28,000 & Counting

Despite reaching the 28,000 point plateau,
it was a rough night for Bryant and Co.

After one of the worst shooting nights of his career, Los Angeles Laker guard Kobe Bryant still managed to have a historic evening Sunday in Denver.

Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to accumulate 28,000 when his first of two free throws found the bottom of the net with 10:43 remaining in the third quarter. The now-16-year veteran took that honor from another Laker legend. Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was 34 years, 363 days old when he became the youngest player to reach the 28,000 point plateau, nearly two years older than Bryant's 33 years, 131 days.

With his latest accomplishment, it what has been, to say the least, a magical career, Bryant finds himself sixth on the all-time scoring list and 584 away points of tying former teammate Shaquille O'Neal for a spot in the top five, a mark he should reach later this year.

While Bryant still has a ways to go to top Abdul-Jabbar's mark of 38,387 total career points, the 6-foot-6 guard is arguably the greatest scorer in NBA history.

Bryant became the leading scorer in Lakers history when he passed Jerry West's total (25,192) in February of 2010. He would also become the franchise's leader in postseason points that same season, a record also held by West.

In March of 2007, Bryant had a stretch of four consecutive games where he scored 50 or more points in a single game. That is second only to Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain's seven game stretch during the 1961-62 season. Chamberlain accomplished that feat five times that season.

The 13-time All-Star has scored 50 points or more twenty-four times in his career, including five games of 60-plus points. The great Michael Jordan, who is the only other guard in NBA history to eclipse the 28,000-point total, also totaled five 60-point games in his career.

Most recently, Bryant saved his best for the bright lights of New York City, when he went off for 61 points on Feb. 2, 2009, in a game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Three years prior, on Jan. 22, 2006, Bryant put on a Chamberlain-esque performance, scoring 81 points at home against the Toronto Raptors. 55 of the points came in the second half.

As for Bryant's most recent game and first of the new year, it wasn't a thing of beauty.

Bryant missed his first five shots of the game and finished the half 1-for-10. Not to mention both of his first half offensive fouls as part of his six total turnovers on the game. Bryant finished the game with 16 points, shooting .214% (6-for-28) from the field.

Despite excellent play from Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, who combined for 38 points and 27 rebounds, Los Angeles came up short, 99-90. The loss coming at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers were playing their sixth game in eight days and Denver for the second time in as many nights.

This time Bryant's remarkable confidence stood in the way and his greatest strength became his greatest weakness.