Gone, but never forgotten. Kobe Bryant had plenty of memorable moments against the Washington Wizards. Here are his five best.
For 20 seasons, Kobe Bryant was the Washington Wizards’ enemy. The purple and gold powerhouse who, no matter who you surrounded him with, could will his team to a victory.
And the Washington Wizards, despite being in a different conference than the Los Angeles Lakers, were far too familiar with that. It wasn’t as if the Wizards had all-star squad after all-star squad during Kobe’s reign over the NBA, but it seemed that no matter who they had — or more importantly, who Kobe had — he could always get it done.
Who can forget the time in 2005 when, starting alongside Lamar Odom, Smush Parker, Chris Mihm, and Brian Cook, Kobe dropped 41 points on 24 shots as the Lakers beat the Wizards 97-91? For Kobe, that was just another day at the office.
Most players, even great players, are lucky to have five memorable moments in their careers. But Kobe Bryant was not most players. He scored 40 points vs. every single opposing team in the NBA. For Kobe, there is no shortage of memorable moments. And he certainly has a few worth remembering from his games against the Wizards.
Kobe finished his career 21-11 against the Washington Wizards. He scored in double-figures 30 times. He scored at least 20 points 24 times. 30 points, 11 times. And he had three games of 40 or more points. Plus, he had three triple-doubles and countless highlights.
After a couple of decades of respecting Kobe as a competitor and despising him as an opponent, let’s look back at some of the Black Mamba’s greatest moments vs. the Wizards with nothing but thankful appreciation for what a legend gave us. Everything.