Kobe Bryant made history on Sunday night.
The 36-year-old Lakers legend passed Michael Jordan on the NBA’s career scoring list. Bryant sunk a free-throw in the 2nd quarter to give him 32,293 career points, vaulting him ahead of MJ and into sole possession of 3rd place all-time.
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Bryant — along with an entire generation of ballers — grew up idolizing Jordan, and His Airness congratulated Kobe on finally moving out of his shadow:
“I congratulate Kobe on reaching this milestone. He’s obviously a great player, with a strong work ethic and has an equally strong passion for the game of basketball.
I’ve enjoyed watching his game evolve over the years, and I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes next.”
Per Associated Press
The Lakers’ start to the 2014-2015 season has been widely recognized as one of the worst in franchise history, and the Black Mamba’s milestone couldn’t have come at a better time. (RELATED: Things Might Be Looking Up For Lakers, But Then Again Probably Not)
Last night’s win over Minnesota gave Los Angeles a third consecutive win, their longest such streak of the year. Unfortunately, the Lakers still have some serious issues to fill — namely playing defense and abysmal locker room chemistry — if they want any shot of making the playoffs in the highly competitive Western conference.
By the way, the Lakers threw Bryant an impromptu party on the team plane after the game, but no one except the flight attendants seemed particularly pumped about it.
I absolutely love how Kobe doesn’t let anyone sit next to him on the flight. That’s a serious power move from one of the top-5 players of all time.
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