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There is no question Kobe Bryant is one of the best scorers in the history of the game. Achieving his 80th career 30-point game in the series with the Hornets, Mark Medina took a closer look at what it would take for Kobe to become the all-time leading playoff scorer:

His 5,203 career playoff points mean he’s only 46 points shy of surpassing Shaquille O’Neal‘s third-place mark (5,248), a record that likely will be broken before the Lakers-Hornets series ends. Bryant also trails (Kareem) Abdul-Jabbar (5,762) and (Michael) Jordan (5,987). I find the following scenario highly unlikely, but should the Lakers sweep their way through the 2011 NBA Finals and were Bryant to maintain his current 35.33-points-a-game average, he will have finished with 494 playoff points this season, increasing his total to 5,697. Should the Lakers go through seven games in every playoff series this season while Bryant maintains his 35.33 average, he would finish with 875 points this season, increasing his total to 6,078.

Those satisfy the short and long scenarios but don’t include the possibility that Bryant may have games where he facilitates and other games where he has 40-plus points — or series that last five or six games. But the numbers make it clear that it’s likely Bryant will surpass both Shaq and Abdul-Jabbar on the scoring list this postseason. It’s unlikely he’ll eclipse Jordan; I’m still uncertain they could beat Oklahoma City in a Western Conference Finals matchup, but Bryant will surely take the throne over Jordan in next year’s playoffs. It’s not the main motivation for Bryant right now, but it’s a carrot he’s certainly aware he could pursue.

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1 comment to “Kobe could become all-time leading playoff scorer”

1. April 30, 2011
   5:22 pm

    

   Madina(:

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   Come on KOBEE, you know your certainly capable of accompilshing thiss great scoringg surpassment! Of course. no doubt. Black Mamba