On Monday, December 17th, Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant, also known as the Black Mamba, will have his number 8 and 24 jerseys retired and raised to the Staples Center rafters. Here are his 10 greatest moments with the team.
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant came into the league out of Lower Merion High School in 1996. The Charlotte Hornets selected him with the 13th pick and later traded to LA for Vlade Divac. Nobody thought that the 6’6″ skinny guard would be successful after averaging only 7.6 points per game in his rookie year. His low moment was when he shot four airballs in a playoff game against the Jazz.
However, with all the hard work and training in the offseason, he became the youngest player (19 years old) in NBA history to be named an All-Star. Since then, his stardom grew as he became one of the most prolific scorers, clutch and toughest players in the league. He was often compared to Michael Jordan because of his playing style.
The Black Mamba was an18-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA First Team, four-time All-Star Game MVP, two-time scoring champion, nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, one time MVP, five-time NBA Champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP. He entertained us with his magnificent performances and clutch shots.
Here are Kobe’s top 10 moments from his career.
Must Read: Kobe's 5 Greatest Games Against Boston
10. First NBA All-Star Game in 1998
At 19 years old, Kobe was the youngest player ever to make an All-Star team. He led the West with 18 points in 22 minutes as a starter in front of crowd at Madison Square Garden.
9. Game 4 of 2000 Finals
After missing Game 3 because of an ankle injury and Shaquille O’Neal fouling out in overtime, Kobe took over. He scored 22 points in the second half including the game-clinching putback shot as the Lakers won Game 4 in a thriller over the Indiana Pacers. They would go on to win their first championship in the Kobe-Shaq era.
8. Leading USA to Gold in the Olympics
In his first ever Olympic game, Bryant led the USA over Spain in the Gold Medal game, 118-107. He had 20 points including the four-point play that sealed the game. It was redemption for the U.S. after winning the Bronze Medal in the 2004 Olympics.
7. Surpassing Jordan in scoring
He made two free throws to move ahead of Jordan as the third all-time leading scorer in NBA history. Bryant scored 26 as he led LA to a 100-94 victory over the Timberwolves.
6. Making two free throws on torn Achilles
Being battered and knocked down throughout the game, he tore his Achilles while driving to the basket against Harrison Barnes with 3:08 left in the game. He got up and walked to the free throw line and swished in the two free throws and walked out of the game. It was amazing because he had played the entire game up to that point without rest.
5. 62 in three quarters
On December 20th, 2005, the Mamba scored 62 points in three quarters in a blowout victory against the Mavericks. He literally outscored the entire Dallas team 62 to 61 despite not playing in the fourth quarter.
4. First Championship without Shaq
Kobe had 30 points, six rebounds and five assists as he led the Lakers to their first championship after Shaq’s departure and his fourth personally. He silenced his critics after they said that he couldn’t win it without Shaq.
3. 81 point game
On January 22, 2006, it was like he was in another planet because he couldn’t miss that day. Kobe had the second highest scoring game in NBA history as he scored 81 points in a win against the Raptors. He did it going against Jalen Rose, one of his arch nemesis.
2. 60 point career finale
It was arguably the greatest career finale for any athlete in history. He scored 60 points on 22 of 50 shooting including Kobe literally willed his way to victory by scoring 17 of the final 19 Laker points in the last three minutes of the game. Sadly, he couldn’t go out with a sixth ring on his finger but this was a special way to ride off into the sunset. As he would say, “Mamba Out.”
1. Fifth title vs. Celtics
It wasn’t one of his best shooting performances of his career but he led his team to a Game 7 win and revenge over their historic rival Celtics. Bryant only shot 6-of-24 from the floor but scored 10 of his 23 points in the final quarter and grabbed 15 rebounds.
He assisted on Ron Artest’s title-clinching three-pointer with 1:01 left. The Mamba described it as the sweetest and the hardest title he ever won. He also said this, “just got one more than Shaq. You can take that to the bank. You know how I am. I don’t forget anything.”
Next: Kobe Bryant's Top 10 Games Of All-Time
The next time the basketball world will celebrate the Black Mamba is when he gets his statue outside Staples Center and being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was one of kind and the game will never be the same without him.