I think it's only fitting that the game Kobe Bryant eclipsed Jerry West's Los Angeles Lakers franchise record for most career points was a loss against the Memphis Grizzlies (a team West himself managed a few years back).
For a great portion of Kobe's career, he is seen as an individualistic player that thrived on his own and would throw the team under a bus to get his way (Remember the 2006 playoffs when he refused to shoot the ball?). Terms like "ballhog" and "showboat" getting linked to Bryant's name is something Lakers fans have lived with and it was a great development that "leader" and "winner" have replaced them in the last couple of years.
What's also ironic is that in the last possession of the game, Kobe passed on a shot and let Ron Artest, of all people, to bail the Lakers out on a last second shot. Kobe has hit numerous shots that won it for the Lakers, most recently in the Celtics game.
But nonetheless, the personal record at the expense of the win is a microcosm of the majority of Kobe's NBA journey so far if you ask me.
Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers
