SUMMARY
- Kobe Bryant made a total of seven NBA finals appearances during his 20-year-long career and recorded impressive stats.
- After winning three consecutive NBA titles, the Lakers were defeated by the Detroit Pistons in the 2003-04 NBA finals.
Kobe Bryant remains among the most influential players in the NBA history. His two-decades-long storied career has served as an inspiration for countless people to begin their basketball journey. Bryant was renowned for his winning mindset and he always strived to be better than not only others but also himself. He has five Champion titles to his name and recorded impressive stats during the NBA finals.
He debuted in the league straight after graduating from high school. Bryant was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick of the 1996 NBA draft. He was then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and Bryant was loyal to them throughout his career. Black Mamba took the Los Angeles-based franchise to greater heights and had a ruthless way of responding to lazy teammates for the sake of winning.
Furthermore, Bryant built a strong resume during his 20-year-long career. This includes prestigious titles and awards such as 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, etc. He truly dominated the court by sending shivers down his opponents’ spines even before the game, with his incredible footwork, bizarre tactics like making hiss-hiss sounds, etc.
Kobe Bryant averaged 25.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists in the NBA finals
Kobe Bryant played for 20 seasons in the NBA and had countless remarkable performances. During this, he made a total of seven NBA finals appearances. Bryant played 37 games in the NBA Finals in his career and averaged 25.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. His winning mentality made him repeat moves in the gym repeatedly and present the best version of herself on the court.
On this day in 2008, 2009, & 2010, Kobe Bryant advanced to 3 straight NBA Finals, by beating the Spurs, Nuggets, and Suns
Kobe’s Stats in the Closeout Games:
37.0 PPG – 5.0 RPG – 5.0 APG – 1.3 SPG – 0.3 BPG – 53.3 FG% – 38.9 3P% – 96.0 FT% – 64.5 TS%
King of the West pic.twitter.com/jQtCe2r4KB
— KBs GOAT (@KbsGoat) May 29, 2021
Furthermore, Black Mamba scored his most points in an NBA Finals game versus the Magic on June 4, 2009, with 40 points. In addition to this, he recorded his most assists of 10 in an NBA Finals game against the Celtics on June 12, 2008, whereas, Bryant’s grabbed his most rebounds two years later with 15 rebounds against the Boston-based franchise.
Kobe Bryant holds a 5-2 record in NBA finals
Kobe Bryant who made a total of 7 NBA finals appearances holds a 5-2 winning record. Interestingly, he and Shaquille O’Neal joined the Lakers at the same time (Bryant was a rookie whereas Shaq had already played four seasons by then). Just after four years of joining the franchise, the duo won their first NBA Champion for the Lakers and went on to create a three-peat.
After winning three consecutive NBA titles, the Lakers were defeated by the Detroit Pistons in the 2003-04 NBA finals. They again lost the finals in 2007-08 to the Boston Celtics who won four out of six games. At Bryant‘s sixth finals appearance in the 2008-09 NBA finals, he won his fourth ring and then went on to win his fifth and last Champion title in the next consecutive year.