THE statistics alone were more than enough to encapsulate the greatness of Kobe Bryant.
Five NBA championships, including a three-peat (2001-01-02) and a double (2009-10). A career tally of 39,283 points, which until last week was the third most by any player.
The competition's MVP award, in 2008. Twice MVP in a finals series. Eighteen consecutive appearances in the annual All Star game, and MVP in four of them.
Throw in two Olympic gold medals, in 2008 and 2012, and it's fair to say only a select group of players in the game's history have come close to such an illustrious CV.
I'm no basketball expert, but after the shattering news of Bryant's death this week I was quick to liaise with someone who is, my long-time friend and former colleague Brett Keeble.
Where did Kobe rate, I inquired?
Top five all-time, a broken-hearted Keebs replied. Possibly top three.
I was happy to accept that as gospel, given Brett's encyclopaedic knowledge of the sport of hoops.
And then, while aimlessly channel-surfing on Foxtel a night or two later, I stumbled on a game played almost four years earlier, and the case was closed, with no need for any further debate.
Fourteen points is a decent lead in any game of basketball. More often than not, if a team is that far in front, they'll take some catching. Especially if it's early in the fourth quarter.
On April 13, 2016, Utah Jazz led LA Lakers by that margin in the final term of their clash at the Staples Centre.
The Jazz were two points up at the end of the first quarter, 15 points ahead at half-time, and nine clear after the third quarter. When they kicked a further five points in front, you could have been forgiven for assuming the Lakers were done and dusted.
Except, of course, that this was a game with its own page in basketball folklore, and I had an inkling of what was about to happen next.
In the 1346th and last game of his career with the Lakers, Bryant was never likely to fade out with an anti-climactic defeat.
His 23-point haul in the final quarter was the catalyst for a remarkable comeback, as LA conjured up 35 points to claim a famous 101-96 victory.
Bryant finished with 60 points, the sixth time he had passed the milestone, including his 81-point demolition of Toronto Raptors in 2006, which was the second-highest individual score in NBA history.
It was the 25th time the 1.98-metre shooting guard had scored 50 points or more in a game, and raised the obvious question of why he was hanging up the boots.
What was perhaps even more mind-blowing than watching a 37-year-old beating the opposition almost single-handedly was that he could easily have scored more.
He missed 28 of the 50 field goals he attempted. Fifteen of his 21 three-point attempts went unrewarded.
That trait was highlighted in another column I read this week, which pointed out that Bryant missed 14,481 shots throughout his career, over 1000 more than any other player in NBA history.
On average, that works out to be more than 10 misses per game, but what it also indicates is that Bryant was relentless and did not dwell on his mistakes.
Miss a shot and he wouldn't sulk, or play conservatively. Instead he would desperately try to regain the ball and put it in the net.
To enjoy the longevity he did, after gambling on entering the NBA draft straight from high school, bypassing the college system, required not only enormous talent and passion.
The true champions usually achieve their optimum because of their unmatched work ethic, and there are legendary tales of Bryant training through the night because he wanted to nail 1000 free throws before clocking off.
Of course, even icons like Bryant are not beyond reproach.
No obituary can be written without mentioning the 2003 incident that led to a 19-year-old hotel employee accusing Bryant of raping her.
Bryant initially denied having sex with the woman, until forensic evidence proved that he had. Criminal charges were eventually dropped when the accuser, apparently unwilling to face further scrutiny from Bryant's lawyers and the media, refused to testify.
Two years later, she was paid a rumoured $2.5 million in a civil settlement, after which Bryant admitted: "After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter."
Unlike Mike Tyson, Bryant not only avoided jail, he was given the benefit of the doubt by millions, including his wife.
After news broke this week that the the 41-year-old had died in a helicopter crash, along with his daughter and seven other people, the rape allegations were largely a footnote, swamped by an outpouring of grief.
It's hard to remember the death of a sportsperson generating so much emotion around the world.
Perhaps not since the 1958 Munich air disaster, in which eight Manchester United players and three staff were killed, have sports fans been so shocked and saddened.
Like United's "Busby Babes", Kobe Bryant is gone far too early. The memories he leaves us with, at least, will outlast any lifetime.
