Best wishes to the Mamba.
Here, courtesy of former ESPN researcher Peter Newmann, are a few fast facts on the player we have seen too little of over the past two seasons. (Although yesterday, Saturday, he finally put up some shots for the first time since his rotator cuff surgery).
Kobe is entering is 20th NBA season and turning 37 years old. Bryant will join only four other players in the history of the game to play at least 20 seasons (Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Garnett, Robert Parish, Kevin Willis).
**Kobe has scored 32,482 points while wearing a Lakers uniform. That is by far the most in the history of the franchise, 28.9% more points than Jerry West (25,192).
*The only NBA player to score more points for a single team is Karl Malone with the Jazz (36,374).
**Kobe is entering his 20th season with the Lakers. That is the longest tenure with 1 team for any player in NBA history. And no player in any of the 4 major sports has had a longer tenure with a Los Angeles-based team.
*Win shares is a cumulative metric that estimate the number of wins a player has contributed to his teams. Among all active players, the leader is Tim Duncan.
Most Regular Season Win Shares
Active Players
Win Shares
Tim Duncan 201.2
Dirk Nowitzki 192.0
Kevin Garnett 190.4
LeBron James 178.9
Kobe Bryant 173.1
**Kobe has won 5 NBA titles, tying him with Tim Duncan for the most among active players.
**Kobe won the 2007-08 MVP and is only 1 of 8 active players to win the award. The only active players to win multiple MVPs are LeBron James (4) and Tim Duncan (2). But Kobe’s 11 finishes in the top-5 of MVP voting are the most among active players.
(RELATED: KOBE BRYANT JOINS TAYLOR SWIFT ONSTAGE)
(POLL: WILL KOBE RETIRE AFTER THE UPCOMING SEASON)