Kobe Bryant always wanted to leave a mark in basketball history. His eye-popping numbers and five championship rings have placed him as one of the best who has ever played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Tonight, he will become the first player in NBA history to have not one, but two numbers retired by one team. During a halftime ceremony at the Staples Center, Bryant’s jerseys will be retired by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bryant will become the 10th player in franchise history to have his number retired. The others are: Wilt Chamberlain (No. 13 – retired on November 9, 1983), Elgin Baylor (No. 22 – November 9, 1983), Jerry West (No. 44 – November 19, 1983), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (No. 33 – March 20, 1989), Earvin “Magic” Johnson (No. 32 – February 16, 1992), James Worthy (No. 42 – December 10, 1995), Gail Goodrich (No. 25 – November 20, 1996), Jamaal Wilkes (No. 52 – December 28, 2012), and Shaquille O’Neal (No. 34 – April 2, 2013).
As number 8, Bryant played in 707 games, averaging 23.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He made eight NBA All-Star Game appearances; won three championships; a scoring title (2006); a slam dunk contest championship (1997); made four All-NBA first teams (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006); and four All-Defensive first teams (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006). He also scored 81 points in a game, second-most in NBA history behind Chamberlain’s 100-point effort.
As number 24, he played in 638 games averaging 26.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. He made 10 NBA All-Star Game appearances; won two championships (2009, 2010); a scoring title (2007); made seven All-NBA first teams (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013); five All-NBA defensive teams (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011); was named NBA Finals MVP twice (2009, 2010); and was the NBA MVP (2008).
Of course, splitting up his numbers can diminish wild overall statistical achievements.
In his career, Bryant scored 33,643 total points, third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928). His 18 straight All-Star appearances are an NBA record, as are his 15 all-star game starts. His first-team All-NBA honors are the most in league history, tied with Malone and LeBron James. And those first team all-defense selections are also a record, tied with Jordan, Gary Payton, and Kevin Garnett. He also had the third-most 50-plus point games of all time, trailing just Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.
Black Mamba is the Lakers all-time leader in regular-season games played (1,346), minutes played (48,637), field goals (11,719), field goal attempts (26,200), three-point field goals (1,827), three-point field goal attempts (5,546), free throws (8,378), free throw attempts (10,011), points (33,643), steals (1,944), and usage percent (31.8) while owning franchise playoff records for games played (220), points (5,640), three-point field goals (292) and free throws (1,320).
Here are some additional little-known facts and records illustrating two decades of brilliance from the Los Angeles Lakers' top scorer:
- Throughout his career, Bryant has scored 40-plus points against every franchise in the league.
- His 81 points in a game in which the Lakers scored 122 is the highest percentage a single player had of his team’s output (66%) and the highest percentage of points one player has ever scored in a game for both teams (36%) in NBA history.
- Is the only player in the last 50 seasons with four straight 50-point games, which he did in 2007.
- Still the youngest player to score 30,000, 31,000, 32,000 and 33,000 points.
- Holds the Lakers record for most games with: 60+ points (6), 50+ (26), 40+ (134), 30+ (431), 20+ (941), and 10+ (1254).
- He is the only player in league history to score at least 600 postseason points in three consecutive years: 2008 – 633; 2009 – 695; 2010 – 671.
- Since he entered the league in 1996, a whopping 57 different players have recorded a 50-point game, but only three did it 10+ times; Kobe (25), Allen Iverson (11) and LeBron James (11).
Throughout his 20-year NBA career, whether he was wearing No. 8 or No. 24, Kobe Bryant put up plenty of numbers on the court for the Lakers. Clearly, he is one of history's best players and his name will forever be in the record books.