Top 5 iconic moments of Kobe Bryant's illustrious 20-year career

#2 Passing his idol Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list

Kobe Bryant waving to the crowd after passing Michael Jordan on the league’s all-time scoring list.

Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest to ever play the game, was Kobe Bryant’s idol growing up. He modeled his game, his technique, his style after Jordan. The duo shared a big brother-younger brother relationship and so for Bryant to surpass Jordan on the league’s all-time scoring list meant he had accomplished what he had set off to do.

Although he does not have as many championships rings or MVP awards as Jordan does, passing your idol would be a proud moment for anybody, and so it was for Kobe.

He surpassed Jordan knocking down his second free throw in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center during the 2014/15 season. It was gracious on the part of the Wolves management to allow the game to pause momentarily after Bryant sunk in the free-throw. He was honored at center court by the Wolves majority owner with the game ball.

Another reason why this moment was huge for Bryant was that he did not have much to look forward to after his Achilles injury. In the three seasons after that, he has failed to finish two complete seasons due to other injuries in his knees or shoulders.

So in the midst of that drama, this was a proud moment for Byrant and something he will cherish for the rest of his life.