When Kobe Bryant wore #8
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For 10 seasons, the late Kobe Bryant, the player sometimes called the greatest Laker, wore #8. He made the All-Star team as #8, eight times.
He said he wore the #8 because it was the sum of his Adidas camp number — 1–4–3. Kobe did well at number 8 too.
Here’s a closer look.
Kobe Bryant averaged 24 points per game as #8, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. He also won three championships on the teams that will be forever known as the Shaq-Kobe teams.
His winning percentage during this period is, in fact, better that his years as #24. The Lakers won 65 percent of their games with Kobe as #8. Kobe was a key player on those Lakers teams. It is unlikely the teams win three NBA championships in a row without him even though the Lakers had Shaquille O’Neal in the post.
In the final season as #8 (2005–2006), Kobe reached his statistical apex. he was 27 years old.
Bryant averaged 35 points per game, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists that season. He shot nearly 50 percent from the field (48 eFG). This was the year Bryant scored 62 points per game against Dallas. It was also the year Bryant famously scored 81 points on January 22, 2006, against the Toronto Raptors.
