseason, Bryant and Byron Scott tried to temper expectations. Scott made a big point of saying he would limit Bryant to a certain number of minutes per game, although he coyly refused to disclose the number.

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Bryant looked surprisingly vibrant at the start of the regular season. Unfortunately, the roster around him was weak, which forced him to push the envelope so the team could stay in games. As the losses mounted, Scott panicked and increased Bryant’s minutes. In November, the first full month of the season, he played 40+ minutes in four games. The heavy minutes continued into December, at which point his body broke down. He started taking games off – not one game here and there, but several games in a row. It was evident something was very wrong. Then, Bryant tore his rotator cuff on January 21, 2015, and his season was over.

It the midst of the team’s miserable year it is easy to forget that when he was healthy, Bryant showed flashes of greatness and contributed to unexpected Laker wins. Here is a list of Bryant’s top games this past season.

Next: Kobe's Game Against The Best Of The East