Kobe Bryant announced his retirement from the NBA on Sunday after playing 20 seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant will go down as one of the greatest players in NBA history as he won five NBA Championships, was an All-Star for all but two seasons and he had some very memorable moments. While people will be focusing on his top plays here we will be focusing on five of the more memorable moments from Kobe's prolific career.
5) Kobe Dunks All Over Dwight Howard:
This is included in my top five because in hindisght this is basically foreshadowing these two's future relationship. As the announcer says on the video Kobe was playing with a sore foot and still dunked right over a young (and much less muscular) Dwight Howard. People forget just how athletic Kobe was back in his prime but this is just one of many highlight reel dunks he had throughout his career.
4) 2013 NBA All-Star Game Kobe blocks LeBron James twice:
At this point in his career Kobe was still one of the best players in basketball as he averaged 27.3 points per game in the 2012-13 season but it was very clear LeBron was at the top of the game. In the fourth quarter of the All-Star game when the defense typically starts to pick up in an otherwise defenseless game, Kobe guarded LeBron and swatted him twice as if to say "I'm still here buddy." That was Kobe's final season of being a dominant NBA player but it is easy to forget just how good he was on defense.
3) 2009-10 Kobe Doesn't flinch at Matt Barnes' ball fake:
Okay so this isn't a big deal in terms of Kobe's legacy or anything like that but this video has been making the rounds recently and I just felt I had to include it. Matt Barnes fakes throwing the ball right at Kobe's face and he doesn't even move an inch, this situation is a microcosm of how tough a player Kobe was and that he wouldn't back down from anyone or anything at any moment.
2) 2000 Kobe fights Chris Childs:
So this is the second moment that really has nothing to do with basketball but it certainly is memorable despite happening more than 15 years ago. Kobe and Chris Childs duked it out on the court as Childs threw two punches that landed while Kobe attempted to counter but missed. Bryant was suspended one game for the fight, while Childs was suspended for two. Both players were also ejected and fined.
1) 2006 Kobe scores 81 points:
This has to be Kobe's most memorable moment because it is just not something that ever happens. When people score 50 points it is usually a huge deal but Kobe dropped 81 on the Toronto Raptors about 10 years ago. The 81 points was the second most ever scored by a player in an NBA game behind only Wilt Chamberlain's famous 100 point game. Bryant shot 28-46 from the field in this game and it was the best indicator of what kind of offensive talent he was and how fast he can fill up the box score.
