{"id":10454,"date":"2015-01-12T16:38:51","date_gmt":"2015-01-12T21:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=10454"},"modified":"2015-01-13T05:43:08","modified_gmt":"2015-01-13T10:43:08","slug":"the-los-angeles-lakers-great-kobe-bean-the-black-mamba-bryant-passes-the-greatest-basketball-player-of-all-time-michael-jordan-for-third-place-in-points-scored-during-a-career-in-the-nba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=10454","title":{"rendered":"The Los Angeles Lakers Great, Kobe Bean “THE BLACK MAMBA” Bryant passes THE GREATEST BASKETBALL PLAYER OF ALL TIME, “Michael Jordan”, for third place in points scored during a career in the NBA!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

MINNEAPOLIS \u2014 With a pair of free throws in the second quarter Sunday evening, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant moved up one notch on the all-time NBA scoring ledger, taking over third place and passing Michael Jordan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kobe Bryant<\/span><\/h1>\n

Bryant was born in<\/strong> Philadelphia, Pennsylvania<\/a>, as the youngest of three children and the only son of Joe Bryant and Pamela Cox Bryant. \u00a0He is also the maternal<\/a> nephew of John “Chubby” Cox<\/a>. His parents named him after the famous beef<\/a> of Kobe<\/a>, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu. \u00a0His middle name, Bean, is derived from his father’s nickname<\/a> “Jellybean”. Bryant was raised Roman Catholic<\/a>. When Bryant was six, his father left the NBA and moved his family to Rieti<\/a> in Italy<\/a> to continue playing professional basketball.\u00a0 <\/span><\/sup>Bryant became accustomed to his new lifestyle and learned to speak Italian and Spanish. \u00a0During summers, he would come back to the United States to play in a basketball summer league.<\/p>\n

Bryant started playing basketball when he was 3 years old,\u00a0 <\/span><\/sup>and his favorite team growing up was the Lakers. Bryant’s grandfather would mail him videos of NBA games, which Bryant would study. \u00a0At an early age he also learned to play soccer and his favorite team was AC Milan<\/a>. \u00a0Upon Joe Bryant’s retirement from playing basketball in 1991, the Bryant family moved back to the United States.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bryant earned national recognition during a spectacular high school career at<\/strong> Lower Merion High School<\/a> located in Ardmore<\/a>, in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion<\/a>. As a freshman, he played for the varsity basketball team. \u00a0He became the first freshman in decades to start for Lower Merion’s varsity team<\/a>, but the team finished with a 4\u201320 record. \u00a0The following three years, the Aces compiled a 77\u201313 record, with Bryant playing all five positions. \u00a0During his junior year, he averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists and was named Pennsylvania Player of the Year,[15]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> attracting attention from college recruiters in the proce. Duke<\/a>, North Carolina<\/a>, Villanova<\/a> and Michigan<\/a> were at the top of his list; however, when Kevin Garnett<\/a> went in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft<\/a>, he began considering going directly to the pros.[15]<\/span><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

At<\/strong> Adidas<\/a> ABCD camp, Bryant earned the 1995 senior MVP award, \u00a0while playing alongside future NBA teammate Lamar Odom<\/a>. While in high school, then 76ers coach John Lucas<\/a> invited Bryant to work out and scrimmage with the team, where he played one-on-one with Jerry Stackhouse<\/a>. \u00a0In his senior year of high school, Bryant led the Aces to their first state championship in 53 years. During the run, he averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals, and 3.8 blocked shots in leading the Aces to a 31\u20133 record.[19]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> Bryant ended his high school career as Southeastern Pennsylvania<\/a>‘s all-time leading scorer at 2,883 points, surpassing both Wilt Chamberlain<\/a> and Lionel Simmons<\/a>.[20]<\/span><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Bryant received several awards for his performance his senior year including being named<\/strong> Naismith High School Player of the Year<\/a>, Gatorade<\/a> Men’s National Basketball Player of the Year, a McDonald’s All-American<\/a>, and a USA Today<\/a><\/i> All-USA First Team player. Bryant’s varsity coach, Greg Downer, commented that Bryant was “a complete player who dominates”.\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0In 1996, Bryant took R&B<\/a> singer Brandy<\/a> to his senior prom<\/a>, though the two were, and remain, just friends. Ultimately, however, the 17-year-old Bryant made the decision to go directly into the NBA<\/a>, only the sixth player in NBA history to do so. \u00a0Bryant’s news was met with a lot of publicity at a time when prep-to-pro<\/a> NBA players were not very common (Garnett being the only exception in 20 years). His basketball skills and SAT<\/a> score of 1080 would have ensured admission to any college he chose.\u00a0 <\/span><\/sup>In 2012, Bryant was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald’s All-Americans<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The first guard to ever be taken out of high school, Bryant was chosen as the 13th overall<\/strong> draft<\/a> pick by the Charlotte Hornets<\/a> in 1996<\/a>. \u00a0According to Arn Tellem<\/a>, Bryant’s agent at the time, Bryant playing for the Charlotte Hornets was “an impossibility”. However, Bill Branch, the Hornets’ head scout at the time, said that the Hornets agreed to trade their draft selection to the Lakers before picking Bryant. The teams agreed to the trade the day before the draft and the Lakers did not tell the Hornets whom to select until five minutes before the pick was made. \u00a0Branch said that prior to the trade agreement, the Hornets never even considered drafting Bryant. Prior to the draft, Bryant had worked out in Los Angeles, where he scrimmaged against former Lakers players Larry Drew<\/a> and Michael Cooper<\/a>, and according to then-Laker manager Jerry West<\/a>, “marched over these people”.\u00a0 <\/span><\/sup>On July 1, 1996, West traded his starting center<\/a>, Vlade Divac<\/a>, to the Hornets in exchange for Bryant’s draft rights. \u00a0Since he was still 17 at the time of the draft, his parents had to cosign his contract with the Lakers until he was able to sign his own when he turned 18 before the season began.<\/p>\n

The first guard to ever be taken out of high school, Bryant was chosen as the 13th overall draft<\/a> pick by the Charlotte Hornets<\/a> in 1996<\/a>. \u00a0According to Arn Tellem<\/a>, Bryant’s agent at the time, Bryant playing for the Charlotte Hornets was “an impossibility”. However, Bill Branch, the Hornets’ head scout at the time, said that the Hornets agreed to trade their draft selection to the Lakers before picking Bryant. The teams agreed to the trade the day before the draft and the Lakers did not tell the Hornets whom to select until five minutes before the pick was made. \u00a0Branch said that prior to the trade agreement, the Hornets never even considered drafting Bryant. Prior to the draft, Bryant had worked out in Los Angeles, where he scrimmaged against former Lakers players Larry Drew<\/a> and Michael Cooper<\/a>, and according to then-Laker manager Jerry West<\/a>, “marched over these people”. On July 1, 1996, West traded his starting center<\/a>, Vlade Divac<\/a>, to the Hornets in exchange for Bryant’s draft rights. \u00a0Since he was still 17 at the time of the draft, his parents had to cosign his contract with the Lakers until he was able to sign his own when he turned 18 before the season began.<\/strong><\/p>\n

During<\/strong> his rookie season<\/a>, Bryant mostly came off the bench behind guards Eddie Jones<\/a> and Nick Van Exel<\/a>. \u00a0At the time he became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game<\/a> (18 years, 72 days; a record since broken by Jermaine O’Neal<\/a> and Andrew Bynum<\/a>), and also became the youngest NBA starter ever (18 years, 158 days). \u00a0Initially, Bryant played limited minutes, but as the season continued, he began to see some more playing time. By the end of the season, he averaged 15.5 minutes a game. During the All-Star weekend<\/a>, Bryant was the winner of the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest<\/a>, becoming the youngest player to be named the slam dunk champion at the age of 18. Bryant’s performance throughout the year earned him a spot on the NBA All Rookie<\/a> second team with fellow bench teammate Travis Knight<\/a>. \u00a0His final minutes of the season ended in disaster when he shot 4 air balls<\/a> at crucial times in the game. \u00a0He first missed a jumper to win the game in the 4th quarter and 3 three-pointers in overtime (2 of which would have tied the game in the final minute). With that the Utah Jazz<\/a> ended the playoffs<\/a> for the Lakers in the second round. Shaquille O’Neal<\/a> commented years later that “[Bryant] was the only guy who had the guts at the time to take shots like that.”<\/p>\n

In Bryant’s<\/strong> second season<\/a>, he received more playing time and began to show more of his abilities as a talented young guard. As a result Bryant’s point averages more than doubled from 7.6 to 15.4 points per game.\u00a0 <\/span><\/sup>Bryant would see an increase in minutes when the Lakers “played small”, which would feature Bryant playing small forward alongside the guards he would usually back up. Bryant was the runner-up for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award<\/a>, and through fan voting, he also became the youngest NBA All-Star<\/a> starter in NBA history. He was joined by teammates Shaquille O’Neal, Nick Van Exel<\/a>, and Eddie Jones<\/a>, making it the first time since 1983 that four players on the same team were selected to play in the same All-Star Game. Bryant’s 15.4 points per game was the highest of any non-starter in the season.<\/p>\n

The 1998\u201399<\/a> season marked Bryant’s emergence as a premier guard in the league. With starting guards Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones traded, Bryant started every game for the lockout-shortened 50-game season. During the season, Bryant signed a 6-year contract extension worth $70 million. This kept him with the Lakers until the end of the 2003\u201304 season. Even at an early stage of his career, sportswriters were comparing his skills to those of Michael Jordan<\/a> and Magic Johnson<\/a>. The playoff results, however, were no better, as the Lakers were swept<\/a> by the San Antonio Spurs<\/a> in the Western Conference Semifinals.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bryant’s fortunes would soon change when<\/strong> Phil Jackson<\/a> became coach for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999.\u00a0 <\/span><\/sup>After years of steady improvement, Bryant became one of the premier shooting guards<\/a> in the league, earning appearances in the league’s All-NBA, \u00a0All-Star, and All-Defensive teams. The Los Angeles Lakers became true championship contenders under Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal<\/a>, who formed a legendary center-guard combination. Jackson utilized the triangle offense<\/a> he used to win six championships with the Chicago Bulls<\/a>, which would help both Bryant and O’Neal rise to the elite class of the NBA. The three resulting championships won consecutively in 2000<\/a>, 2001<\/a>, and 2002<\/a> further proved such a fact.<\/p>\n

Bryant started the 1999\u20132000<\/a> season sidelined for six weeks due to an injury to his hand in a preseason game against the Washington Wizards<\/a>. \u00a0With Bryant back and playing over 38 minutes a game, he saw an increase in all statistical categories in the 1999\u20132000 season. This included leading the team in assists per game and steals per game. The duo of O’Neal and Bryant backed with a strong bench led to the Lakers winning 67 games, tied for fifth-most in NBA history. This followed with O’Neal winning the MVP and Bryant being named to the All-NBA Team<\/a> Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Team for the first time in his career (the youngest player ever to receive defensive honors). \u00a0While playing second fiddle to O’Neal in the playoffs, Bryant had some clutch performances including a 25 point, 11 rebound, 7 assist, 4 block game in game 7 of the Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers<\/a>. \u00a0He also threw an alley-oop pass to O’Neal to clinch the game and the series. In the 2000 NBA Finals<\/a> against the Indiana Pacers<\/a>, Bryant injured his ankle in the second quarter of Game 2 after landing on the Pacers’ Jalen Rose<\/a>‘s foot. Rose later admitted he placed his foot under Bryant intentionally. \u00a0Bryant did not return to the game, and he also missed Game 3 due to the injury. In Game 4, Bryant scored 22 points in the second half, and led the team to an OT victory as O’Neal fouled out of the game. Bryant scored the winning shot to put the Lakers ahead 120\u2013118. With a 116\u2013111 Game 6 victory, the Lakers won their first championship since 1988<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Statistically, the<\/strong> 2000\u201301<\/a> season saw Bryant perform similarly to the previous year, but he averaged 6 more points a game (28.5). It was also the year when disagreements between Bryant and O’Neal began to surface. \u00a0Once again he led the team in assists with 5 per game. The Lakers however, only won 56 games, an 11-game drop off from last year. The Lakers would respond by going 15\u20131 in the playoffs. They easily swept the Portland Trail Blazers<\/a>, Sacramento Kings<\/a>, and San Antonio Spurs<\/a>, before losing their first game against the Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> in OT. They would go on to win the next 4 games and bring their second championship to Los Angeles in as many seasons. During the playoffs, Bryant played heavy minutes which brought his stats up to 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. In the playoffs, teammate O’Neal declared Bryant the best player in the league.\u00a0 <\/span><\/sup>Bryant ended up making the All NBA Second team and All NBA Defensive Team for the second year in a row. In addition, he was also voted to start in the NBA All-Star Game for the 3rd year in a row (no game in 1999).<\/p>\n

In the 2001\u201302 season<\/a>, Bryant played 80 games for the first time in his career. He continued his all-round play by averaging 25.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. He also had a career high 46.9% shooting and once again led his team in assists. While making the All-Star team and All-NBA Defensive team again, he was also promoted to the All-NBA First Team for the first time in his career. The Lakers won 58 games that year and finished second place in the Pacific Division<\/a> behind in-state rival Sacramento Kings<\/a>. Bryant was suspended one game after he punched Reggie Miller<\/a> of the Indiana Pacers<\/a> after the Lakers’ March 1, 2002 victory over the Pacers.[59]<\/span><\/a><\/sup>[60]<\/span><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

The road to the Finals would prove a lot tougher than the record run the Lakers had the previous year. While the Lakers swept the Blazers<\/a> and defeated the Spurs<\/a> 4\u20131, the Lakers did not have home court advantage against the Sacramento Kings<\/a>. The series would stretch to 7 games, the first time this happened to the Lakers since the 2000 Western Conference Finals. However, the Lakers were able to beat their division rivals and make their third consecutive NBA Finals<\/a> appearance. In the 2002 Finals<\/a>, Bryant averaged 26.8 points, 51.4% shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists per game, which included scoring a quarter of the teams points. \u00a0At age 23, Bryant became the youngest player to win three championships. Bryant’s play was notable and praised for his performance in the 4th quarter of games, specifically the last 2 rounds of the playoffs. This cemented Bryant’s reputation as a “clutch player”.<\/p>\n

In the 2002\u201303<\/a> season, Bryant averaged 30 points per game and embarked on a historic run, posting 40 or more points<\/a> in nine consecutive games while averaging 40.6 in the entire month of February. In addition, he averaged 6.9 rebounds<\/a>, 5.9 assists<\/a>, and 2.2 steals<\/a> per game, all career highs to that point. Bryant was once again voted to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive 1st teams, \u00a0and came in third place in voting for the MVP award. After finishing 50\u201332 in the regular season, the Lakers foundered in the playoffs<\/a> and lost in the Western Conference semi-finals to the eventual NBA champions San Antonio Spurs<\/a> in six games.[63]<\/span><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

In the following 2003\u201304<\/a> season, the Lakers were able to acquire NBA All-Stars Karl Malone<\/a>, and Gary Payton<\/a> to make another push at the NBA Championship.[64]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> Before the season began, Bryant was arrested for sexual assault. This caused Bryant to miss some games due to court appearances or attend court earlier in the day and travel to play games later in same day. \u00a0In the final game of the regular season, the Lakers played the Portland Trail Blazers<\/a>. Bryant made two buzzer beaters to win the game and the Pacific Division<\/a> title. At the end of the fourth quarter, Bryant made a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left to send it into overtime. The game eventually went to a second overtime, in which Bryant made another 3-pointer as time expired to lift the Lakers past the Blazers, 105\u2013104.<\/p>\n

With a starting lineup of O’Neal, Malone, Payton, and Bryant, the Lakers were able to reach the NBA Finals<\/a>. \u00a0However, they were upset in five games by the Detroit Pistons<\/a>, who won their first championship since 1990<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/span><\/sup>In that series, Bryant averaged 22.6 points per game and 4.4 assists. He shot 35.1% from the field. \u00a0Phil Jackson’s contract as coach was not renewed, and Rudy Tomjanovich<\/a> took over. Shaquille O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat<\/a> for Lamar Odom<\/a>, Caron Butler<\/a>, and Brian Grant<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/span><\/sup>The following day, Bryant declined an offer to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers<\/a> and re-signed with the Lakers on a seven-year contract.<\/p>\n

Bryant was closely scrutinized and criticized during the 2004\u201305 season<\/a> with his reputation badly damaged from all that had happened over the previous year. A particularly damaging salvo came when Phil Jackson wrote The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul<\/a><\/i>. The book detailed the events of the Lakers’ tumultuous 2003\u201304 season<\/a> and has a number of criticisms of Bryant. In the book Jackson called Bryant “uncoachable”. \u00a0Midway through the season, Rudy Tomjanovich<\/a> suddenly resigned as Lakers coach, citing the recurrence of health problems and exhaustion. \u00a0Without Tomjanovich, stewardship of the remainder of the Lakers’ season fell to career assistant coach Frank Hamblen<\/a>. Bryant was the league’s second-leading scorer at 27.6 points per game, but he was surrounded by a subpar supporting cast, and the Lakers went 34\u201348 and missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. The year signified a drop in Bryant’s overall status in the NBA, as he did not make the NBA All-Defensive Team and was also demoted to the All-NBA Third Team.\u00a0 <\/span><\/sup>During the season, Bryant also engaged in public feuds with Ray Allen<\/a> and Karl Malone<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 2005\u201306 NBA season<\/a> would mark a crossroads in Bryant’s basketball career. Despite past differences with Bryant, Phil Jackson<\/a> returned to coach the Lakers. \u00a0Bryant endorsed the move, and by all appearances, the two men worked together well the second time around, leading the Lakers back into the playoffs<\/a>. Bryant’s individual scoring accomplishments posted resulted in the finest statistical season of his career. On December 20, 2005, Bryant scored 62 points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks<\/a>. Entering the fourth quarter, Bryant outscored the entire Mavericks team 62\u201361, the only time a player has done this through three quarters since the introduction of the shot clock<\/a>. \u00a0When the Lakers faced the Miami Heat<\/a> on January 16, 2006, Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal made headlines by engaging in handshakes and hugs before the game, signifying a change in the feud<\/a> that had festered between them. \u00a0A month later, at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game<\/a>, the two were seen laughing together.<\/p>\n

On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points in a victory against the Toronto Raptors \u00a0In addition to breaking the previous franchise record of 71 set by Elgin Baylor<\/a>, Bryant’s 81-point game was the second-highest point total in NBA history, surpassed only by Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game<\/a> in 1962<\/a>. \u00a0In that same month, Bryant also became the first player since 1964<\/a> to score 45 points or more in four consecutive games, joining Chamberlain and Baylor as the only players ever to do so. \u00a0For the month of January, Bryant averaged 43.4 points per game, \u00a0the eighth highest single month scoring average in NBA history and highest for any player other than Chamberlain. By the end of the 2005\u201306 season, Bryant set Lakers single-season franchise records for most 40-point games (27) and most points scored (2,832). He won the league’s scoring title for the first time by averaging 35.4 points per game<\/a>. Bryant finished in fourth place in the voting for the 2006 NBA Most Valuable Player Award<\/a>, but received 22 first place votes\u2014second only to winner Steve Nash<\/a>. \u00a0The Los Angeles Lakers posted a 45\u201337 record, an eleven-game improvement over the previous season, and the entire squad seemed to be clicking.<\/p>\n

Later in the season, it was reported that Bryant would change his jersey number from 8 to 24 at the start of the 2006\u201307 NBA season<\/a>. Bryant’s first high school number was 24 before he switched to 33. After the Lakers’ season ended, Bryant said on TNT<\/a> that he wanted 24 as a rookie, but it was unavailable, as was 33, retired with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar<\/a>. Bryant wore 143 at the Adidas ABCD camp<\/a>, and chose 8 by adding those numbers.[94]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers played well enough to reach a 3\u20131 series lead over the Phoenix Suns<\/a>, culminating with Bryant’s OT-forcing and game-winning shots in Game 4. They came within six seconds of eliminating the second-seeded Suns in Game 6, however, they lost that game 126\u2013118 in overtime. \u00a0Despite Bryant’s 27.9 points per game in the series, the Lakers broke down, and ultimately fell to the Suns in seven games. \u00a0Bryant received criticism for only taking three shots in the second half of the 121\u201390 Game 7 loss to Phoenix. In the 2006 off-season, Bryant had knee surgery, preventing him from participating in the 2006 FIBA World Championship<\/a> tournament.[97]<\/span><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

During the 2006\u201307 season<\/a>, Bryant was selected to his 9th All-Star Game appearance, and on February 18, he logged 31 points, 6 assists, and 6 steals, earning his second career All-Star Game MVP trophy\u00a0Over the course of the season, Bryant became involved in a number of on court incidents. On January 28 while attempting to draw contact on a potential game winning jumpshot, he flailed his arm, striking San Antonio Spurs<\/a> guard Manu Gin\u00f3bili<\/a> in the face with his elbow. \u00a0Following a league review, Bryant was suspended for the subsequent game at Madison Square Garden<\/a> against the New York Knicks<\/a>. The basis given for the suspension was that Bryant had performed an “unnatural motion” in swinging his arm backwards. Later, on March 6, he seemed to repeat the motion, this time striking Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> guard Marko Jari\u0107<\/a>. \u00a0On March 7, the NBA handed Bryant his second one-game suspension.[101]<\/span><\/a><\/sup> In his first game back on March 9, he elbowed Kyle Korver<\/a> in the face which was retroactively re-classified as a Type 1 flagrant foul<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On March 16, Bryant scored a season-high 65 points in a home game against the Portland Trail Blazers<\/a>, which helped end the Lakers 7-game losing streak. This was the second-best scoring performance of his 11-year career. The following game, Bryant recorded 50 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves,\u00a0 <\/span><\/sup>after which he scored 60 points in a road win against the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a>\u2014becoming the second Laker to score three straight 50-plus point games, a feat not seen since Michael Jordan<\/a> last did it in 1987. \u00a0The only other Laker to do so was Elgin Baylor<\/a>, who also scored 50+ in three consecutive contests in December 1962<\/a>. \u00a0In the following day, in a game against the New Orleans Hornets<\/a>, Bryant scored 50 points, making him the second player in NBA history to have 4 straight 50 point games behind Wilt Chamberlain, who is the all-time leader with seven consecutive 50 point games twice. \u00a0Bryant finished the year with a total of ten 50-plus point games, \u00a0becoming the only player beside Wilt Chamberlain<\/a> in 1961\u201362 and 1962\u201363 to do so in one season. He also won his second straight scoring title that season. Throughout the 2006\u201307 season, Bryant’s jersey became the top selling NBA jersey in the United States and China. \u00a0A number of journalists have attributed the improved sales to Bryant’s new number, as well as his continuing All-Star performance on the court. \u00a0In the 2007 NBA Playoffs<\/a>, the Lakers were once again eliminated in the first round by the Phoenix Suns<\/a>, 4\u20131.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

]<\/span><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Kobe Bean Bryant<\/b> is an American professional basketball<\/a> player for the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> of the National Basketball Association<\/a> (NBA). He entered the NBA directly from high school, and has played for the Lakers his entire career, winning five NBA championships<\/a>. Bryant is a 16-time All-Star<\/a>, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team<\/a>, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team<\/a>. As of November 2014, he ranks third and fourth on the league’s all-time postseason scoring<\/a> and all-time regular season scoring lists<\/a>, respectively. He is the son of former NBA player, Joe Bryant<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School<\/a> in Pennsylvania<\/a>, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He declared his eligibility for the NBA Draft<\/a> upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft<\/a> by the Charlotte Hornets<\/a>, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal<\/a> led the Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000<\/a> to 2002<\/a>. A feud<\/a> between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals<\/a> resulted in O’Neal’s trade from the Lakers to the Miami Heat<\/a>. Following O’Neal’s departure, Bryant became the cornerstone of the franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005\u201306<\/a> and 2006\u201307<\/a> seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors<\/a>, the second most points scored in a single game<\/a> in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game<\/a> in 1962. He was awarded the regular season’s Most Valuable Player Award<\/a> (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals<\/a>, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009<\/a> and 2010<\/a>, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award<\/a> on both occasions.<\/p>\n

At 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. Since his second year in the league, Bryant has been selected to start every All-Star Game. He has won the All-Star MVP Award<\/a> four times (2002<\/a>, 2007<\/a>, 2009<\/a>, and 2011<\/a>), tying him for the most All Star MVP Awards in NBA history. At the 2008<\/a> and 2012 Summer Olympics<\/a>, he won gold medals<\/a> as a member of the U.S. national team<\/a>. Sporting News<\/a><\/i> and TNT<\/a> named Bryant the top NBA player of the 2000s.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THE GREATEST SINCE MICHAEL JORDAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MINNEAPOLIS \u2014 With a pair of free throws in the second quarter Sunday evening, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant moved up one notch on the all-time NBA scoring ledger, taking over third place and passing Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the youngest of three children and the only […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[330,11,8,13,14,106,1,7,9,10],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-10454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-basketball-sports","category-business","category-entertainment","category-health","category-most-commented","category-nba-sports-news","category-news","category-sports","category-us","category-world","tag-kobe-bryant","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10454\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}