Kobe reaches 25,000 points

[Andrew]

A day late, but since we had a thread for Shaq and Duncan's milestones...

Obligatory Article Link

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant is the 15th player in NBA history to reach 25,000 career points and the youngest to hit the milestone.

Bryant reached the mark by making one free throw late in the second quarter of Thursday’s showdown against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

At 31 years, 151 days, Bryant got to 25,000 in 35 fewer days than Wilt Chamberlain, who finished his career with 31,419 points.

Way back in 1997, Robert Horry predicted that Kobe would finish as the league's all-time leading scorer. Even though he's not showing too many signs of slowing down or changing his approach to the game anytime soon, I'm not sure he'll stick around long enough to rack up another 13,000 points but who knows. It wouldn't surprise me too much if he at least ends up in the 30,000 point club when it's all said and done.

[benji]

38387 - 25012 = 13375 (LEETS)

At 20 ppg, playing every single game, that'd take eight more years. I'd say it's plausible. He'll probably be in the 25-27 range scoring for another few years which will make it easy.

Say four years at 26 ppg, 75 games a year, that's 7800 points.
Then he could drop down to the 20 ppg range for three years, that's another 4500. You're already at 12300.
He'd only need 72 games at 15 ppg to pass it.

I could see Kobe hitting 38-39 and seeing it's within a season and pushing the extra year (or even two) he'd need to make it. Not like he has anything else.

[bee-boy]

i too believe kobe will hit the 30,000 mark. he's had a wonderful career to this point. I still have trouble sometimes believing he scored 81 pts in a single game.

[Andrew]

38387 - 25012 = 13375 (LEETS)

At 20 ppg, playing every single game, that'd take eight more years. I'd say it's plausible. He'll probably be in the 25-27 range scoring for another few years which will make it easy.

Say four years at 26 ppg, 75 games a year, that's 7800 points.
Then he could drop down to the 20 ppg range for three years, that's another 4500. You're already at 12300.
He'd only need 72 games at 15 ppg to pass it.

I could see Kobe hitting 38-39 and seeing it's within a season and pushing the extra year (or even two) he'd need to make it. Not like he has anything else.

Oh, it's definitely plausible, I'd never rule it out completely. I suppose the real question is how long he's going to keep playing. So long as that length of time facilitates the point totals, it's absolutely within reason.

[Fresh8]

I have a gut feeling that Kobe will be around until he is 40. At what capacity he will be able to perform, I am not bold enough to predict.