Kobe Bryant hits 30,000-point milestone

Published on 07/12/2012 00:00

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant became the youngest player to score 30,000 career NBA points during his team’s 103-87 away win against the New Orleans Hornets.

Needing 13 points to hit that mark before the start of the game, Bryant scored his 13th and 14th points on a short floating jump shot with just over a minute remaining before half-time. At the age of 34, the 
14-times All-Star became only the fifth player to reach the milestone, emulating Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928), Michael Jordan (32,292) and Wilt Chamberlain (31,419). “It’s a huge honour,” said five-times NBA champion Bryant. “To be in that kind of company, it’s always extremely special.”

Asked if he had ever imagined reaching that lofty points total as a young player, Bryant replied: “When I was a kid, the only thing I looked at was the ring count. I knew how many Magic [Johnson] had, I knew how many Larry [Bird] had, I knew how many Doc [Julius Erving] had. Those are the things I looked at the most – teams that won, teams that were successful.”