Since the death of Kobe Bryant was announced on Sunday, there have been some remarkable tributes. Even though he never played for the Dallas Mavericks, the team is retiring his number 24. When the Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs played on Sunday, both teams let the 24 second clock expire for each of their first possession.
In the fourth round of the Australian Open, Australian tennis star and basketball fan Nick Kyrgios came out wearing a Bryant Lakers jersey and thousands of fans could be seen outside of Staples Center in Los Angeles to pay tribute to Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who also died in the helicopter crash in southern California yesterday. Here are five outstanding Kobe Bryant moments.
5) Two-time Olympic gold medalist
Bryant was part of the American dream team that won Olympic gold for the United States in men’s basketball at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He averaged 15 points per game in his first trip to the Olympics and 12.1 points per game in his second trip. Bryant was also able to help restore American order when it came to men’s Olympic basketball as the United States did not win gold at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
4) Bryant scores 60 points in his final game
On April 13, 2016, Bryant played his final game of his NBA career. However, he was dominant on the court. He had 60 points in a 101-96 Lakers win over the Utah Jazz at Staples Center.
3) Bryant wins three straight NBA Finals from 2000 to 2002
Bryant’s first three NBA Finals victories came alongside Shaquille O’Neal. The Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets. Showing his great defense when the Lakers won the 2000 NBA Finals, Bryant led all players with 32 postseason steals.
2) Bryant scores the second most points in a single NBA game with 81
On January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant was a shooting machine. He scored 81 points in a 122-104 win over the Toronto Raptors. Only Wilt Chamberlain (100 points) scored more in a single basketball game. Bryant’s scoreline was 28 of 46 in field goal attempts, seven of 13 in three point attempts and 18 of 20 in free throw attempts.
1) Bryant leads the Lakers to back-to-back NBA Finals in 2009 and 2010
With O’Neal in Cleveland, the 2009 and 2010 Lakers were Kobe’s team. He delivered with back-to-back championships scoring 695 points in the 2009 postseason and 671 points in the 2010 postseason, to lead the NBA. Bryant and the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals and then the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals.
Kobe will surely go down as one of the true greats and may he rest in peace.
Please click here for Kobe Bryant’s statistics.
