Kobe Bryant’s Career in Retrospect

On Wednesday of April 13, 2016, over 18,000 fans packed the Staples Center to watch one of the most legendary names in basketball compete in his last and final game. Thirty-seven year-old Kobe Bryant has been playing on that court for the Laker’s for 20 years now, but he made this last game one for the books, scoring 60 points in a 101-96 victory over the Utah Jazz. Let’s take a look back at the milestones that lead this legend’s career to the court one last — and unforgettable — time. 

The Beginning 

In 1996, Bryant’s dreams went from a young child on a home basketball court to the big time NBA arenas when he was drafted 13^th overall by the Charlotte Hornets and later traded to the Los Angeles Lakers where he continued the rest of his career. On Feb. 18, 1998 Bryant became the youngest NBA All-Star in history at the age of 19 when he threw up 18 points while going up against Michael Jordan in Madison Square garden. Two years later, Bryant won his first NBA championship.

Laker Loyalty  

In 2006, Bryant put on an unforgettable game on the home basketball court of the Lakers; scoring 81 points in a 122-104 win over the Toronto Raptors. That season, he averaged 35.4 points, which was the eighth highest average in NBA history at the time. He continued on to rack up the points and earn himself multiple MVP awards and his fifth NBA championship. With that, he became the youngest player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points at the age of 34. When he entered his 20^th season in 2015, he became the first player to play that long for one NBA franchise. 

A Basketball Legend 

From a young boy on a home basketball court, to an NBA protégée in the Staples Center arena, Kobe Bryant is a legend in the world of basketball and he will never be forgotten. Whether it’s his final 60 points over the Utah Jazz, his infamous alley-oop to Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 or his buzzer-beater shot verses the Suns in 2006, Kobe Bryant will always be remembered. 

Alyssa Koenig is an athletics writer for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Sport Court. Follow on Twitter.