Two years ago, we saw Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, arguably the greatest of all time, step away from his career on the hardwood. An astounding 18-time All-star, 15-time All-NBA selection, two-time Finals MVP, season MVP, and a five-time champion, his career is nothing short of epic.
In honor of the Black Mamba’s exploits, his 40th birthday, and Mamba Day here are his best career plays ranked from 40 to 1.
40- Effortless, 2006
Even when it looks like he is not even trying on offense, draining buckets is like clockwork to him. The remaining seconds of the third quarter were winding down against the Spurs. On transition, he nonchalantly tosses a midrange shot which banked in effortlessly.
39- Dimes, 2007
Notoriously known for taking the game into his own hands, Kobe’s passing game is on point when the situation calls for it. A rare show of passing prowess, he delivers the ball via behind the legs pass to a cutting Lamar Odom for an easy bucket against the Supersonics.
38- Self-pass, 2004
A smartly defended possession from Grizzlies forward Theron Smith made Bryant look trapped on offense. Unknowingly for the forward, Bryant’s extensive bag of offensive tricks go beyond what he could handle with a shot fake to a self alley oop pass for an easy layup.
37- Lost in behind, 2004
Kobe gets a bound pass from Kareem Rush on transition. As he attacks the rim, Timberwolves star Kevin Garnett rushes in to engage him on defense. Not the one to lose composure, Kobe makes a slick wrap around the ball which loses Garnett behind for the easy layup.
36- Giving a tip, 1999
The Lakers were down two-points with 1.9 seconds left against the Golden State Warriors. As Shaquille O’Neal missed his free throw, a young Kobe sneaks in a tip in to send the game to overtime.
35- Breakaway show, 1997
Stealing the ball from Sacramento Kings forward Billy Owens led to a to a one-man Bryant fastbreak. With a clear lane to the hoop, the only appropriate thing to do was a showtime 360-degree dunk.
34- Slam Dunk Contest, 1997
It was a triple treat between Timberwolves guard Chris Carr, Mavericks guard Michael Finley, and then-rookie Kobe Bryant. He took home the title with a sweet between-the-legs slam in the last round.
33- Poster oop, 2005
Chucky Atkins throws a perfect lob pass to a baseline cutting Kobe Bryant, which posterizes a hapless Blazer forward Viktor Khryapa for a sick alley opp jam.
32- Blow by, 2005
During his prime, Bryant was extremely athletic with an explosive first step. In one of his encounters with the Kings, he demonstrates both against defensive ace Doug Christie with a baseline blow by to an awesome two-handed reverse jam.
31- How did that go in, 2005
Shutting down Kobe Bryant was close to impossible with the amount of talent that he had. In a game against Dallas, with the shot clock winding down, Kobe recovers a seemingly doomed play by recovering the ball and hitting a fadeaway with his left hand from three-point distance.
30- Not in my house, 2000
It was western conference playoff time; a golden-haired Jason Kidd led the Phoenix Suns to take Game 2. With the game on the line and down one, Bryant decides to take over the with a tough contested jumper by the free throw line.
29- German poster, 2001
As he was doubled teamed by Maverick defenders near midcourt, Bryant manages to maneuver away and get some space to attack the rim. Unfortunately, Dirk Nowitzki was the recipient of a thunderous poster jam.
28- The putback, 2001
Bryant misses a shot on a tough drive hounded by San Antonio Spurs forward Sean Elliot. Persistently pursuing the ball on the missed play, Bryant gets a putback jam on Elliot and David Robinson to the delight on the Laker fans in attendance.
27- Dwight christening, 2005
Before the Dwightmare in LA, Dwight Howard was the Orlando Magic’s young franchise cornerstone. It did not really matter who was between Bryant and the rim, because he baptized him with a vicious slam on his rookie season.
26- Chasedown, 2009
Just because he is an offensive powerhouse on his own, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to play defense. Kobe is as deadly on transition defense as he is on offense. He perfectly times a chasedown block on a Warriors fastbreak.
25- No need to see, 2012
Kobe has mastered the art of not looking at the rim and still getting buckets. Although out his career, he has made one tough shot after the other. What makes this one of the toughest is the fact that he was body checked upon an alley oop which converted as a no-look reverse layup.
24- Behind-the-back reverse-slam vs. Nuggets, 2003
Transition is a deadly situation for opposing teams when Bryant has the rock. He glides by defenders with a sweet behind-the-back reverse-slam that has astonished fans for the 15 years since.
23- Late game heroics, 2002
The game was tight in the western conference semifinals against a tenacious Spurs team with the score tied at 85 a piece, it could go either way. Derek Fisher misses a shot near the free throw line in the finals seconds of regulation, then Bryant swoops in for an offensive board and put back over David Robinson to give then the lead.
22- For the tie, 2004
The Lakers were down three in Game 2 of the Finals. Against a suffocating Detroit Piston defense, Kobe knocks down a tightly contested three to tie it up with seconds left.
21- Height disadvantage, 2003
There are only a few times you can make a 7’6 Yao Ming look small. Against the Rockets, Kobe served a disrespectful baseline facial on the behemoth center. It just goes to show that the Great Wall is too small to contain him.
20- Self-pass 2, 2008
Unstoppable is an understatement when we talk about his offense. A rehash of his 2004 move which he perfected by this time. He does it now with two defenders in Andrei Kirilenko and Kyle Korver, which he finishes with a slam.
19- Circus master, 2010
Master of any shot from any angle, Kobe in his prime was a walking cheat code. Out of position and behind the backboard, he manages to get the shot off despite the difficulty and the defense of a young James Harden.
18- The magician, 2004
The Lakers faced-off against a resilient Rockets team led by Yao Ming in the Playoffs. In one of those unbelievable offensive plays, Kobe loses his defender on a screen, blows by the help defense, attacks two Rocket defenders in the paint for a basket and the foul. The most amazing part of the play was getting a circus shot off, with his back behind the basket and no idea where exactly the ring is.
17- Unguardable, 2010
Kobe single-handedly ended the Suns’ playoff dreams. Pitted against them in the Western Finals, up by five with less than a minute remaining he hit a tough highly contested jumper in the face of Grant Hill to seal the Suns’ fate.
16- All-Star Game, 2011
As the unquestioned alpha in his team and arguably the league, Kobe regularly sends the league a message the of his dominance. He sent LeBron James a clear one as he stared him down on an attempted chasedown block of his fastbreak slam.
15- Self-pass 3, 2012
I guess people were catching on this elusive technique of his. The Knicks defense collapsed on Kobe, which led to tossing the ball unto himself off the backboard into a wide open Gasol jump shot.
14- The Denial, 2008
There is nothing Kobe Bryant cannot do on the court once locked in. He catches the gigantic Rocket center Yao Ming on help defense for a supposed easy bucket.
13- Old man hops, 2013
We have to remember at this juncture he was already 34-years-old. He played a more mature and opportunistic kind of offense. In bursts of athleticism, he reminded the league of how potent he still is on offense. A wicked two-handed double pump reverse jam from the baseline is an excellent reminder of it.
12- Unguardable 2, 2011
There must be something with how Grant Hill guards Kobe. Despite the excellent defensive effort and coverage, Kobe just counters with better offense. Off balance and highly contested, he just manages to score buckets at will.
11- Assist machine, 2015
It is common for Kobe to dominate on the offensive end, but against the Cavaliers he proved he can dominate in any end of the floor. Setting a career high 16 assists, his passes on easy buckets were as impactful on him getting tough shots on offense.
10- Old man hops 2, 2013
One of the deadliest men on isolation, Bryant is just a nightmare on offense. All he needs is space and elevation, he will surely deliver on sickening poster jams. He just buried Nets players Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries as a 34-year-old.
9- Raining threes, 2003
Despite not really known as a three-point marksman, Kobe Bryant decided to prove everyone wrong once again in one of his games. He made it rain threes going 12-18 versus the Supersonics.
8- Kobe vs Jordan, 1997
Against arguably the greatest of all time, Kobe put on a show versus Michael Jordan and the Bulls at the United Center. Eeriely playing like a copy of Jordan, Kobe racked up 33 points earning himself respect in the league.
7- NBA Finals, 2000
If Jordan had his flu game against the Utah Jazz, Kobe had his ankle game against the Indiana Pacers. With Shaq fouled out, he came up big despite the throbbing ankle giving them a 3-1 league en route to a championship.
6- 4-game 50s, 2007
If we haven’t established how great Kobe is as a scorer this would be a good time. In four games, he scored more than 50 points consecutively against the Blazers, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and Hornets.
5- 62 points in 3, 2005
No question he can flat-out score on anything and everyone, although he took it to another level when he outscored a Maverick team with Dirk Nowitzki and then-All-star Josh Howard. He never set foot in the fourth quarter. It would be scary to imagine the points he would’ve gotten if he did.
4- All-time great, 2015
Kobe Bryant adds more to his legend as he passes Michael Jordan on the All-time scoring leaders. He is now the third behind Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 33,643 points.
He accomplishes the feat on a free throw against the Timberwolves.
3- Passing the torch, 2003
Kobe put on a scoring clinic with 55 points on the then-39-year-old Michael Jordan. While the points were partly the main highlight of the game, it clearly was a changing of the guard in the NBA.
2- Going out with a bang, 2016
He made noise when he entered the league. It would be uncharacteristic of him going out with just a whimper. The future Hall of Famer did not disappoint by scoring 60 points on the Utah Jazz for his final game.
1- The 81, 2006
When Wilt Chamberlain set the record at 100 points, nobody thought anyone would come close to that legendary record. Kobe Bryant proved everybody wrong by scoring 81 points on the Toronto Raptors, solidifying his legend by delivering the second-highest number of points scored in a game.
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