8 Most Memorable Kobe Bryant Games

In 2003, the LA Lakers had huge expectations going into the season. They had brought in future Hall-of-Famers Karl Malone and Gary Payton to bolster their line-up. While Malone was a shell of himself, Bryant and O'Neal were able to lead Los Angeles through the regular season with ease. In the last game of the season, the Lakers went into Portland with aspirations of winning the Pacific Division title.

The TrailBlazers featured a youthful core of Zach Randolph and Darius Miles along with the self-anointed "Kobe-Stopper" Ruben Patterson. Down by three with eight seconds to go in the 4th quarter, the Lakers inbounded the ball straight to Kobe. Matched up 1-on-1 with Patterson, Kobe couldn't find space to dribble past and Patterson wouldn't bite on a pump-fake. So he let loose a wild and completely contested three point attempt and sank it, sending the game into overtime.

Then after going into double OT, the Lakers were staring at a two point deficit, down 104-102. With one second left on the clock, Gary Payton again inbounded to Bryant and again he sank the three-pointer! Bryant sealed his status as THE clutch player in the NBA that night.

"I can't relate to lazy people. We don't speak the same language. I don't understand you. I don't want to understand you." ~Kobe