11 years ago, Kobe Bryant passed Michael Jordan as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer

It was December 14, 2014, eleven years ago to the day. On the floor of Vukov, Kobe Bryant exceeded Michael Jordan to become the third shooter in NBA history with two free throws. So did his first points in the league in 1996 at Madison Square Garden. That evening, late Kobe Bryant needed nine points to overtake his lifelong idol.

“The public was waiting for me to score these 9 points, and I told myself that I should not screw up this moment” Kobe Bryant will explain after the meeting. “The most important thing for me is to gain the respect of the greats and to feel like I’m part of this culture and this brotherhood. Tonight the atmosphere was different. I’m so used to being the bad guy when we play away that it took me a while to get used to it. It was a great feeling to feel so appreciated.”

At the time, the Lakers guard received a standing ovation and Wolves rookie Andrew Wiggins took a timeout to be honored by teammates, his staff and opponents.

The Lakers legend also returned home with a match ball as a souvenir, which was presented by Glenn Taylor, the owner of the franchise from Minneapolis.

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Congratulations from Michael Jordan

“It’s a huge honor. It’s been a very long journey… but it’s gone by very quickly!” reacted the late Kobe. “It’s great to get to this point. I’m always trying to learn, especially from Michael Jordan. He influenced my game so much. I owe a lot of success to him because he gave me a lot of advice. My relationship with him is worth everything in the world.”

After this Third win in a row for the Lakersthe accolades were unanimous, starting with Michael Jordan himself. “Congratulations to Kobe on reaching this goal. He is clearly a great player with a great work ethic and an equal passion for basketball. I have enjoyed watching his game develop over the years and I look forward to seeing what he achieves in the future.” he wrote.

For his part, Magic Johnson congratulated him “because he overtook his idol Michael Jordan for the 3rd place among the best scorers in history”. “Lakers fans, we are blessed to watch Kobe, one of the five or six greatest players in history, play for the Lakers. Just like we never saw another player like Michael Jordan again, we will never see another player like Kobe Bryant again. »