If Kobe Bryant doesn't smash some record during his retirement game, then did he really retire at all? Have no fear: Bryant broke Michael Jordan's 1993 record for the most field goal attempts during his final game Wednesday night — with an insane 50 attempts taken.
Yep. Five-zero.
For the less-basketball minded, that means Bryant actually attempted more shots than anyone else has since they started keeping records during the 1983-84 season. (Basketball nerds might point out that Wilt Chamberlain took 63 shots when he scored 100 points in 1962). More impressively, perhaps, is the fact that Bryant's field goal attempts actually yielded 60 points (tying his 5th most of all time), and a win.
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After all, as someone who has been criticized for shooting too much (another of Bryant's records: most misses in a game, at 30), Bryant's attempt record Wednesday night actually puts him in a familiar crowd. Of the top 10 most field goal attempts since record-keeping began, Bryant owns six of them — and only six times has a player actually taken more than 45 shots in a game.
During his final game on Wednesday, Bryant also edged in on the record for the most three-point shots attempted, trying for 21 just below record-holder J.R. Smith's 22.
So never mind that Jordan's 1993 record of 49 attempts actually yielded more points in the end — if there was a better way for Bryant to top off his 20-year career, we can't think of one. Watch some of the night's highlights below. Jeva Lange
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