Los Angeles Lakers: 30 greatest individual performances in team history

Los Angeles Lakers: 30 greatest individual performances in team history: 11. Kobe Bryant comes up clutch

It was the moment Kobe Bryant was always waiting on. Despite winning three NBA titles, making countless All-Star appearances, getting selected to numerous All-NBA teams and carving out a Hall of Fame level career by the time he was in his mid-20s, it was all somewhat inconsequential.

For Bryant, there was a need to prove to his critics, the fans, the doubters and most importantly himself, that he was more than just a second banana to Shaquille O’Neal. Bryant dragged a group of players that appeared lottery-bound to the 7th seed in the playoffs.

After taking an unlikely 2-1 lead against the Phoenix Suns, Bryant came up clutch down the stretch. Regardless of picking up ticky-tack fouls that resulted in three players on his own team getting more playing time and Lamar Odom ending the game as the team’s leading scorer, when the money was on the line, Bryant came up big. He hit the game-tying bucket at the end of the fourth then turned around and hit the game winner in overtime. In a career that was filled with hitting numerous buzzer beaters, that was surprisingly Bryant’s only one in the playoffs. Still, he took down the Suns in Game 4 but ultimately fell in the end as the Lakers lost the next three straight games.