Well this record went a little under the radar didn’t it? I guess you could’ve guessed since we all love the ‘Kobe Bryant never passes’ narrative. I mean whenever Kobe provides a dish, vines come out like it’s such a rare occurrence. Remember when he gave an assist to Nick Young? People were dumbfounded.
Well people must have been dumbfounded when Kobe Bryant passed Jerry West for 2nd in All-Time Lakers assists.
“He’s not only a scorer,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said after his team’s 112-95 loss to the Houston Rockets at Staples Center. “He can do other things, as he’s shown for 20 years.”
“It means a lot,” said Bryant, who trails only Magic Johnson (10,141) on the Lakers’ franchise list. “It’s an accomplishment I’m really, really proud of.”
“You have to keep the defense honest,” said Bryant, who finished with five points and nine assists in 24 minutes against the Rockets. “You’ve got to be able to make plays and make passes to have the defense fear you as a passer. If they don’t, you can’t score 40 points, you can’t score 50 points, because they can just load up on you. So you’ve got to be able to be feared as a passer.”
Who knew Kobe Bryant would be 2nd All-Time in Lakers assists? That’s what 20 years in the league can do. It just adds on to his already glistening Hall Of Fame track record.
