The extra-exclusive 32,000 point club features Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone … and now, Kobe Bryant.
Late in the fourth quarter of a tight game Tuesday night, Kobe sank a turnaround jumper (plus the foul) to give the Los Angeles Lakers a six-point cushion in their 114-109 road win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Bryant scored 28 points on 10/18 shooting, and is now 292 points away from passing MJ (32,292) for third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Per the LA Times:
Seemingly nothing comes easily for Bryant nowadays, or without criticism, so he was asked if he heard the chatter that his shot volume was so high this season because he wanted to pass Jordan.
“There’s always something, especially with me,” Bryant said. “First, it’s ‘I can’t come back and play.’ Now it’s, ‘Well he’s not playing well enough.’ Well you just said I’d be in a wheelchair and I wouldn’t be able to play at all. I won’t even waste my time trying to shut people up.”
