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LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant would have turned 43 years old today as the NBA world celebrates the life and times of the one famously known as the Black Mamba. Throughout his career, Bryant was a larger-than-life figure, creating indelible moments that left fans awestruck.
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Kobe Bryant stats that demand attention
There have been many statistics attached to Kobe Bryant that have made his career one to truly admire and enjoy. On Bryant’s special day, we’d like to invite you to take a closer look at 8 stats that show just how great the late LA Laker superstar truly was.
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1. 15 All-NBA selections
It’s one thing to be an All-Star, it’s another to be voted to an All-NBA team. Kobe Bryant was selected to 15 All-NBA teams, which are tied for second all-time to LeBron James. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan are the other players to have recorded as many as Bryant’s.
Breaking it down, Kobe has been named First Team 11 times, Second Team two times and Third Team two times as well. To be selected as one of the 15 best players of a single season is a distinct honor and Bryant was so good for so long that he was named to 15 All-NBA teams out of the 20 seasons that he played.
2. 9 All-Defensive First Team selections
Perhaps one of the most satisfying achievements for Kobe Bryant is his selection to nine All-Defensive First Teams, tying him with Michael Jordan, Kevin Garnett and Gary Payton.
One of the most competitive players in the game knew full well that he didn’t want to be known as simply a scorer, in the same way that Jordan didn’t. Kobe has the 16th highest total steals in league history with 1,944 in the regular season, but he is sixth all-time in playoff swipes with 310 for his career.
Moreover, Kobe Bryant relished the opportunity to guard the other team’s best player and would often ask his coach if he could take on the assignment.
Also Read: Kobe Bryant’s net worth, salary, endorsements and more
3. 122 40-point games
Among the most incredible stats that Kobe Bryant owns are the 122 times in his career that he recorded at least 40 points. That’s the third-most in NBA history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain and Jordan.
Included in those 122 games are the nine straight contests in which he scored at least 40 points. That streak happened from Feb. 6 all the way to Feb. 24, 2003. The two-and-a-half week period of 40-point games included the following:
46 points vs. the New York Knicks
51 points vs. the Denver Nuggets
44 points vs. the San Antonio Spurs
52 points vs. the Houston Rockets
4. 25 50-point games
Kobe Bryant recorded 25 games of 50 points or more. That’s an insane amount of times and is third in the league annals with only Chamberlain and Jordan again being the only players to have more under their belts than he does.
Consider that only four players have surpassed the half-century mark at least 20 times (Harden with 23 is the other). Kobe Bryant’s 25 times scoring at least 50 points is more than LeBron (12), Kevin Durant (6) and Bradley Beal (5) combined.
5. 6 60-point games
One major statistic in which Kobe Bryant has bested Jordan is in the number of 60-point games that he owns. Bryant is second only to Chamberlain (32 - no that’s not a typo) in this category with six.
Bryant’s ability to go on a hot-streak was a sight to behold and never was that more apparent whenever he would reach or breach the 60-point barrier.
Check out all six of the LA Lakers legend’s otherworldly performances while scoring at least 60 points.
- 81 points vs. the Toronto Raptors (1/22/2006)
- 65 points vs. the Portland Trail Blazers (3-16-2007)
- 62 points vs. the Dallas Mavericks (12-20-2005)
- 61 points vs. the New York Knicks (2-2-2009)
- 60 points vs. the Memphis Grizzlies (3-22-2007)
- 60 points vs. the Utah Jazz (4-13-2016)
6. 81 points
The second-most points ever scored by an NBA player belongs to Kobe Bryant (Chamberlain owns No. 1 with 100 points) who scored 81 points on Jan. 22, 2006 in a regular season game against the Toronto Raptors.
To get to 81, Bryant made 28-of-46 field-goal attempts, 7-of-13 3-pointers and 18-of-20 free throws. The Black Mamba’s 81 points represented 66 percent of the LA Lakers’ 122 total points that night. That’s the highest percentage of points ever registered by a player of his team’s point total.
The milestone remains one of the most popular and one of the most-celebrated occasions annually.
7. 5,640 playoff points
Kobe Bryant’s 5,640 total points in the NBA playoffs is another noteworthy statistic from his career that shows his greatness. Only three players scored more playoff points than Kobe— LeBron James (7,631), Michael Jordan (5,987) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (5,762).
The 18-time All-Star recorded 13 games in which he scored at least 40 points with a high of 50 against the Phoenix Suns during Game 6 of the first-round of the 2006 NBA Playoffs.
8. 60 points in final NBA game
Give it to Kobe Bryant to exit the stage with a dramatic finish, giving the basketball world one more moment to savor on the last day of his NBA career.
On April 13, 2016, Bryant was not exactly feeling it in the first half against the playoff-bound Utah Jazz, making just 7-of-22 shots from the field for 22 points, giving little indication of what lay ahead for LA Lakers fans.
But Kobe Bryant caught fire in the second half as he scored 15 in the third quarter and 23 in the fourth while making 50 percent of his shots from the field.
In all, Bryant scored 60 points on 22-of-50 (44%) shooting to captivate and entertain the LA Lakers crowd one last time.
Also Read: Ranking the top 10 offensive players in the NBA in the 21st century
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