An NBA Legacy Comes to an End
As his career winds down, let’s take a look at Kobe’s overall career. 2016 marks his 20th year of NBA competition, and he has announced his plans for retirement this year after developing quite the reputation for himself. Despite his recent setbacks, Bryant has solidified his status as one of the strongest and iconic NBA players of all time with his statistics.
He, along with Shaquille O’Neal, helped lead the Lakers to three years of consecutive championships from 2000-2002 and after Shaq was traded off to the Miami Heat, Bryant filled the void and stepped up as the team leader and later lead the Lakers to the championship again in 2009 and 2010.
He was the top scorer in the NBA from 2005-2007, and in 2006 rocketed himself to the NBA records, scoring a whopping 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. He currently sits at #2 in scoring the most points in a single game, just under Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point performance. 2007 brought him an NBA Most Valuable Player status which helped take him to the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he earned a gold medal as he helped the U.S. Men’s Basketball team to victory. Bryant also went four straight games scoring over 50 points, a feat he shares with only Michael Jordan, Wilt
Bryant also went four straight games scoring over 50 points, a feat he shares with only Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor. On February 2nd, 2009 he broke Michael Jordan’s record of points scored in a game at the iconic Madison Square Garden in an incredible performance against the New York Knicks. He made almost half the teams’ buckets at 61 points to lead the Lakers to a 126-117 victory.
Bryant also went four straight games scoring over 50 points, a feat he shares with only Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor. On February 2nd, 2009 he broke Michael Jordan’s record of points scored in a game at the iconic Madison Square Garden in an incredible performance against the New York Knicks. He made almost half the teams’ buckets at 61 points to lead the Lakers to a 126-117 victory.
He has a laundry list of NBA records, with just a few being: playing with the LA Lakers longer than any other player with any other franchise, winning the MVP award for the All-Star game more than any other NBA player, most All-Star game baskets made, most offensive rebounds grabbed during a single All-Star game, most 3-point shots made in a single game, youngest player in the history of the game of basketball to win the NBA slam dunk contest and he is the only professional basketball player in history to pull down 600 post-season points for three years in a row.
He is also the only NBA player to have scored more than 30,000 points, had 6,000 assists and nabbed 6,000 rebounds in his career. In addition to his current records, Bryant previously held several other records, such as the youngest athlete to score 25,000 points and most 3-point attempts made in a single half.
Highlight Video of Kobe’s Fantastic Career
Although he did not appear in a live-action/cartoon crossover with famous Warner Brothers characters, it is impossible to deny Kobe Bryant’s status as an NBA legend as he sits at the top of numerous NBA records, holds a gold medal from the Olympics and earned an NBA MVP status.
Few players are lucky enough to score half as many points as he has or boast a resume quite as impressive as his. He may be experiencing a rough season this year and fighting off several injuries, but Kobe Bryant will be able to retire comfortably knowing he had an elite basketball career throughout his lifetime.
Sources:
http://www.highsnobiety.com/2015/12/03/kobe-bryant-career-highlights/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by_Kobe_Bryant#NBA_awards_and_accomplishments