Ranking Kobe Bryant’s All-Star Performances
Revel in the greatness—here is our ranking of the Black Mamba's best All-Star performances, in honor of the his final All-Star apperance this weekend.
Image via Complex Original
It’s hard to fathom that after being voted into every single All-Star Game since 1998, Kobe Bryant’s appearance in Toronto will be his last. With Bryant’s retirement looming on the horizon, his fans selected him into his 18th All-Star Game, a game in which Bryant leads everyone with 280 career points, 2 more than LeBron James. He's only missed three games since ’98 due to injury (2010, 2014, and 2015), but was, of course, still voted in.
With so many games under his belt, and everlasting memories, we decided to rank all of Bryant’s All-Star Game performances.
14. 2008
City: New Orleans
Stat Line: 0 points, 1 rebound
Highlights: Due to a torn ligament in his pinky that caused Bryant to actually petition the league to not play in the All-Star Game, Bryant played just two minutes in the 2008 game.
13. 2006
City: Houston
Stat Line: 8 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds
Highlight: Bryant wasn’t able to do much scoring in the 2006 All-Star Game, but when he did, it was clutch. He tied the game with 32 seconds left on a nasty fadeaway jumper from the right corner.
12. 2013
City: Houston
Stat Line: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists
Highlight: Bryant filled up the statsheet while shutting LeBron James down in the final minute of the game with his suffocating defense.
11. 2000
City: Oakland
Stat Line: 15 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists
Highlight: In only his second All-Star Game appearance, thanks to the lockout, Bryant dropped a respectable 15 points while showing off his ability to throw up a Magic Johnson-esque hook shot.
10. 2005
City: Denver
Stat Line: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists
Highlight: Bryant busted out a swooping, left-handed hook shot in the game that we haven’t seen as part of his arsenal since. He also caught a mean alley-oop from future teammate Steve Nash toward the end of the second quarter.
9. 2004
City: Los Angeles
Stat Line: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
Highlight: A solid, if unspectacular, performance from Bryant on his home court. His teammate, Shaquille O’Neal, stole the show and took home MVP honors.
8. 1998
City: New York City
Stat Line: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist
Highlight: Kobe shined in his first ever All-Star Game under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, including a 360-dunk and a two-handed alley-oop slam from Kevin Garnett.
7. 2001
City: Washington, D.C.
Stat Line: 19 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists
Highlight: Connecting with Kevin Garnett for a handful of ridiculous alley-oops became an All-Star regularity in Bryant’s early days, and his one-handed, go-back-and-get-it jam from KG in his third All-Star Game was something to behold.
6. 2012
City: Orlando
Stat Line: 27 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist
Highlight: Bryant had his nose broken by Dwyane Wade after Wade swiped him hard on a drive to the basket, making Byrant’s 27-point performance all the more impressive as he played right on through it.
5. 2003
City: Atlanta
Stat Line: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists
Highlight: In Michael Jordan’s final All-Star Game, Bryant ruined some of the old man’s fun when he slapped a MJ jumper right out of his hands.
4. 2009
City: Phoenix
Stat Line: 27 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists (Named Co-MVP)
Highlight: Another typical Bryant performance, with his best play coming by way of a fadeaway 3-pointer over the outstretched hand of Dwight Howard, who had switched out to come guard him on the perimeter. A smile and a head shake was all Bryant needed to express.
3. 2007
City: Las Vegas
Stat Line: 31 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists (Named MVP)
Highlight: Another All-Star Game and another 30-point performance. Bryant’s MVP performance was punctuated by a flying tomahawk slam, right down the middle of the lane, midway through the second quarter.
2. 2002
City: Philadelphia
Stat Line: 31 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists (Named MVP)
Highlight: In just his fourth All-Star Game, Bryant asserted himself as a superstar with an eye-popping stat line and a devastating crossover of then New Jersey Nets point guard Jason Kidd.
1. 2011
City: Los Angeles
Stat Line: 37 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists (Named MVP)
Highlight: Kobe Bryant’s greatest All-Star Game performance fittingly came on his home court at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. He dazzled with his typical array of 3-pointers, tough fadeaways, and drives to the basket—but his best move came in the first quarter, when he blew by Derrick Rose on the baseline and threw down a sick up and under dunk.