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- Troy BallardIt only took the red-hot Kobe Bryant a quarter and a half in his hometown of Philadelphia to pass Shaq to move to fifth on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
#24 entered the game against the 76ers needing 24 points to pass O'Neal, his former Laker teammate, who retired at the end of last season with 28,596 points. Bryant, who was all too aware of how close he was to one-upping Shaq, exploded in the first half, dropping all 24 points on some incredibly difficult shots.
Despite being doubled covered for the majority of those 24 points, Bryant was on fire. Following the shot that moved him past Shaq, a beautiful jump shot that was originally ruled a three but changed to a two, the Lakers called a timeout. Bryant embraced Derek Fisher and celebrated his achievement.
Not only did Bryant pass old teammate that shared so much success with him, but he was also able to do it in Philadelphia. The dynamic duo of Bryant and Shaq was the Miami Thrice before LeBron, Dwayne, and Chris even knew they could play basketball. It was the first teaming of major NBA talent, and Los Angeles embraced the rewards that came with it.
Kobe and Shaq won three-straight NBA Championships together in Los Angeles, and the two appeared to be unstoppable. However, due to personal differences, the two had a massive falling out. The divide was so great, that the Lakers were forced into trading O'Neal to the Miami Heat, and in turn decided to keep Bryant on the team instead.
Smart choice? No doubt.
Bryant is a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer, and even at the age of 33, only seems to get better. This season, Bryant is leading the NBA in points per game with a stunning 29.4, and is really the only reason Los Angeles is still in contention. He's a monster.
Bryant's newest milestone comes at no surprise, and he will likely continue to shatter records for the remainder of his career. His newest player to jump on the NBA's scoring list? Wilt Chamberlain.
Get ready, Los Angeles!
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