Kobe Bryant On Breaking Jordan's Record: 'The True Beauty Is In The Journey'

For Kobe Bryant, surpassing Michael Jordan on the NBA all-time scoring list, which he accomplished on Sunday, was just the icing on the cake of success.

"It's a great accomplishment, but the true beauty is in the journey," the Los Angeles Lakers star was quoted by ESPN after setting new career and NBA records.

He did it by sinking two free throws midway in the second quarter of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The game was momentarily stopped as the crowd at the Target Center in Minneapolis gave him a standing ovation.

Bryant entered the game needing nine points to surpass the retired Jordan's mark of 32,292 points and move into third place on the all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.

The 36-year-old Bryant finished the game with 26 points to run his scoring total to 32,310. The Lakers defeated the Timberwolves, 100-94.

Although Bryant broke Jordan's record, he did it by playing in 19 seasons and 1,269^{th game while Jordan set the mark in just just 15 seasons and 1,072 games.}

After the game, Bryant gushed with pure joy in talking to reporters after achieving a personal milestone. "I'm just honored to be here, man, to still be playing. I appreciate being able to play this long," he said. "Careers normally don't last this long. I really appreciate the opportunity to still be out there playing and performing and doing what I do."

Many analysts say Bryant has been trying to shape his career after that of his idol, Jordan, since he entered the league in 1996 at the age of 18.

Phil Jackson, who coached both Jordan and Bryant, pointed this out in his book "Eleven Rings" wherein he said Bryant was "hell-bent on surpassing Jordan as the greatest player in the game," implying a certain dose of envy and superiority complex on the part of the Lakers' star.

Bryant rejected this insinuation, saying, "It's really not a big deal to say I passed him (Jordan) for something like that," he said. He then went on to say that the accomplishment was just incidental and that what truly gave him satisfaction was the "journey" in attaining that accomplishment.

Jordan wasted no time in congratulating Bryant. "He's obviously a great player, with a strong work ethic and has an equally strong passion for the game of basketball. I've enjoyed watching his game evolve over the years, and I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes next," Jordan said.

LeBron James, one of the game's biggest attractions today, also saluted Bryant, a future Hall of Famer. He tweeted: "Congrats Bean! @kobebryant #ThirdAllTime #LivingLegend — LeBron James (@KingJames) December 15, 2014.

Bryant's next target: the record of second-ranking Malone (36,928). If Bryant is still healthy enough to play another NBA season, he'll have a chance to finish second overall, and even catch top-ranking Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points). Bryant is averaging 25.4 points a game on his 19th season.

But a day after breaking Jordan's mark, Bryant wrote an essay on The Players' Tribune admitting that he's at the twilight of his career, calling it "Father Time's curfew."