Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has put his name into the NBA history books many times over, either by grabbing sole possession of records or steadily working his way up the lists of all-time greats. He has accomplished a great deal in his 19 seasons, and it's fair to assume he'll add more milestones to his resume before his career is done.
Unfortunately for Kobe, reaching many of those marks has also entailed making negative history. He made an especially notable record in Tuesday night's road game against the Memphis Grizzlies. With 6:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, Bryant missed his 13th shot of the game, a fadeaway jumper from the left post over Courtney Lee. It was also the 13,418th miss of his career, which put him ahead of Boston Celtics Hall of Famer John Havlicek for first on the all-time missed-field-goals list.
The mere fact Kobe passed Havlicek, one of the best players in basketball history, proves this record is not an especially shameful one to hold. It is in many ways a mark of longevity and continued relevance, because someone cannot set a record for missed shots unless he is in a position to shoot many times. Basketball fans differ on whether Kobe should continue to be treated like one of the best players in the league at 36 years old, but the mere existence of the argument shows how special a career he has had.