Kobe Bryant had one of the most legendary NBA careers of all time.
Winning five championships, two Finals MVPs, one NBA MVP and 18 All-Star appearances, Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest NBA players of all time.
“The Black Mamba” is remembered for his killer mentality, clutch shot-making and historic scoring performances. He had some of the most stunning individual performances ever seen, including a 60-point night in his final game.
Here, we take a look back at eight of the greatest Bryant moments with the LA Lakers and rank them based on their historical significance.
8. Scoring 55 points vs Michael Jordan
Bryant famously modelled his game after the great Michael Jordan, so going off for 55 against Jordan and the Washington Wizards must have been a surreal moment.
In 2003, Bryant had 42 points in the first half against 39-year-old Jordan. He went nuclear from three, going 9-13 from deep. The moment wasn’t lost on anyone in attendance. It reminds them all exactly why they remembered Jordan so fondly: he could play like this.
It was a night Bryant would remember forever, and one the ever-competitive Jordan would love to forget.
7. Hitting free throws with a torn Achilles
Nothing epitomises the “Mamba mentality” like what Kobe Bryant did in 2013. In a close game against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, Bryant tore his Achilles. Instead of being carried down the tunnel, he stepped up to the free-throw line and hit both foul shots, his face wincing in agony.
Winning meant everything to Bryant. Effectively standing on one leg, he fought through agony to secure two crucial points for the Lakers. LA went on to win by those two points.
Bryant had put the team on his back all season long, playing crazy minutes to will the Lakers into the playoffs. That was until his Achilles gave out, but he had one last effort to give before heading down the tunnel to a standing ovation.
6. Outscoring the Dallas Mavericks in three quarters
In one of his greatest-ever scoring performances, Bryant outscored the entire Dallas Mavericks team through three quarters with 62 points. The game was such a blowout that he sat out the entire fourth quarter.
The score was Bryant 62, Dallas 61, entering the fourth. It was the first time a player had outscored a team in three periods in the shot clock era.
He went 18-31 from the field and 22-25 from the foul line in 32 minutes of play. The Mavs had no answer for Bryant.
5. Game winner vs Phoenix Suns
Round one of the 2006 playoffs saw a series of some of the biggest clutch plays in the league’s history, made by Bryant.
Leading 2-1 in a series against Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns, the Suns were up two with the ball, with 7.9 seconds on the clock. Bryant hit an incredible layup after a stolen inbounds pass and sent the game to overtime.
In OT, the Lakers were down one with 6.1 seconds remaining. Bryant came away with the ball after a tipped jump-ball and hit a walk-off elbow jumper over two defenders. It will forever be remembered in a long list of clutch Mamba moments.
4. Winning his fifth NBA title in Game 7 vs the Boston Celtics
Many questioned whether Bryant could win without Shaquille O’Neal once the legendary big man left the Lakers. In 2009, he answered emphatically, and in 2010 he doubled down against the Lakers’ biggest rivals.
The Lakers played the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, the two most iconic franchises in the NBA going head-to-head on the biggest stage. The Lakers lost this matchup against Kevin Garnett and the Celtics two years prior. And the rematch didn’t disappoint.
It was a seven-game series in which Bryant averaged 28.6 points and secured his second Finals MVP trophy. He shot poorly in Game 7, going 6-of-24 from the floor, but grabbed 15 rebounds to will his team to the win. Bryant matched Lakers legend Magic Johnson by winning his fifth NBA championship.
3. Game 7 alley-oop to Shaquille O’Neal
Bryant was known for his emphatic scoring ability, but his most iconic play may well have been a pass to his teammate O’Neal to win the Western Conference Finals.
Playing a Game 7 against Scottie Pippen and the Portland Trail Blazers, the Lakers were down 13 going into the fourth with their season on the line. They fought back valiantly, and hit the dagger with an electric alley-oop from Bryant to O’Neal.
O’Neal famously ran down the court with both hands in the air. It was a signature moment for one of the NBA’s best-ever duos.
2. 60 points in his final game
Bryant dropped the mic in his final NBA game with a 60-point night at the Staples Center. It was one of the finest performances of his career in his last moments in purple and gold.
O’Neal challenged his old teammate to get 50 before the game, and Bryant laughed it off. Instead, he did him 10 better.
In an otherworldly performance, Bryant scored 15 points in the closing minutes to bring the Lakers back from down 10 to win against the Utah Jazz.
His game-sealing plays were a contested fadeaway three and an outlet to Jordan Clarkson for the dagger dunk in transition – his final play as a Laker.
In his postgame interview, he signed off to the Lakers faithful, “Mamba out.”
1. Scoring 81 points in an NBA game
Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in an NBA game. It was the highest tally scored in a game since Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962.
In a 122-104 win against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, Bryant made 28 out of 46 shots and made 18 free throws in a jaw-dropping 42 minutes.
He scored 55 points in the second half alone, flipping a seven-point halftime deficit into a win. Bryant logged 13 straight points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Not only was Bryant’s unmatched scoring prowess on full display, but so was his insatiable will to win.