Kobe Passes the Great Jerry West

Milestone Monday - This past Monday, there were a number of milestones on hand to be surpassed and broken in the NBA, but none bigger than the one Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was about to set. In the final game of the team's 8-game road trip, the Lakers made a visit to Memphis to take on a young and improving Grizzlies squad. The biggest headline heading into the game -- the Lakers all-time leading scoring record. With just 36-points shy of becoming the team's all-time leading scorer, Kobe Bryant would have a decision to make. Was he going to set the franchise record at Staples Center in front of the Lakers faithful, or on the road some 1,700 miles away from home? Granted the type of competitor and player Kobe is, it was almost unquestionable that the 12-time NBA All-Star was going to give it his all and treat the game like any other. & Sure enough, that's what happened.

With a 44-point performance in a loss to the Grizzlies, Kobe became the all-time leading scorer in Lakers history, surpassing 'Mr. Clutch' -- Jerry West. Ironically, Kobe set the mark against the team in which West currently works for, as the Grizzlies' general manager. After the game, West greeted and congratulated Bryant on his feat and later described Kobe as the greatest Laker ever. But he deserves just as much credit as anyone. After all, none of this could have happened if it weren't for Mr. West himself, who at the time was manager of the Lakers and pulled the trigger to acquire Bryant in a trade that would ship Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets in return. Little did he know, he was getting the best player to ever wear the purple & gold in exchange. With the record now his, Kobe joins an elite group of Laker greats such as: Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor among others.

It's incredible considering some of the players near the bottom of the list could easily be in the top 3 if not at no.1 on almost every other franchises' scoring list. But with the list, the Lakers' rich history continues to be built on, solidifying the franchise as one of the best in all of sports. With four rings already under his belt and an MVP trophy to show for, Kobe just adds to his resume, building a legacy similar to Michael Jordan's. But now that no.24 owns the Lakers' scoring record with 25,208+ pts., the team can now focus on bigger and better things - winning. In a post-game interview, Lakers forward-center Pau Gasol said "Now we can finally play team ball." Personally I don't see Pau's comments as a shot taken at Kobe, however I do see everyone including the media create a distraction out of the whole thing. A distraction that is now behind Kobe and company.