This past week, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant set the NBA record for the most missed field goals all-time. In today’s day and age, that record comes with a lot of scrutiny. Most people have been tearing Bryant limb from limb, saying that this proves once and for all that Kobe is one of the most selfish players ever, that he only cares about getting his shots, and doesn’t care whether or not his team wins.
This story was such a big deal that it was on the home page of several prominent sports websites. This only added fuel to the fire for Kobe haters, providing them with everything they needed to continue to badmouth the Laker legend.
Yes, Kobe Bryant has the most misses all-time in NBA history (13,418 through Tuesday’s game against the Grizzlies). But let’s take a look at the facts, shall we? That is one more than the player in second place, Hall of Famer and Boston Celtics legend John Havlicek. Hondo, if you’ll recall, played only 16 NBA seasons (Bryant is on his nineteenth) and is thirteenth on the NBA all-time scoring list (Bryant is fourth).
Who else is Bryant in company with? Rounding out the top five are Elvin Hayes, Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan, all of whom have over 12,300 misses in their careers. Are those players selfish? Are they not some of the biggest winners in NBA history (Malone aside, of course)?
Another interesting statistic that was used against Bryant was that he has missed at least 20 shots in 44 different games. This sounds downright absurd until you consider that in over 1,200 games in his career, Kobe has been averaging a steady 45% field goal percentage for the majority of his 19 years in the League. He is fourth all-time in that category, behind Wilt Chamberlain (117), Elgin Baylor (94) and Allen Iverson (45). These men all had much shorter careers than Bryant, and are still noted as some of the most prolific scorers in NBA history.
But remember, all Kobe does is shoot. And he only shoots because he can’t do anything else. But what about two seasons ago when he averaged six assists a game throughout the entire season? He was also averaging 27 points and was taking about 20 shots a game at the time.
Bryant, at least, is being honest about this “record.” “I don’t care about it, to be honest with you,” he told ESPN.com. “It is what it is. I remember when I was a kid and I watched Michael shoot 49 times in an NBA Finals game. Can you imagine if I did that and lost? Puts things into perspective.”
“You’ve got to step up and play, man,” Bryant continued. “You can’t worry about criticism. You can’t worry about failure. You really can’t worry about that stuff.
“You’ve got to go out and figure that out and play and do the best you can, and whatever happens, happens. You can’t be held captive by the fear of failure or the fear of what people may say.”
Bryant is fourth on the all-time scoring list. He was the youngest player to reach 30,000 points. He is tied for the most All-Defensive Fist team honors won with nine, and the Most All-NBA First team honors with 11. He has over 6,600 rebounds which puts him at 120th all time. He is also closing in on 6,000 career assists, and could be in the top 30 in NBA history in assists when all is said and done. Not bad for a man whose job is to put the ball in the basket and nothing more.
The Lakers are struggling this year, and the media is having a field day with it. The injuries and lack of depth on the team makes this a nightmare year regardless of Kobe’s performance. And as such, it has been a little hard to watch at times.But for those saying that he’s playing like a Wizards-era Jordan? We are still seeing one of the greatest NBA players of all time, and certainly of this decade, in the twilight of his career, still putting up numbers (albeit at a lower shooting percentage) and still doing everything he can to help his team win. Don’t pretend you didn’t want to see Jordan play when he was in D.C., even if he had lost a step. You may not like Kobe off the court; frankly he couldn’t care less. But he has certainly worked to deserve some respect on it.
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