NBA What were your personal favorite Kobe moments?

Maestro84

Registered User
May 3, 2018
2,120
1,634
Toronto
Like many others, I still can't believe Kobe is no longer with us, but I know Kobe himself would not want us to feel so sad, and instead it would be better to celebrate his life, career and impact to both the game and fans worldwide. As a result, here are the Kobe moments that I remember best:

- 81 points, the greatest single game performance in the modern NBA period (Jan 2006)


- After the worst loss of his career in the '08 finals, Kobe came back the next year with some heavy vengeance. He murdered the Magic in game 1, setting the table for a finals series that the Lakers would go onto win in 5 games. Kobe won the FMVP, giving him his first trophy without Shaq on his team (Jun 2009)
Link: kobe game 1 vs magic - YouTube

- His final game ever. Still remember this game like it was yesterday, when he decided to go vintage Kobe to pull a horrid Lakers team to come back against the Jazz by dropping 60 including the game-winning shot with less than a minute to go. What a way to go off into the sunset! (Apr 2016)


- Three straight highly contested 3-pointers in the last 1.5 minutes with his team fighting for a playoff spot. He also capped it off with the game-winning dunk in OT (Mar 2013)


- After a disgraceful finish at the '04 Olympics, Kobe decided to join team USA in Beijing '08 and honestly, without Kobe's insane gold medal game performance, Spain likely beats the US that year (Aug 2008)
Link: Kobe Bryant's clutchest game 2008 Olympics USA

- I know they ended up losing the series, but this was Kobe at his very best. Tying the game then winning it in OT to push the MVP Nash-led Suns to the brink of elimination. It is also noteworthy that his daughter, Gigi, who tragically lost her life on that flight with Kobe was born very shortly after this game (May 2006)
Link: Kobe Game-Tying + Game Winning Shot vs Suns 06 Play-Offs HD

- Far from Kobe's best performance, in fact, losing this game would've been detrimental for his legacy, but he still managed to score 23 points and grab 15 rebounds, while playing lock-down D with a broken shooting finger. He managed to take home his second straight finals MVP officially cementing himself as one of the ATGs, while also getting his sweet revenge on the Celtics, the Lakers' greatest rival (June 2010)
Link: 2010 NBA Finals - Boston vs Los Angeles - Game 7 Best Plays

- Wins an Oscar. No one fit the jack of all trades term more than Kobe did - just when you think Kobe lived life to its fullest, he changes profession in his retirement and takes home the most prestigious award every actor/actress dreams of winning (Mar 2018)
Link: "Dear Basketball" wins Best Animated Short Film

These were just a few of many Kobe moments I still remember fondly to this day. What were your favorite and most memorable moments of Kobe's career.
 
Last edited:

FiveTacos

Registered User
Oct 2, 2017
554
926
The Twilight Zone
I was actually watching this game with a non-Kobe fan. Afterward he just said, "So clutch. Man, I hate that guy."



What made it hilarious was that he hit them over the self-proclaimed "Kobe stopper."
 

FiveTacos

Registered User
Oct 2, 2017
554
926
The Twilight Zone
Was on an online chat with a Spurs fan for this one, and he was just like, "Uh, we have nothing for Kobe. We ain't winning this series." He was right.

 

405Exit

Registered User
Mar 15, 2018
2,442
424
MY FAVORITE?? moment outside of all the highlights?? is he's still alive in Heaven. The GOAT making things happen as he always does. WE MISS YOU KOBE!!!!

 

Terry Yake

Registered User
Aug 5, 2013
26,582
14,988
the two buzzer beaters in portland are #1 for me

his 81 pt night would be #2 followed by his game tying/gw shots against phoenix in '06
 

Halladay

Registered User
Feb 27, 2009
65,105
7,804
H Town
Him not letting play him one on one during the 2012 Olympics was hilarious. Also the video of him in the parking lot saying they needed to trade Bynum.
 

Bertuzzzi44

Registered User
Jun 26, 2018
3,399
2,980
I was actually watching this game with a non-Kobe fan. Afterward he just said, "So clutch. Man, I hate that guy."



What made it hilarious was that he hit them over the self-proclaimed "Kobe stopper."


With how soft the NBA currently is both of those 3’s would have been fouls, can’t even touch the shooter nowadays.
 

Maestro84

Registered User
May 3, 2018
2,120
1,634
Toronto
Can't believe I forgot this one. Tearing an Achilles is arguably the worst injury an athlete can suffer, yet Kobe got right back up to shoot his FTs...and he sunk both of them because of course he would. Truly a testament to Kobe's never say die motto
 

Terry Yake

Registered User
Aug 5, 2013
26,582
14,988
Can't believe I forgot this one. Tearing an Achilles is arguably the worst injury an athlete can suffer, yet Kobe got right back up to shoot his FTs...and he sunk both of them because of course he would. Truly a testament to Kobe's never say die motto

to me, that was when his career truly ended

yeah the 60 pt game was awesome but that injury was the end of kobe as we knew him
 

Maestro84

Registered User
May 3, 2018
2,120
1,634
Toronto
to me, that was when his career truly ended

yeah the 60 pt game was awesome but that injury was the end of kobe as we knew him
Sadly yes that injury ended the Kobe we all knew and loved. His last 3 or so years in league were quite depressing to watch as it was clear he had become a total shell of himself.

His 2013 season remains so criminally underrated though. The Lakers team that year was full of turmoil, egos, key players being in/out of the lineup each week, and 3 different coaches, yet one thing remained constant and that was Kobe putting the team on his back. Dude was having nights where he'd put up 40 points and 15 assists with Robert Sacre and Earl Clark in the starting lineup
 

Terry Yake

Registered User
Aug 5, 2013
26,582
14,988
Sadly yes that injury ended the Kobe we all knew and loved. His last 3 or so years in league were quite depressing to watch as it was clear he had become a total shell of himself.

His 2013 season remains so criminally underrated though. The Lakers team that year was full of turmoil, egos, key players being in/out of the lineup each week, and 3 different coaches, yet one thing remained constant and that was Kobe putting the team on his back. Dude was having nights where he'd put up 40 points and 15 assists with Robert Sacre and Earl Clark in the starting lineup
yeah he basically gave up his achilles to get that team into the playoffs
 

FiveTacos

Registered User
Oct 2, 2017
554
926
The Twilight Zone
Another thing that always stands out to me as memorable was one of his "worst" moments ... his airballs as a rookie against Utah in an elimination game. Here was this teenager jacking up shot after shot with no hesitation, while a bunch of veteran high profile star teammates like Shaq, Jones, Horry, Van Exel didn't seem to want the ball. And afterwards Kobe was like "of course I'd shoot it again." You could already see the talent, but that was the moment when I knew he had the mental toughness to be great.

There's a reason why MJ really loved Kobe and never minded the comparisons ... it wasn't about whether or not Kobe was ever going to be as good as him, but rather that in Kobe he saw the same work ethic, fearlessness, and drive that he had himself. The fact that one young star after another ran away from any talk about being MJ's successor, not wanting that burden, but Kobe not only embraced it he ASKED for it and more importantly was willing to work for it, truly impressed Jordan.

Why would a guy like Mike be impressed by anyone who was afraid? He hated shrinking violets. It's probably why he never warmed up to Lebron either, because LBJ has a very different approach. Honestly, if Lebron had Kobe's insane work ethic, there'd be no question about who's the greatest ... can you imagine if, like Kobe, he'd spent years working on Olajuwon type post moves, and turning himself into a great FT shooter? With his talent, there'd be ZERO debate about the greatest.

A lot of MJ loyalists saw Kobe's early years as an affront ("he's no Michael!" ... "Stop trying to be like him!"), but the man himself saw it for what it really was ... setting your goals as high as possible and working your ass off to try and get there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scandale du Jour

Bertuzzzi44

Registered User
Jun 26, 2018
3,399
2,980
Not sure what game it was but the Suns in the playoffs just couldn’t stop Kobe, the Phoenix coach was losing his mind and during a timeout yells at his team to double team immediately as soon as Kobe touches the ball. Double teamed with defenders draped all over him Kobe just keeps scoring, Suns coach looks defeated and calls a timeout, Kobe passing by taps the coach on the leg implying “is that all you got” Suns coach who looked defeated seems to chuckle (probably thinking to himself “this is not normal, he’s not human”) subtle incident but it speaks to the confidence, competitiveness, and greatness of Kobe Bryant.
 

Terry Yake

Registered User
Aug 5, 2013
26,582
14,988
Not sure what game it was but the Suns in the playoffs just couldn’t stop Kobe, the Phoenix coach was losing his mind and during a timeout yells at his team to double team immediately as soon as Kobe touches the ball. Double teamed with defenders draped all over him Kobe just keeps scoring, Suns coach looks defeated and calls a timeout, Kobe passing by taps the coach on the leg implying “is that all you got” Suns coach who looked defeated seems to chuckle (probably thinking to himself “this is not normal, he’s not human”) subtle incident but it speaks to the confidence, competitiveness, and greatness of Kobe Bryant.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bertuzzzi44

Vamos Rafa

Registered User
Jan 11, 2010
18,340
1,526
Armenia, California
Not many people remember this. It was Game 4 in San Antonio in 2002. It wasn't the shot that was a highlight. It was his clutch rebound that preceded the layup that turned out to be the game-winner to take a 3-1 series lead. That was the last NBA game in Alamo Dome.
 

member 157595

Guest
Another thing that always stands out to me as memorable was one of his "worst" moments ... his airballs as a rookie against Utah in an elimination game. Here was this teenager jacking up shot after shot with no hesitation, while a bunch of veteran high profile star teammates like Shaq, Jones, Horry, Van Exel didn't seem to want the ball. And afterwards Kobe was like "of course I'd shoot it again." You could already see the talent, but that was the moment when I knew he had the mental toughness to be great.

There's a reason why MJ really loved Kobe and never minded the comparisons ... it wasn't about whether or not Kobe was ever going to be as good as him, but rather that in Kobe he saw the same work ethic, fearlessness, and drive that he had himself. The fact that one young star after another ran away from any talk about being MJ's successor, not wanting that burden, but Kobe not only embraced it he ASKED for it and more importantly was willing to work for it, truly impressed Jordan.

Why would a guy like Mike be impressed by anyone who was afraid? He hated shrinking violets. It's probably why he never warmed up to Lebron either, because LBJ has a very different approach. Honestly, if Lebron had Kobe's insane work ethic, there'd be no question about who's the greatest ... can you imagine if, like Kobe, he'd spent years working on Olajuwon type post moves, and turning himself into a great FT shooter? With his talent, there'd be ZERO debate about the greatest.

A lot of MJ loyalists saw Kobe's early years as an affront ("he's no Michael!" ... "Stop trying to be like him!"), but the man himself saw it for what it really was ... setting your goals as high as possible and working your ass off to try and get there.

Not much of a basketball fan anymore but if I'm building a sports team I don't want any player that doesn't want the ball/puck on my team. If you're not confident in yourself you're 100% not going to make it big in professional sports.

Bryant had the same ruthless, unapologetic killer instinct that Jordan had. It's not just that those guys hated losing, it's that they had absolutely no tolerance for it whatsoever. It was simply not acceptable for any reason. They're going to work themselves to death to win and heaven help you if you get in their way or don't show the same level of effort because they're going to make your life a living hell.
 

Terry Yake

Registered User
Aug 5, 2013
26,582
14,988
Not many people remember this. It was Game 4 in San Antonio in 2002. It wasn't the shot that was a highlight. It was his clutch rebound that preceded the layup that turned out to be the game-winner to take a 3-1 series lead. That was the last NBA game in Alamo Dome.
yup very underrated kobe moment

his extension to grab that rebound was insane
 

Maestro84

Registered User
May 3, 2018
2,120
1,634
Toronto
Not much of a basketball fan anymore but if I'm building a sports team I don't want any player that doesn't want the ball/puck on my team. If you're not confident in yourself you're 100% not going to make it big in professional sports.

Bryant had the same ruthless, unapologetic killer instinct that Jordan had. It's not just that those guys hated losing, it's that they had absolutely no tolerance for it whatsoever. It was simply not acceptable for any reason. They're going to work themselves to death to win and heaven help you if you get in their way or don't show the same level of effort because they're going to make your life a living hell.
That's the biggest knock on LeBron when arguing him as the GOAT imo. He's had his moments of course, but he's also had his "mental midget" moments where he was very reluctant to take shots in big moments and overall, made mistakes he typically wouldn't make during other parts of the game.
 

member 157595

Guest
That's the biggest knock on LeBron when arguing him as the GOAT imo. He's had his moments of course, but he's also had his "mental midget" moments where he was very reluctant to take shots in big moments and overall, made mistakes he typically wouldn't make during other parts of the game.

The thing I liked about both Jordan and Bryant is that they wanted nothing more than to be THE guy that crushed and humiliated you at your own game and rubbed your nose in it. :laugh:

James' resume speaks for itself, he's probably the 2nd best basketball player of all time. But he always seemed to be a nicer guy in some ways than Bryant or Jordan. Sometimes that's good, sometimes it's not.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->