Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant Entering History Books
By Shane Young
Knocking off the East’s best team is supposed to feel fantastic for the Los Angeles Lakers. Regardless of who it is — Toronto, Chicago, or Cleveland — it’s not a common occurrence when they beat stiff competition.
While the feeling of the win included the most exuberant celebrations, it was what happened during the game that expanded the joy to other NBA cities. You didn’t have to be a supporter of Los Angeles to enjoy Sunday night. In fact, all you had to do was know the history of the NBA, and have the common sense to appreciate a legend.
Kobe Bryant, in his 19th season out of high school, became the very first NBA player to ever record 30,000 points and 6,000 assists in a career. In one unexpected night, he entered the record books in a variety of ways that people may not realize. A lot of things were achieved in the matter of 48 minutes against Kobe’s arch-nemesis, the Raptors.
There was no better way to achieve everything he did than to do it against a team he dropped 81 points on in 2006. It’s nearing the ninth anniversary of that moment in January 2015, and Bryant probably feels a special sense of passion when he sees Toronto on the schedule.
Notching his 20th career triple double, Bryant did more than just become the first shooting guard this year to have such a game. He also set back the clock on his legs, becoming the oldest player in history to grab a triple double with 30+ points. Bryant was 36 years and 99 days old when he accomplished it on Sunday. As shocking as it may be, nobody over the age of 36 had ever done it before.
The second-oldest player to score 30+ points with a triple double was Larry Bird in 1992, when Mr. Celtic was 35 years and 99 days old. There’s something about that 99th day.
A different mentality struck Bryant when he stepped on the floor in the Lakers’ fourth win of the season. He wasn’t even in attack mode offensively during the first half. He only attempted four shots in the first half, connecting on all four. Typically, you won’t ever find Kobe below 12-14 shots attempted in the first 24 minutes of action. That’s not how it’s worked in Bryant’s head, and not how the Lakers have operated since Shaquille O’Neal‘s departure in 2004.
There was a substantial amount of feats Bryant secured in the triple double performance over Toronto, including a few that were mind-blowing:
- Kobe earned 31 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds for just the third time of his career. The previous two times were against the Clippers and Trail Blazers, both when he was 24 years old (12 years younger).
- The only other players to grab those numbers in a single game more than three times are Magic Johnson (7) and LeBron James (6). Both of them are known to be triple double machines. Bryant is known to be as a “chucker,” or a “ball-hog.”
- The last time a player recorded a stat-line of 31-12-11 was in 2011 (three years ago), by Russell Westbrook.
- In history, nobody else has ever notched a stat-line of that nature in their 19th season. The closest was Larry Bird (13th season), Jason Kidd (13th). Realizing that someone with that much experience and miles put on their legs can go out there and play like a young spring chicken is astonishing.
Nonetheless, Bryant’s triple double on Sunday won’t be remembered when the dust settles on his career. It was just one game, and the casual NBA audience usually lets that slip through the cracks of their brain. Single games are often lost, unless it’s just a miraculous event (Isiah Thomas‘ ankle, Michael Jordan‘s flu), or an absurd scoring game (Kobe’s 81, Jordan’s 69, Wilt’s 100).
Legacies are remembered and never fade in someone’s mind. If that’s truly the case, then Sunday should never drift away from the importance in NBA history.
Becoming the first player to enter the club of 30,000 points and 6,000 assists, Bryant did something that none of the top scorers in league history could do:
It’s important to note, as you see above, Bryant also became the first player ever with 6,000 rebounds to go along with his 30,000 points and 6,000 assists. Michael Jordan fell short by 467 assists, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was behind by 340 assists.
It’s Jordan, however, that you have to keep the closest eye on out of the whole list. Sure, Bryant is 140 points away from passing him for third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, but Jordan did his damage in so many less games. While this is the time to be praising Bryant for his continued success after the torn Achilles’ tendon, it’s also a time to appreciate just how legendary (and perfect) Jordan was in his 15-year career.
Bryant has played 190 more games than Jordan did in his career, and that number just continues to rise by the week. Every season Bryant extends his career, the longer he’s been in the league than Mr. six-time Finals MVP.
If you were to use proportions, and factored in what Jordan would’ve finished with IF he played 1,262 games in his career, it’s incredible. If Jordan would’ve played the same amount of games as Kobe has, he would likely have 38,015 points, 6,631 assists, and 7,854 rebounds.
Of course, all of those numbers are just from proportioning the averages Jordan had in his career (30.1 points, 5.3 assists, and 6.2 rebounds). In other words, those large amounts would NOT have been possible, because Jordan likely wouldn’t have been able to average such high stat-lines at an old age. It just doesn’t happen once you reach 40.
But, if Jordan took the path of Kobe and didn’t attend college first (for three years), he would’ve had three strong seasons in the pros to escalate his greatness.
At the end of the day, there’s nothing you can truly take away from Bryant for “playing more seasons than Jordan,” or “taking longer to do it.” It doesn’t matter, considering not one single person on Earth believes Bryant is “better” than the holy Michael Jordan. Nobody ever said that. If they did, I can recommend a mental doctor if need be.
When people rave about how incredible Bryant and his current success at age 36, they are not believing or saying that he’s the best player in the league. They are not saying he’s got more abilities than the current LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, or Russell Westbrook ruling the world.
They are simply explaining the admiration and respect for longevity, and not falling off the NBA map. It’s more than just longevity, but the importance of staying relevant while in his 19th season. By the end of his career, Bryant will have played 20 seasons as a professional, something only done by five other players: Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Garnett, Robert Parish, Moses Malone, and Kevin Willis.
When he reaches that point and calls it a career, nobody will have performed better as an “old, washed up man” than the one they call The Black Mamba.
**All statistical support credited to Basketball-Reference**
Shane Young is an NBA credentialed writer for 8 Points, 9 Seconds and HoopsHabit.com. For all Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, or general NBA coverage, follow @YoungNBA and @HoopsHabit on Twitter.