Facing his childhood idol, Kobe Bryant put his full arsenal of skills on display by reaching his third career-triple double to rally the Lakers past Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards.
Through Los Angeles trailed by as many as 20, Bryant racked up 23 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds to key his team’s 103-94 win.
With Shaquille O’Neal out due to a toe injury, the recently un-retired Jordan pushed the Wizards to a 13-point halftime lead while Bryant struggled to only five points.
However, Bryant scored a dozen in the third period — in which L.A. exploded for 42 points — to take a lead that the Lakers would never surrender in halting Washington’s five-game win streak.
Despite Jordan leading the Wizards with 22 points and six assists, his former coach, Phil Jackson, exited with the victory in the pair’s first head-to-head meeting.
Jackson had coached Jordan to six championships in the 1990s and was on his way to his third of five with Bryant and the Lakers in the 2000s.
Kobe performances on this day in history:
