These 3 guys (and Gary Payton) remain the only ones in NBA History with 9 All-Defensive 1st Team selections.
Since LeBron entered the NBA in 2003:
- 2004 - Kobe made the Finals, LeBron didn’t
- 2007 - LeBron made the Finals, Kobe didn’t
- 2008 - Kobe made the Finals, LeBron didn’t
- 2009 - Kobe made the Finals, LeBron didn’t
- 2010 - Kobe made the Finals, LeBron didn’t
- 2011 - LeBron made the Finals, Kobe didn’t
- 2012 - LeBron made the Finals, Kobe didn’t
- 2013 - LeBron is (most likely) gonna make the Finals, Kobe won’t
So think about this…out of the last 10 years, these guys won their Conferences 8 times (4 each). Yet they never met each other in the Finals.
Somehow, one of them always fails to make it, even when their teams seem to be on a collision course to battle for the Larry O’Brien trophy, like 2009, 2010, and 2011.
By a series of (unlucky) events, we never got the Bird vs. Magic Finals of our generation.
Kobe reaching his three big milestones:
- 10,000 points against the Pacers in March 2003
- 20,000 points against the Knicks in December 2007
- 30,000 points against the Hornets in December 2012
3,383 points to the next big milestone of 35,000 points.
“The winds that sometimes take something we love, are the same that bring us something we learn to love. Therefore we should not cry about something that was taken from us, but, yes, love what we have been given. Because what is really ours is never gone forever.”
― Bob Marley
