Tuesday is the one-year anniversary of the passing of Kobe Bryant, an NBA legend. Bryant died on January 26, 2020 in a tragic helicopter crash, as did his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others.
Bryant is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and three other daughters. He was 41 years old at the time of his January 2020 death.
During his legendary 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant was a five-time NBA champion; an 18-time All-Star; a two-time Olympic gold medalist; and an MVP, among numerous accolades.
Naturally, that legendary career meant he had his share of elite performances against every NBA franchise — and that’s certainly the case for playoff rivals in the Western Conference, like the Houston Rockets.
Bryant appeared in 61 regular-season games against the Rockets from 1996 through 2016, with the Lakers going 35-26 (.574) in those contests. The future Hall of Fame guard averaged 26.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.5 steals, and he was also a valuable defender.
But Bryant and the Lakers really did their damage against the Rockets in the playoffs. During his career, the Lakers were a perfect 3-0 in playoff series versus Houston — including a 3-1 win in the 1999 first round, a 4-1 win in the 2004 first round, and a 4-3 triumph in the 2009 second round. In those three postseason series, Bryant averaged 24.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.3 steals per game.
Combining the playoffs and regular season, Bryant scored 40+ points nine times against the Rockets, including three games of 50+ points.
Bryant’s first game versus the Rockets came at Houston’s former arena, The Summit, on Nov. 12, 1996. Then only 18 years old and fresh out of high school, Bryant scored two points in just five minutes.
Bryant’s last game against Houston came on April 10, 2016 at Toyota Center, and it was his third-to-last game in the NBA. He scored 35 points in just 27 minutes, but the Rockets got a bit of revenge with a 130-110 win. James Harden led the way for Houston with 40 points and 13 assists.
Naturally, though, his most memorable games against the Rockets came in between his debut and that farewell game. Here’s a look back at what stood out the most over Bryant’s 20 seasons against Houston.
