Los Angeles Lakers: The night Kobe Bryant dropped 55 on Michael Jordan
By Todd Dudas
Looking back at the night that Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant dropped 55 points against Michael Jordan
It’s still very surreal and sad thinking back at the late-Kobe Bryant. In fact, that simple sentence is still very much unbelievable.
He was an idol, a hero that many looked up too. As his family and friends and ex-teammates move forward with their lives, let’s remember all of the greatness this man brought to the court. We will never forget his smile. Legends are forever.
When you see something like this as a sports fan, it gives you goosebumps. The greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan, was passing the torch to the next superstar. Kobe Bryant, who many declared to be the next Michael, had to be eager to play against the man that had molded his game.
March 28, 2003, in front of a capacity crowd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Kobe was about to have a game against Jordan that he would never forget. It was Teacher vs. Student on this night. Even though he was 40 years old, Jordan was still playing fantastic basketball even in his comeback to the league.
Jordan was now with the Washington Wizards and facing off against the NBA’s current great dynasty in the Los Angeles Lakers, in part led by Kobe Bryant.
Jordan started the game by hitting his first four shots. Then, it was Kobe’s turn.
Kobe went to town, scoring one buck after another. All night long. To place into context just how efficient his performance was on that night, he shot 9-for-13 from 3-point range. That computes to 69 percent shooting.
On the night, he shot 51 percent shooting from the field overall and finished with 55 points by the end of the night, with Jordan finishing with 23 points.
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Looking back, it could certainly be looked like a night in which Jordan was finally ready to pass his torch to Kobe Bryant. Even if he might never admit it, the NBA’s was certainly in Kobe’s hands at the moment. And he would go on to have many more memorable moments in the league before his retirement in 2016.