Kobe Bryant’s 5 greatest moments vs the Washington Wizards
By Ethan Smith
Kobe duels Allen Iverson during All-Star Game in D.C.
February 11, 2001
Technically, this one wasn’t against the Wizards, but it did happen on their home floor so close enough.
Kobe Bryant was riding high entering the 2001 All-Star game in Washington, D.C. The Los Angeles Lakers were fresh off their first NBA championship of the Kobe/Shaq era and entered the All-Star break with an impressive 34-18 record. At the time, Bryant was the NBA’s leading scorer.
In the first and only All-Star game held in the nation’s capital, Bryant did not disappoint. He led the Western Conference All-Stars in scoring with 19 points. Only Allen Iverson had more points than Kobe that night.
Iverson’s 25 points were good enough to earn his the All-Star game MVP award and good enough to help the Eastern Conference escape D.C. with a one-point win.
In very un-Kobe fashion, Bryant passed up the game’s final shot, instead, passing to Tim Duncan. In Bryant’s defense, that’s not a bad guy to have taking your final shot in a one-point game. But Duncan missed, and the Western Conference lost.
Even though Iverson may have outdueled Bryant in D.C., Kobe would get his revenge in the NBA Finals. He and Shaquille O’Neal took down Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in five games to win the Lakers their second consecutive NBA championship.
The next year, Kobe would make sure no one outshined him at the All-Star game. He dropped a game-high 31 points, along with five rebounds and five assists during the 2002 showcase in his hometown. All of that got him the 2002 All-Star Game MVP award and a shower of boos from the Philadelphia faithful.