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Whether he’s your hero or your villain, there's no denying Kobe Bryant is one of the most dominant personalities in NBA history. Known for his clutch shooting and his confidence, his killer instinct and his cockiness, Kobe has made a career out of being unapologetically himself both on and off the court.
So with Bryant’s retirement officially looming on the horizon, we sought to honor the five-time champion for both his play and, uh, distinctive personality, as he takes one last lap around the NBA’s 29 arenas this season.
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Here's to you, Mamba. Behold, 24 moments when Kobe Bryant perfectly played the part of, well, Kobe Bryant:
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That postgame interview when he claimed not to know who Jeremy Lin was mid-Linsanity.
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The time Bryant was caught on tape begging someone to “Ship [Andrew Bynum's] ass out!”
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That game when a reporter insulted Kobe's three-point shooting, so he drilled an NBA record 12 three-pointers.
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LA Times journalist T.J. Simers claimed in 2003 that his daughter could shoot better than Bryant from beyond the arc. Kobe didn’t appreciate that -- so he hit nine consecutive threes against the Seattle Supersonics, en route to the 12 treys for the game -- still tied for the most ever.
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When a teenage Bryant tried to outduel his hero at his first All-Star game.
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When he scored 42 points in one half against that hero in 2003.
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That week in 2007 when he scored 50 points in four straight games (and 40 points in five straight games) while being double-, triple- and quadruple-teamed.
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After failing to score 50 in a fifth straight game, he characterized his 43-point performance on March 25, 2007, as an “off-night.” The Lakers won all five of those contests behind Bryant’s offensive onslaught, leading then-Warriors coach Don Nelson to declare, “We held him to 43, by God!”
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Those many, many times when Lakers head trainer Gary Vitti had to force Bryant to stop playing with broken bones, torn ligaments, sprained ankles and other injuries.
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According to one former teammate, whenever Vitti would turn his back, Bryant would begin to go at it again.
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This photo of an 11-year-old Kobe competing against full-blown adults.
Kobe Bryant at age 11 playing against adults in Italy. pic.twitter.com/YNbGLl9mTk
— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) November 30, 2015
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When he knocked over, then stepped over, beloved teammate and “brother” Pau Gasol in an Olympic game.
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When he created his own nickname -- naming himself after a killer snake, of course.
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Meet the Black Mamba.
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And of course, that time No. 8, Kobe Bean Bryant the Black Mamba, put up 81 points in a comeback victory against the Toronto Raptors.
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It’s been a helluva journey, Bean. Thanks for taking us along for the ride.
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