Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Kobe Bryant has another lofty achievement to add to the long list of great accomplishments he has had in his career.  He became the 15th player to reach 25,000 career points and reached it at a younger age than any player in NBA history.  In tonight’s game against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kobe hit a free throw in the second quarter to bring his career total to 25,000 points.  Unfortunately for Kobe, his opponent in tonight’s game will likely get to 25,000 points even quicker.  Kobe will soon pass Jerry West (25,192) and Reggie Miller (25,279), and will likely pass Alex English (25,613) this season.  That means at the end of this season the 31-year-old Bryant will be 12th all-time in career points.  Kobe is having another phenomenal season, averaging 28.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.8 steals on 47% shooting.  What makes those numbers even more impressive is that Kobe has been playing with a broken index finger on his shooting hand since early December.  He is definitely one of the best to ever play the game.

Shooting guard Sasha Vujacic looks like he has flat out lost his job to Shannon Brown (who is outplaying him this season). Vujacic has played in 39 games (0 starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging only 7.9 minutes, 2.4 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. With his long range shooting being his main asset, Vujacic might need some time to get back his shooting rhythm if he gets brought back into the regular rotation at some point this season for the Lakers.

Small forward Adam Morrison continues to be overmatched in the NBA proving that Gonzaga is not a goldmine for NBA players. He has played in 20 games (0 starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging 8.3 minutes, 2.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He has the reputation of being a good shooter but it isn’t very accurate as he is shooting 39% from the floor, 28.6% from three point range and 50% from the free throw line. Morrison is looking like one of the all-time busts of the first round. He has played in 150 games (28 starts) in his three years in the league and he is averaging 21.4 minutes, 7.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

Point guard Magic Johnson was so great for the Lakers because he was so unselfish. Sure, he could have averaged 25 points per night but he liked keeping his teammates involved which made the Lakers a great basketball team. He played in 906 games in his career with the Lakers and he averaged 36.7 minutes, 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 11.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Magic is the Lakers’ all-time leader in both assists (10,141) and steals (1,724). He is also #5 in games played (906), #5 in minutes played (33,245), #3 in rebounds (6,559) and #5 in points scored (17,707). It’s a shame that his career was cut short because of sickness because you will never see another point guard with the same skill set as Magic Johnson because of his size.

The very athletic Shannon Brown has really found a home with the Los Angeles Lakers, and is averaging career highs in almost every category.  Coming out of the Chicago area Proviso East High School, Brown was one of the most highly recruited players in the country and ended up with Tom Izzo at Michigan State where he had a very solid three year career for the Spartans.  Brown went on to be the 25th pick in the 2006 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.  His NBA career never really took off and he never saw much playing time.  He bounced around from the Cavaliers, to the Chicago Bulls, to the NBA-D League, and to the Charlotte Bobcats before finally finding a home with the Lakers.  Brown really broke out of his shell for the Lakers in last years’ playoffs and this year has continued to make an impact for the Lakers.  Coming off the bench, Brown averages 7.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 18.2 minutes while shooting 47% from the field.  Brown is a strong defender and a great leaper who has made more than a few highlight-reel, momentum-swinging dunks.  It is hard to believe that all of those other teams could not find use for such an athletic guy, but Phil Jackson certainly loves this guys energy and athleticism.

PF/SF Lamar Odom was a free agent last summer and the Lakers have to feel fortunate right now that he came back to them. He has played in 37 games (20 starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging 31.8 minutes, 9.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. With Pau Gasol banged up right now Odom is starting at power forward and he is doing an outstanding job.

Kobe Bryant is playing some of the best basketball of his NBA career despite playing with a broken finger. He has played in 32 games (all starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging 38.7 minutes, 30.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game this year. The 31-year old Bryant is #16 all-time in the NBA in scoring with 24,800 points. He needs sixteen points tomorrow against the Mavericks to pass up Patrick Ewing for 15th on the all-time scoring list and he could do that before halftime. The Lakers will go as far as Kobe takes them this season as he is playing like a man on a mission.