Kobe Bryant will be playing in his final All-Star game on Sunday. The Los Angeles Lakers legend has announced that he will retire following the season, and he will have one more chance to showcase his talents alongside the best players in the league and give us another iconic moment in a legacy filled with them.
Bryant has been elected to the All-Star game 18 times in his 20 year career, winning All-Star MVP a record-tying four times. The ‘Black Mamba’ missed the game twice, once in his rookie season and the other was due to a lockout in the NBA. Kobe also has the most points in All-Star Game history, though that will likely be passed soon by LeBron James. As such there is no shortage of memorable moments from the Lakers’ star at All-Star Weekend and we will be showcasing the biggest ones from the future Hall of Famer.
Kobe’s Reverse Dunk Solidifies Second MVP
One season before winning his only regular season MVP award, Kobe took to Vegas to win his second All-Star game MVP. Bryant scored 31 points but played an all-around game (as much as you can in that setting) by adding five boards, six assists, and six steals.
Kobe solidified his MVP campaign with a vicious reverse dunk late in the game. Yes, the defense was mostly nonexistent. But the dunk was an incredibly athletic one, with Kobe taking off outside of the restricted area before spinning 180 degrees and slamming it home on the other side.
Kobe Talks Trash in Jordan’s Final All-Star Game
By 2003, the battle between Bryant and Jordan had turned a corner. Jordan, while still a very good player, was at the end of his career and Kobe had begun to showcase himself as the next big star.
In what was MJ’s final All-Star game, the two continued to battle it out like they had in the first meeting in 1998. The game itself featured several great moments: raucous applause for Jordan as he addressed the crowd before the game, Jordan hitting an almost-game-winner, Kobe coming back to hit two of three free throws to send it to OT. The West eventually won in double overtime and MJ said Kobe “easily” could have made all three free throws to win it, because of course he did.
But the game will mostly live on in some light-hearted trash talk between two of the greatest competitors basketball has ever seen.
Kobe Wins the MVP in Philadelphia
In 2002, Kobe had already become an NBA champion and established himself as one of the premier players in the league. That did not mean he was immune to fans booing him, especially in the city of Philadelphia.
Bryant, who was raised and attended high school in Philadelphia, was hated by Sixers fans especially after having helped defeat the team in the 2001 Finals. With the All-Star game being held in Philly, it was a prime opportunity for fans to show their dislike of Bryant, booing him numerous times throughout the game.
Though he often seemed shaken by being booed by what was in essence a home town crowd, Kobe (in true Kobe fashion) used the criticism to fuel his great game. Bryant took over the game, scoring 31 points and adding five rebounds and five assists, leading the West to a 135-120 victory and earning the MVP honors. And of course during the MVP presentation, Bryant was booed again. Never change, Philadelphia.
Old Man Kobe Wins the MVP in Los Angeles
Playing at his home-court of STAPLES Center in 2011, Bryant had one of the more impressive all-star game performances in NBA history. In front of his home crowd, the 32-year-old dropped 37 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
It was a seemingly calculated game with and against some of the bright, younger players in the league. Kobe looked spry and athletic, later attributing to seeing the young guys run around and have fun. That vintage athleticism came through in one of the more fun singular moments in Kobe’s All-Star campaigns. The veteran leaked out in transition, catching an outlet pass and seemingly slowing down just enough to let a chasing LeBron James get close before dunking on him. The dunk itself was simple, just barely getting past LeBron’s outstretched arm, but Kobe’s reaction afterward, patting LeBron on the butt as if to say “Good job, good effort” before running back on defense, was legendary.
Kobe Duels with LeBron
Unfortunately, we never had the opportunity to watch a playoff matchup between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Barring what I would call an “improbable” comeback from the Lakers this season, we will never get one. While there were several regular season matchups, they were largely unimpressive.
In 2013, however, we had a glimpse at what could have been in a surprisingly entertaining and competitive matchup. As only Kobe could, the 34-year-old took on the challenge of guarding the best player in the NBA. Late in the game, Kobe ramped up the intensity, guarding LeBron the full length of the floor and eventually blocking the King three times (one was called a foul) to show that he was not ready to give up his role as one of the premier players in the league.
Kobe Wins the Slam Dunk Contest
A young, brash Kobe Bryant won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest in his rookie season. A noticeably skinny Bryant rode a nice double pump dunk as well as a rim shaking between-the-legs slam to a victory. But more impressive than the dunks was Bryant’s demeanor during the event.
The teenage Bryant was confident in front of a national stage, celebrating and mean-mugging the crowd after every dunk. The confidence and cockiness that Bryant became legendary for later in his career was already in full display in his rookie season.
Kobe and Shaq Become Co-MVPs
The feud between former teammates Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal was well known before they became temporary teammates at the 2009 All-Star game. With then Phoenix Sun Shaq joining reigning MVP Kobe, the West squad beat the East 146-119. In doing so, they used a 19-0 spurt when Shaq was first subbed into the game, marking the first time the power duo had shared the court since the 2004 NBA Finals.
Bryant scored 27 points and added four rebounds, four assists, and four steals while Shaq contributed 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a block. The performance from the two led to the former teammates sharing the MVP honors at the game. Shaq recently spoke about the event, saying that while he had decided to let Bryant keep the trophy, the latter offered and gave it to Shaq’s son. O’Neal called the event the turning point in allowing the two friends to put their feud behind them for good.
Kobe Duels Michael Jordan
Kobe made his first all-star game in 1998, his second season in the league. Bryant, then a 19 year old who was still playing off the bench for the Lakers, was getting his first chance to shine in a game filled with other great players. Of course, no player was as great as Michael Jordan.
The game has a legendary feel to it with the young, up and coming Bryant battling the older Jordan who was at the tail end of his era of dominance. In a somewhat unique twist on an all-star game, this one featured some intensity between the two players with Kobe eager to show that he was ready to take over the league and Michael priding himself on subduing any talk of a “passing of the torch.” Add to that the legendary setting: Madison Square Garden.
Both players brought their best games to the exhibition, leading their teams in scoring. Bryant finished with 18 points in 22 minutes including several signature dunks that represented the “Frobe” style of play as well as an underrated fake out of Dikembe Mutombo. Jordan, meanwhile, scored 23 points en route to gathering the MVP trophy.
The game featured interviews of both stars with Jordan dropping not-so-subtle hints that the event should not have been perceived as a “showdown” between the two shooting guards and Bryant dropping his own hints that he would not back down from the challenge. My personal favorite part of this game, however, is Jordan routinely schooling Kobe in the post with perfect footwork, including hitting a baseline fade-away. That same move eventually became Bryant’s signature play along with his evolution into becoming a dominant post player later in his career.
