Kobe Bryant played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Initially starting out as one of the most electric, young superstars in the league, Bryant eventually became a cold and calculated assassin on the court.

The late Lakers legend's Hall of Fame career can be divided into two chapters. First when he wore No. 8 and the other when he sported No. 24, all while wearing the iconic Purple and Gold. Kobe spent the first 10 years of his career from the 1996-97 season to the 2005-06 campaign wearing the former. In his last 10 years, from 2006-07 all the way to his retirement in 2016, Bryant had the latter on his front and back.

If you split Kobe's accomplishments and accolades into two, both would still certainly warrant a Hall of Fame nod. He led the Lakers to multiple titles while wearing both 8 and 24. That's why those two special numbers are up on the rafters of Staples Center.

With that, let's take a look at why Bryant suddenly changed his jersey number right in the middle of his career and the differences and similarities between those two iterations of The Black Mamba.

Bryant, rocking the No. 8, entered the NBA as a brash and talented 18-year old looking to prove himself in the league. According to ESPN, Bryant chose 8 because that's the number he wore in Italy. Likewise, the number that he wore while playing at the Adidas ABCD Camp, 143, adds up to 8.

Bryant admitted, via ESPN, that he did have the “prove yourself” mentality when he came into the NBA.

“When I first came in at 8, is really trying to ‘plant your flag' sort of thing,” Bryant said. “I got to prove that I belong here in this league. I've got to prove that I'm one of the best in this league. You're going after them. It's nonstop energy and aggressiveness and stuff.”

The prep-to-pros kid entered the league as a scrawny 6-foot-6 guard with a rather raw offensive game matched with incredible athleticism. He eventually developed his offensive skills and became one of the fastest rising stars in the league. Through the first half of his career, much of Bryant's highlights consisted of high-flying dunks and acrobatic shots, rather than the turnarounds and fadeaways we later saw in his career.

For much of the first half of Bryant's career, he can be viewed as Shaquille O'Neal's partner-in-crime for the Lakers. Though O'Neal was clearly “the man” in Los Angeles, Kobe, however, wasn't just any ordinary No. 2.

Bryant clearly had the alpha dog in him and he proved it in Game 4 of the 2000 NBA Finals. O'Neal had fouled out in overtime and Kobe simply took over, making three key baskets for the Lakers in the final two minutes to give them a 3-1 lead in the series. And that was with a bad ankle, too.

Unfortunately, him looking to prove himself eventually played a part in the end of his partnership with Shaq. Though they won three straight NBA championships together from 2000 to 2002, O'Neal and Bryant's relationship, which had been shaky for a while now, eventually became irreconcilable after they lost to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 Finals.

In the end, the Lakers chose to trade O'Neal in the summer of 2004 and made Bryant the face of the franchise. This gave Kobe the opportunity to prove himself as the top dog.

Bryant continued wearing the No. 8 until the 2005-06 season. The following year, Bryant made the jersey swap. By this time, The Black Mamba had already become an established superstar in the NBA.

Per ESPN, 24 is the number he wore back in Lower Merion High School. He also explained how the number became a turning point in his life and career, and symbolized his growth and maturity, both as a player and a person.

“Then 24 is a growth from that,” he explained. “Physical attributes aren't there the way they used to be, but the maturity level is greater. Marriage, kids. Start having a broader perspective being one of the older guys on the team now, as opposed to being the youngest. Things evolve.”

As mentioned earlier, Bryant wowed the crowds often with emphatic and high-flying dunks through his teens all the way through his mid-20's. Now having played 10 years in the NBA, and learning every trick in the book, Kobe impressed with the footwork, the turnarounds, the fadeaways, the I.Q., and all the other maturing parts of his game.

Bryant had also gone through many trials and tribulations through the mid-2000's. He had the controversial rape case going on in his life and also heard a ton of harsh criticisms that he couldn't win without O'Neal. With the jersey change, that sort of breathed new life into him.

“It's kind of a clean slate,” he says. “I started new. Just start completely fresh, focus on the number that meant a lot to me.”

What remained the same, however, is the passion and drive to win. With his Mamba Mentality fueling his motivation and hunger, Bryant eventually won two more championships with the Lakers to add to the first three that he won while sporting No. 8 earlier in the decade.

Comparing the numbers and accolades between those two halves of his career, they were actually very identical to each other.

Bryant won a scoring title while wearing both 8 and 24. He made eight All-Star appearances and eight All-NBA teams through his first 10 seasons. Meanwhile, he made 10 All-Stars and seven All-NBA nods through the latter 10. Even his scoring totals were nearly at par with each other: 16,866 points through the first half, and 16,777 points through the second half.

The averages were also nearly the same. Bryant averaged 23.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists through the first half of his career. While wearing No. 24, he averaged 26.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists,

As he mentioned, Bryant had a completely different mindset during those two chapters of his career. Likewise, his game evolved as he grew older. Nonetheless, as different as those two animals were, they were very much still the same beast, carrying the same Mamba Mentality.