Last night, Kobe Bryant finally passed his idol Michael Jordan for third on the all-time scoring list, with a pair of free throws to give him 32,293 career points. Critics will argue it took Bryant four years longer to score as many points as MJ, but the kid turned man who was drafted straight out of high school. Relishes the important and historic moment. Per the LA Times:
“He [Jordan] knows how much I’ve learned from him, from the other legends, and him in particular,” Bryant said after dunking his feet into his postgame ice bath. “That’s the most important thing to me, I think, is playing for the respect of the greats and feeling like I’m a part of that culture, part of that brotherhood.”
His idol also enjoyed the moment.
“He’s obviously a great player, with a strong work ethic, and has an equally strong passion for the game of basketball,” Jordan said in a statement released through the team he owns, the Charlotte Hornets. “I’ve enjoyed watching his game evolve over the years, and I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes next.”
Bryant finished the night with 26 points in a Lakers victory and now only trails Karl Malone (36,928 career points) and points leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387). Here’s a look back at a few major milestone on Kobe’s journey to becoming third place on the all-time scoring list.
