Lakers History: Kobe Bryant Sets Record for Threes In a Game in 2003 (Video)
13 years ago to the day, Lakers guard set the NBA record for three-point field goals in a game
Kobe Bryant will return to the floor for the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, Jan. 7 to take on the Sacramento Kings after missing the team’s last three games. While the Lakers’ rivalry with the Kings is certainly in mind, this date in history likely holds a special place in Kobe’s heart as he set an NBA record 13 years ago on this date.
Coming off of the Lakers’ third-straight title in 2002, the Lakers were struggling to dominate with Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal as they had in previous years and were taking on the Seattle SuperSonics just after the turn of the New Year. That’s when Kobe just went absolutely stupid from beyond the arc.
The Lakers guard, only 24 years old at the time, eviscerated the Sonics with the greatest three-point shooting display in a single-game ever as he set the record for made threes in a game by knocking down 12:
Bryant finished that game in 2003 with 45 points, three assists, and three rebounds while finishing 12-18 from deep on the way to a Lakers victory by a count of 119-98.
The record for three-point field goals made in a game was tied two years after Kobe broke Dennis Scott’s record as Toronto Raptors forward Donyell Marshall tied the record on March 13, 2005. However, it’s worth noting that Marshall had one more miss from three than Kobe during his long-range shooting expo, going 12-19 from three.
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To put into perspective just how incredible Kobe’s record-breaking night in 2003 was and is, though, there have only been 23 instances of a player making 10 or more threes in a game since the 1985-86 season (per Basketball-Reference). Moreover, there have only been eight instances of player making 11 or more threes in a game. Topping all of that off, even the current three-point happy NBA still hasn’t seen a player knock down 12 triples in a game, including Golden State Warriors sharpshooters Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
In this being Kobe’s last season in Los Angeles, there are many of his great moments that are going to be discussed—particularly when Father Time looks to have caught up with him on many nights when he’s on the floor. That being said, Bryant is among the all-time greats and has done things in this league that virtually no one else in history ever has, which is why all the pomp and circumstance around his retirement is necessary.
His 12 made threes 13 years ago are just one of many examples of that.