The two-time Olympic gold medallist is considered one of the best to play the game, and these stats back that up.
4 minBy Olympics.com | Created 21 October 2022
Basketball
Five NBA titles.
Two Olympic gold medals.
One incredible legacy.
Kobe Bryant is undoubtedly one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the men's game.
Over a 20 year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the American consistently performed at a level few could match, leading the LA Lakers to a period of dominance and success, while captaining the USA national team for their Beijing 2008 'Redeem Team' success (highlighted in the recent Netflix documentary), and repeating the feat with by claiming a second gold at London 2012.
Here's a look at the great, by the numbers.
Kobe Bryant: At the Olympics
Kobe Bryant made his first Olympic appearance for the U.S. team at the Beijing 2008 Games. And what an appearance.
He was brought in as captain, determined to create a new Dream Team to erase the bitter memories of four years prior, when the U.S. squad lost out to Argentina's Golden Generation at Athens 2004 and failed to win the Olympic gold medal for the first time since 1992.
Bryant's 'Redeem Team' were unstoppable in Beijing.
He contributed 20 points and six assists in the gold medal match victory over Spain. According to USA Basketball, Bryant "started in all eight games, averaged 23.5 minutes, 15.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists a game" in Beijing.
Fans can get an up-close-and-personal look at that triumph in the new documentary 'Redeem Team,' the first collaborative feature documentary between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Netflix. The film is executive produced by two members of the Beijing squad who had also tasted defeat four years earlier - LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
En-route to his second Olympic gold medal at London 2012, Kobe Bryant once again started in all eight games, averaging just over 17 minutes of play and 12 points per game.
He retired from international competition shortly after, his record with the U.S. national team standing at 26-0.
Kobe Bryant: NBA statistics and records
Summing up Bryant's illustrious career stats is almost an impossible task.
The superstar played some 48,637 minutes in the NBA, the sixth-most all time, according to league statisticians.
During his career, he totaled 33,643 points, including 5,640 in the Playoffs. Both are the third best in the history of the NBA.
Here are more of Bryant's impressive accomplishments, via NBA Communications:
- Six career 60-point games.
- 25 career 50-point games.
- 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, the most with one team in NBA history.
- His 18 consecutive All-Star Game selections is the league's longest streak, while only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has more selections ever (19).
Kobe Bryant: NBA titles
With the Lakers, Bryant is a five-time NBA champion, taking the title in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010.
He was twice the NBA's scoring champion (2006, 2007) and even took the North American league's Slam Dunk Contest title in 1997.
Kobe Bryant: Awards
Bryant was a two-time NBA Finals MVP, receiving the honour in 2009 and 2010. He was the NBA's most valuable player in 2008 and an 18x NBA All-Star.
Here's a list of many of his other accolades:
- 4x All-Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011)
- 11x All-NBA First Team
- Gatorade National Player of the Year (1996)
- Naismith Prep Player of the Year (1996)
- McDonald's All-American (1996)
He was also named as part of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team and had both Nos. 8 and 24 retired by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bryant's final NBA game was on 13 April 2016. He scored 60 points, becoming the oldest player to do so, at 37 years and 234 days of age.
Kobe Bryant died on 26 January 2020. He was 41.
