As expected, Kobe Bryant joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, and Wilt Chamberlain on Wednesday as the only players in NBA history to score more than 30,000 career points.
Bryant achieved the milestone with 1:16 left in the first half in New Orleans, by converting a right-handed floater in the lane over Hornets center Robin Lopez. (He finished with 29 and the Lakers won, 103-87.)
Bryant only needed 13 points coming in to get there, and made sure to do so by halftime against the team that originally drafted him in 1996. The Hornets then traded him to Los Angeles in exchange for Vlade Divac, which will unquestionably go down as the worst trade in NBA history.
Next up for Bryant will be to surpass Chamberlain at 31,419, and then Jordan at 32,292.
Kobe should pass Wilt sometime near the end of this season if he plays the bulk of the games and continues to average more than 27 points per game; he currently leads the league in scoring at 27.9 points per contest.