Kobe Bryant’s 5 greatest moments vs the Washington Wizards

Gilbert Arenas outduels Kobe Bryant in Staples Center

December 17, 2006

There was a time in NBA history when the debate over the NBA’s best scoring guard was between either Gilbert Arenas or Kobe Bryant. It was a brief (but glorious) moment in NBA history, but it was real.

And at the height of Hibachi madness, Arenas challenged Bryant’s mid-2000s scoring crown with an epic 60-point performance during an overtime duel in Kobe’s house. Bryant was no slouch in this one either, finishing with his second-highest scoring total ever against Washington: 45 points.

Bryant shot an insane 7-for-11 from beyond the arc and shot 62.5 percent from the floor in the loss. It was a scoring clinic from one of the NBA’s greatest scorers ever. On that night, though, Hibachi was just better.

Bryant also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out ten assists in the loss. Arenas added eight rebounds, eight assists, and two steals to round out his superb stat line.

For both players, this matchup was an early sign of things to come. Arenas was coming off his first All-Star season and was a couple dozen games into what would become the greatest season of his career. Kobe was embarking on his second-consecutive scoring title run, and would go on to average over 30 points per game for the second season in a row. Bryant and Arenas were both named to the All-NBA teams that season.

Neither the Lakers nor the Wizards would make it past the first round of the playoffs that season, but Bryant and Arenas set the NBA on fire by trading jaw-dropping scoring performances from across the country. This duel had two of the season’s best at their peak.