What three things does Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant have in common with Michael Jordan, karl Malone, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?
First, they're all considered NBA greats. Second, they were each the main star at one point with every team they've been a part of.
And third, they're the only five players to have ever scored at least 30,000 points in a career.
Bryant, 34, who has been with the Lakers (9-10) for every one of his 16 years as an NBA pro, joined the elite 30,000 points club Wednesday night after he scored 29 points in an emotional 103-87 win over the New Orleans Hornets (5-12) at the New Orleans Arena.
Bryant entered Wednesday night's game with a tally of 29,987 career points-amassed in a career that has yielded five NBA Championships, two NBA Finals MVP awards, a league MVP Award in 2008, two league scoring titles and 14 NBA All-Star appearances, for starters.
He needed only 13 to reach the 30,000 milestone, which he did in the second quarter when he drove into the lane-as he has done countless times in his career-and outdueled Hornets center Robin Lopez for a smooth, arcing shot with 1:17 left in the second quarter to put the Lakers within five points of the Hornets, 40-45.
At that moment, Bryant became the youngest player ever to reach the 30,000 point benchmark-younger than Jordan, Abdul-Jabbar, Malone or Chamberlain did. And he did it all as part of a 17-point first half; the remaining 12 of his points for Wednesday he would score in the second quarter.
At the end of the game, Bryant, now at 30,004 career total points, joined Chamberlain (31,419 points), Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928) and Jordan (32,292) on a list that NBA Commissioner David Stern said put the former standout from Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania on a special place in league history.
"I want to shake his hand. I think Kobe is, as a talent and a competitor, he's up there on the pedestal with Michael Jordan as one of the greatest," Stern told reporters before the game. "Kobe has such an extraordinary run playing at the highest level for so long with the championships to prove it in a league that is extremely competitive.
"It's a huge honor to say the least," Bryant said earlier this week before the historic game Wednesday, ESPN Los Angeles reported. "Whenever you're hearing those kind of names and you think about the amount of players that have played this game and to be in that kind of company, it's always extremely, extremely special."
Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni , who joked before the game that the milestone "just means he's old," also praised Bryant's achievement.
"I think it's great. Not many people can get that achievement," he said. "That's something he's earned and deservedly so. That's great."
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