Top 5 Legendary Kobe Bryant Moments to Celebrate His 47th Birthday
Kobe Bryant would’ve turned 47 on Saturday. With the announcement of Warner Bros’ Biopic of him late on Friday night and his birthday and Kobe Bryant day being on this weekend, there is no better time than now to look back at my personal Top 5 Kobe Bryant moments that impacted me as a fan. Kobe was one of those icons that we have now coined the phrase “Kobe” when we shoot a crumpled-up piece of paper into the trash cans everywhere. So with that being said, let’s get into the top 5 Kobe Bryant moments.
5. 61 Points in the Garden
On February 2, 2009, Bryant had one of his best performances on the road with his 61 points, which broke the all-time points record in Madison Square Garden. That game was a full showcase of all of his greatest hits and moves that he would pull off, especially in his “24” era, and that game showed the NBA that Kobe is still that killer. His flow in that game in particular was an excellent showcase of his skills.
4. Kobe’s Game Winner vs Suns in First Round of 2006 Playoffs
This moment starts with the sequence at the end of the fourth quarter, where the Lakers came back from five down with 12.6 seconds remaining in the quarter with a Bryant game-tying layup to send the game to OT. Then Overtime was a thriller between both teams, mind you, this was the prime Suns with the “7 seconds or less” philosophy that was a handful for the rest of the league.
As we wind down to the final seconds of overtime, we get a jump ball at center court, then the rest is history. “Walton to tip it, Bryant with the save,” ESPN’s Mike Breen starts this iconic call with. “Final Seconds, Bryant for the win, BANGG!!!” The chants of MVP reign down the Staples Center that day to give the Lakers a 3-1 series lead. Lakers fans would like to forget what happened the rest of that series, but the Iconic scene of Kobe grabbing the jersey will always be in my mind forever.
3. Kobe to Shaq in the 2000 Western Conference Finals
“Bryant To SHAQ!” Bob Costas exclaimed. This alley oop in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals will always be a memory in my mind because of Shaq’s celebration alone. The Lakers were down a lot in this game, but were able to complete the comeback to eventually start the Three-peat thanks to the efforts of Shaq and Kobe, and maybe the refs a little bit as well.
2. Kobe’s 81 vs Raptors on Jan 22, 2006
We head back to 2006 for this next moment, probably his most iconic moment for the longest time, before my number one topped it forever. Bryant would drop 81 points on a decent Toronto team led by a young Chris Bosh. The thing of this game was that the Lakers need every bit of Kobe Bryant’s 81 points to pull off the win as the rest of his teammates only score 41 points in this game and they were down by 14 at the Half in this game.
Bryant was phenomenal in the second half of this game for the Lakers, as he scored 55 points in the second half alone in that game. That moment sparked multiple commercials, including the olives commercial with Jalen Rose for ESPN. That game was my number one Kobe moment for the longest time, but I think we all know what No.1 is now.
1. Kobe’s Final Game
The Black Mamba’s final game against the Jazz on August 13, 2016, was a vintage performance from the Mamba in a year where you could tell that he had lost a step, and it was time for him to retire. But he put in one last moment for all of the Lakers fans and Kobe fans like myself by providing one last 60-point performance in a Lakers win. That is a moment that will live on forever, especially post-game when he speaks with the fans, and he finishes his speech with two words, “Mamba Out.”
Final Thoughts
Bryant is the second greatest shooting guard of all-time, easily, and these five moments are excellent examples of what he can do on the court, and the memories will live on. The Warner Bros biopic is going to look at his draft day experience, which was also memorable, and should be a great representation. The Black Mamba will always be one of those guys who will be one of the few players that everyone will be thinking about. Happy Heavenly Birthday, Kobe!
