Move aside, John Havlicek. There’s a new futility king in town! After erring on his thirteenth shot against Tony Allen and the Memphis Grizzlies tonight, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has become the NBA’s all-time in missed field goals.
Here’s the record-achieving shot. Of course it’s a long, tightly-contested, fadeaway two-point jumper:
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This clank was the 13,418th missed shot of Bryant’s career. Havlicek’s mark was compiled over 1,270 games compared to Kobe’s 1,252.
We touched on the possibility of Bryant achieving this milestone earlier today. It goes without saying that only a player of his rare, rare ability could break Hondo’s 35-year record. The Boston Celtics legend is an eight-time champion and member of the Hall-of-Fame; Kobe, some of you may remember, has five titles of his own and is a shoe-in for Springfield.
Missed shots aren’t a good thing, but there’s still something to be said for players able to create shots in volume. Phil Jackson, Bryant’s former coach and the current New York Knicks czar, said as much on Twitter recently in defense of Mamba:
@bomani_jones you don't get it. Most players can't GET 10 shots
let alone 30+ shots. It takes a special athlete to get a good shot in
NBA.— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) November 5, 2014
We’ve chastised Bryant’s shot-selection and general basketball id before, and there will be ample opportunity to do so again as the season continues. But though it seems backwards, now is hardly the time for such criticism.
This new landmark is a testament to Kobe’s nearly two-decade reign as one of basketball’s most productive scorers. There’s never been anybody like him, and there surely won’t ever be again. So simply add this feat to the insanely long list of ones that makes Bryant’s legacy – it says nearly as much in his favor as it does otherwise.
What do you think of Kobe’s new record?
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