Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant’s best game against every team in NBA
The entire career of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant is an example of what can happen when extreme talent meets even harder work and determination. He came into the league at 18 years old and legends of the game like Jerry West and Chick Hearn were already predicting his greatness, and 20 years later he had somehow exceeded their expectations.
Lakers’ fans were spoiled to get to watch one of the greatest to ever play the game play and were able to vicariously live through him. It was a given that Kobe was going to be an All-Star starter year after year and always in the MVP conversation because he was the best scorer the game had seen since Michael Jordan.
In the song “Kobe Bryant” by Lil Wayne there is a quote from Mikael Pietrus saying Kobe was the best player in the game at that time because
“you never know what you are going to get.”
However with Kobe, Lakers fans knew what they were going to get each and every season and each and every game, and that was a superstar with more will to win than anyone in the NBA. There was nothing he could not do on the court, and as a result that ended up in some of the greatest moments, the league has ever seen.
Unfortunately, the tragic passing of him and his daughter Gianna has come far too soon and is one of the worst stories the sports world has seen in a long time. Although he is gone, a certain quote from the classic sports movie Sandlot comes to mind, and that is
“Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.”
Kobe was a Lakers and Los Angeles legend and he will always be remembered for the championships and moments he created on the court. He will also be remembered for his second act as Oscar Award Winning filmmaker and his smooth transition from basketball to being a loving father.
With the long list of his accomplishments, his Lakers legacy will live on forever and his Mamba Mentality will be carried out through future Lakers players.
He truly lived out his childhood dream, both on and off the court. When he was 17 he told Shaq he wanted to be the best basketball player in the world, and be bigger than Will Smith off the court, and he somehow managed to accomplish those lofty goals.
One of the best quotes from his jersey retirement ceremony that symbolizes his career and his dreams coming true is,
"“Those times when you get up early and you work hard. Those times when you stay up late and you work hard. Those times when you don’t feel like working. You’re too tired. You don’t want to push yourself, but you do it anyway. That is actually the dream. That’s the dream. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. And if you guys can understand that, what you’ll see happen is that you won’t accomplish your dreams, your dreams won’t come true, something greater will.”"
Kobe played 1566 games in both the regular season and playoffs all for one franchise and left it all on the floor every game. Take a trip down memory lane and relive Kobe’s journey and illustrious career by viewing his best games against all 30 NBA teams.
From fro Kobe’s first 50 point game to bald mamba’s 60 point farewell, here are Kobe’s best and most memorable games against every NBA franchise in alphabetical order.