24 Greatest Moments of Kobe Bryant's Transcendent Career
By Adam Weinrib
The reason the world cares about sports is that occasionally, if every piece of dust falls correctly, they help to create mythic figures like Kobe Bryant.
Bryant, a five-time champion who took Michael Jordan's torch, brought the Los Angeles Lakers into the new millennium, and defined an entire era of the game with his grace and greatness, has reportedly perished in a helicopter crash Sunday afternoon. No. 24 authored an incalculable number of moments in his spectacular career, but we choose to celebrate him in this manner.
24. Kobe's First Career Points
At the time of Bryant's debut in 1996-97, he established himself as the youngest in NBA history to participate in a regular-season game (18 years, 72 days). His first of many points came here against the New York Knicks.
23. Kobe Duels MJ in 1998 All-Star Game
His second season, his first All-Star start, and he got the chance to go mano-a-mano with the man he'd eventually emulate. Madison Square Garden. How could it have taken place in any other arena?
22. Kobe and Kevin Durant's First Postseason Showdown, 2010
Bryant began to ready himself to pass the torch to a new generation of stars inspired by his effortless greatness in 2010. En route to winning his final ring, he locked horns with a green KD for the first time, more than holding his own against someone who knew his every quick-twitch move.
21. Kobe's High School Championship at Lower Merion
This look at pre-NBA Kobe shows exactly what a singular force he was as a high school senior, carrying his suburban Philadelphia team at Lower Merion to hardware (where have we heard that before?). No matter his teammates, he was always destined for the podium.
20. 65 Points vs Portland in 2006-07
65 points in Los Angeles against Portland, 24 coming in the fourth quarter. Following a brief lull in competitiveness for the Lakers, Kobe was on the verge of returning to Finals-level basketball. On this day, he proved he was still ready to carry a team to that pedestal.
19. Kobe Wins an Oscar for "Dear Basketball"
How do you summarize the emotional journey of a career like this? An animated film, detailing the full scope of what the game meant to Bryant, heart and soul, turning his farewell message into something more. This opus was honored with cinema's highest honor, giving us only a brief glimpse behind the curtain into what was to come, post-career, from Kobe.
18. Ridiculously Clutch 3s vs Portland, 2004
On the final day of the regular season, Bryant secured the Pacific Division Title in 2004 on the road against the Blazers, sending the game to overtime with this initial jumper, then eventually winning the contest with a similar shot in double-OT. Ice.
17. Kobe Torches Spurs in 2001 WCF Opener
You're not supposed to be able to go on the road, to a hostile environment in San Antonio, and do THIS. 45 points, 10 boards, and five dunks to get another pivotal postseason series off on the right foot.
16. 1997 Slam Dunk Contest Victory
On All-Star Weekend in Cleveland in 1997, Bryant established himself as more than a garden-variety youngster with potential, leaping out of the gym to secure an iconic individual honor.
15. Kobe's One-Legged Winner Over D-Wade, 2009
This game-winner, hurled over Dwyane Wade off-balance on just one limb, epitomizes the type of shot-maker Bryant was, under any circumstances. He considered this to be his luckiest shot, but we all know practice makes luck a reality.
14. Kobe Secures Finals MVP in Game 5 vs Magic
His fourth ring, and first without Shaquille O'Neal, was particularly fitting in that it came against the next generation's proto-Shaq in Dwight Howard. Superman's team was no match for the Mamba, who put the finishing touches on things with a 30-point MVP Game 5.
13. Lakers Secure 3-Peat vs Nets, 2002
The greatest modern dynasty got its capper on the road against the New Jersey Nets in 2002. Our final, great Kobe-Shaq moment came with nary a bead of sweat. This title was destiny. Machine-like. Another victory for a pure-bred winner.
12. Youngest to 30,000 Points
When Kobe hit 30,000, he was just the fifth player to secure the milestone, and the youngest ever to reach the mark (34 years, 104 days). LeBron James later topped his mark, just another way in which the torch was seamlessly passed to the next generation. James, inarguably, has approached the game in a different manner, though.
11. Kobe's Final All-Star Game
The 2016 All-Star Game in Toronto, Kobe's first since 2013, was firmly framed as a tribute to his greatness, kicking off with an iconic video presentation and a Magic Johnson appearance. He declined to be fed the ball, in an effort to garner an inauthentic MVP, but finished with 10 points, six boards, and seven assists, among the game's greats for the final time.
10. Kobe Outscores Entire Mavericks Team, 2005
Through three quarters on Dec. 20, 2005, the score was Kobe Bryant 62, Dallas Mavericks 61. Unmatched ruthlessness. No NBA player had accomplished this feat since the introduction of the shot clock. We don't foresee another matching it, either.
9. Kobe and Allen Iverson Game 5 Duel Secures Second Ring
Bryant shook off a tough Game 1 against The Answer, in which he and his Lake Show teammates were outgunned, outmatched, and out-stepped, ultimately ending the series in cold-blooded fashion in just five games. Second of five rings, cemented in memorable fashion.
8. Game-Tying Shot and Game-Winner vs Suns, 2006
This first-round series with the Suns went wayward following the Lakers' 3-1-lead-securing win here on their home court, but Bryant's late-game steal and circus finish, coupled with an overtime heartbreaker, were prime playoff Mamba. His team had no business being there. He willed them there, spectacularly.
7. Kobe and Shaq's Connection in 2000 WCF Game 7
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, an impenetrable duo when working in tandem, ARRIVED on the national scene the very second this iconic alley-oop swished through the net in the final minutes of this Game 7 comeback, securing their first Finals berth, a precursor to their first Larry O'Brien Trophy.
6. 48 Points vs Kings in 2001 WCF
To cap off a Game 4 victory and dominant sweep in the second season of the Kobe-Shaq three-peat, Bryant went several levels beyond reason, pouring in 48 to flick away LA's foremost rivals of the era in Sacramento.
5. 61-Point Game at Madison Square Garden
MSG, no matter the level of competition from the home team, remains the largest stage in the sport. At the time, Bryant's 61-point masterpiece was a Madison Square Garden record. Yes, he could do it on both coasts.
4. Kobe's 60-Point Finale
After battling injuries for a few seasons, Bryant signed off on his own terms, giving the game one last astounding display of his greatness. He completely took over the final home game of his elite Staples Center tenure, pouring in 60 points against the Utah Jazz, and wrapping up the proceedings with his signature farewell, "Mamba out."
3. Kobe Secures First Title in Game 6 vs Pacers, 2000
Bryant's first of five rings was secured with a masterful scoring display -- 26 points, 10 rebounds, and the first step towards the trophy-filled legacy he'd ultimately accrue.
2. One Final Championship: 2010
Don't focus on how we got there. Focus on the end result. Bryant was spectacular when it mattered most, as he always seemed to be, willing the Lakers out of a fourth quarter, Game 7 deficit at home.
1. 81-Point Game
Kobe's 81-point torching of the Toronto Raptors featured a stunning degree of accuracy at every angle. 28-for-46 from the floor, 7-of-13 from range, 18-of-20 from the line. To think someone in the modern era could even approach Wilt Chamberlain's century mark was unfathomable. Kobe, without the blessing of superior size, came damned close.