With a trade that acquired Dwight Howard and the singing the Steve Nash, most thought the heavily stacked Lakers would dominate the 2012-13 season. But as we learned with the 2010-11 Heat, championship teams aren't just about putting the best players together. After getting off to a very rocky start, most critics declared that the Lakers had no chance of making the playoffs, but one player felt differently. Kobe swore to media and the Lakers organization that they would make the playoffs.
From that point on, Kobe played every game like it was Game 7 in the Finals. He played more minutes than usual and hustled his ass off to ensure the Lakers would make the playoffs. With only a couple games left in the regular season, it looks like Kobe kept true to his word, but at what expense? This past Friday, all those extra minutes caught up with Kobe's pride when he suffered a season ending injury with a tore achilles heel.
Although I think Kobe is a selfish and self-centered player, I respect the hell of out him because of his fierce determination to win. Any fan would want him on their team. Last year, became the youngest player to hit 30k points. This put him fifth on the all-time scoring list, behind 1 - Kareem, 2 - Karl Malone, 3 - MJ, 4 - Chamberlin. Below is an infographic to pay homage to scoring accomplishments.
