Kobe Bryant has not had a great season. The Los Angeles Lakers small forward has struggled for much of the season. Now in his 20th season and at 37 years old, Bryant has shown his age in a down year on multiple levels.
All that being said, Kobe threw together a remarkable performance on Tuesday. Kobe found some bounce in his step en route to a huge effort. The Laker put up 38 points (10-21, 7-11 from three) as well as five rebounds and five assists to help his team to a victory over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves.
It was a huge performance for Kobe in leading the Lakers who had previously lost 10 games in a row, tying a franchise record. Kobe’s performance allowed the team to break that streak in a huge way.
Let’s see what Timberwolves head coach Sam Mitchell (yes the same person who coached the Toronto Raptors team that fell victim to Bryant’s 81 point game) thought about the performance:
"I hate him." Sam Mitchell on Kobe Bryant
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) February 3, 2016
Well okay, then.
With the Lakers legend soon to retire, this vintage game was a hugely bright spot adding to an already enormous legacy. There are not too many more games remaining in Kobe’s basketball career, but this one resulted in one of the all-time Mamba Moments.