One game.
That’s all that remains in the Hall of Fame career of Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant.
Over the course of 20 seasons, Bryant has provided us with an endless amount of highlights, game-winners and jaw-dropping scoring feats.
Having a career filled with memorable moments inevitably means that some impressive acts will go unnoticed or under-appreciated. In honor of the Kobe’s final game, let’s take a look at the 8 Most Underrated Mamba Moments.
Throwing It Down on Mt. Yao
Back in the 2002-03 season, Shaq infamously started the season out of shape and injured, leading the three-time defending Champ Lakers to stumble out of the gate. The team was hovering around .500 and out of the playoff picture when the 8th-place Rockets came into town for a game against a Laker squad missing Shaq.
With his team needing a win to get into the playoff picture, Kobe took it upon himself to absolutely take over the game. The Lakers picked up a win in double overtime, while Bryant dropped 52 points on the Rockets and one massive posterization on Yao Ming.
It was Bryant’s 6th (of 9) straight 40-point games and 10th (of 13) straight games with at least 35. Oh and the next night Kobe dropped 40 in a road win over the Jazz.