Top 10 Kobe Bryant Moments

Although he played his entire 20-season career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant was originally drafted right out of high school by the Charlotte Hornets, competing with the big boys from day one. There are several versions of how Kobe ended up in LA: while some reports mention he refused to play for the team and requested a trade, others suggest that Los Angeles was pulling the strings and instructed the Hornets to do so to acquire center Vlade Divac. The truth of the matter probably lies somewhere in the middle, but one thing’s for sure: the Lakers won the trade by a mile.

Prior to a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Bryant had accumulated 32,284 points and needed 9 points to surpass Michael Jordan for the third spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Despite missing four of his first five shots, there was little doubt Bryant would make history that night; he eventually accomplished the feat by hitting two free throws in the second quarter, earning a standing ovation from the Target Center crowd. Scoring a total of 26 points and leading the Lakers to a 100-94 victory, Kobe showed that at the age of 36, he still had some gas left in the tank. And Bryant lived to see the next generation succeed: on January 25th, 2020 - the day before he lost his life in a helicopter crash - he was surpassed by Lebron James.

During the Lakers’ heyday in the early-2000s, the stars of the team were center Shaquille O’Neal and shooting guard Kobe Bryant. Despite their success together on the court, however, Diesel and Mamba had a tumultuous relationship over the years. This, along with several disagreements with the Lakers front office, prompted O’Neal to request a trade. His wish came true, and he was shipped off to the Miami Heat. Bryant was also having his own share of issues at the time - whether it was clashes with Lakers management or the sexual assault case looming over him. In the end, the Lakers gave Bryant the chance to show he could learn from his mistakes, signing him to a seven-year contract. The signing signalled it was Bryant’s team now and that he was the face of the franchise.

Over the course of his career, Kobe Bryant made a habit of breaking records, and this game was no different. Sure, he ended the night with a respectable 45 points, but what made this performance even more jaw-dropping was the fact that Bryant was shooting 3 pointers all night long - at one point dropping 9 in a row. Finishing with a total of 12, he broke Dennis Scott’s record for most three pointers in a game, set in 1996 at 11. Although the record was eventually tied and broken, it was another unforgettable performance by the Black Mamba.

Scoring at least 50 points in a game was nothing new for Kobe Bryant, but we’ll never forget the first time he did it. Playing against the Golden State Warriors, Bryant went on to shoot 18 of his 35 shots while adding 8 assists. He went on to score a total of 51 points in the 51 minutes he played. Although the Lakers lost in overtime, the game gave everyone a glimpse of Bryant’s ability to be a gamechanger. It wasn’t a fluke: in 2007, Kobe went on a 4-game streak scoring at least 50 points in each and ended up finishing his career with the third most 50-point games - behind only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.

Kobe Bryant had been regarded by many of his peers as the most talented player in the NBA for quite some time. After several years of dominance, championships and other accolades, Kobe Bryant was finally awarded the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2008. That season, Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.84 steals while playing all 82 games and leading the Lakers to a 57-25 record - the best in the Western Conference. To top it all off, he did it all with an injured finger. Despite being long overdue, the MVP title was another accomplishment in the bag for Bryant - and it came just a few months before Kobe earned his first Olympic Gold medal for the United States. What a year.

Bryant faced several setbacks during the latter part of his career: injuries - including a severe Achilles tendon tear - and a few seasons without a playoff appearance led many critics to wonder if Kobe was the same player that once dominated the NBA. Ultimately, Bryant announced his plan to retire after the 2015-16 season. Luckily, he ended his career with a bang: playing his last game at the Staples Center against the Utah Jazz, Bryant gave fans vintage Kobe - in part due to a Shaq challenge to score 50 points in his final outing. After trailing for the majority of the game, Bryant led a comeback, scoring a total of 60 points and delivering a performance that could only be described as textbook Mamba. It was a perfect ending to an illustrious playing career, and the beginning of Kobe’s impressively diverse post-play period.

After losing to the Boston Celtics in the Finals in 2008, and with many wondering if the Lakers could win a title without Shaquille O’Neal, Bryant had something to prove. And boy did he do just that during the 2009 Finals against the Orlando Magic: in Game 1, Bryant scored 40 points, setting the tone for the series. The Lakers went on to win in 5 games, and Kobe nabbed his first Finals MVP award. A year later, Bryant and the Lakers once again made it to the Finals, this time against the rival Celtics. It was a back-and-forth series with strong play from Bryant, but it was in Game 7 where he truly came in the clutch, scoring 23 points and leading the Lakers to a 83-79 win, securing Kobe’s fifth title and second Finals MVP award.

With two consecutive NBA titles under his belt, expectations were high for Bryant and the Lakers to win it all in ‘02. The team basically coasted through the first two rounds of the playoffs, until the only thing standing in the way of a ticket to the finals was the Sacramento Kings. Bryant led the Lakers in scoring during three of the first five games, but they were still down 3-2 in the series. But alongside teammate Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe and the Lakers went on to win the next two games, advancing to the Finals and easily sweeping the New Jersey Nets to complete the three-peat. Although Shaq overshadowed Bryant in terms of performance during this series and the previous two finals to win the Finals MVP, Bryant had shown he was just as clutch as O’Neal.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Phoenix Suns Buzzer Beater
April 30, 2006

Winning an Academy Award
March 4, 2018

Dunking Over Steve Nash
April 26, 2006

The Circus Shot
April 19, 2004

The Reverse Dunk
April 25, 2003

Laker fans probably expected an ordinary game at the Staples Center, but this home game against the Toronto Raptors was anything but: Bryant went off and scored 81 points, the second-highest single-game total in NBA history and the most ever by a Los Angeles Laker. Looking like he was straight out of a video game, Bryant succeeded mostly through jump shots and 3-pointers, going 28 for 46 from the field and 18 for 20 from the line. This incredible night was inevitable for Kobe, who’d scored 62 points in just three quarters barely a month before - and declined to finish that game because he knew he’d get another chance soon. That same season, Bryant led the league in average points per game with 35.4, and the 81-point performance became the highlight that summed up his stellar year - and his stellar playing career.