Kareem Abdul-Jabbar highlighted the fact that Kobe Bryant holds the record for most missed field goals in NBA history in his birthday tribute to the Mamba. In other words, the Los Angeles Lakers legend revealed that he is not interested in Kobe’s accolades as a great player. On the contrary, he is interested in the fact that Kobe Bryant missed 14,481 field goals in his entire career.

After Kobe’s passing in 2020, his birthday on August 23 is seen as an emotional day for many athletes and fans all around the world. However, on such an auspicious day, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dedicated a unique tribute to the late great Lakers legend.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s strange tribute to Kobe Bryant

In his latest Substack column, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar remembered the contributions of the late great Kobe Bryant. However, he seemed more interested in an unflattering truth about Bryant’s career, rather than his dazzling accolades.

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As it turns out, the 75-year-old NBA veteran wanted to underscore Kobe Bryant’s staggering number of field goal misses.

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“Kobe Bryant missed the most career field goals in NBA history. He missed 14,481 times.”

“To me, that statistic is the foundation of his greatness as an athlete—and one of the reasons our affection for the man transcends our admiration for the athlete,” Abdul-Jabbar stated.

Meanwhile, he pointed out that a fan’s admiration for an athlete’s prowess on the field is fleeting. However, the five-time NBA champion’s legacy has been cemented eternally among his fans. The reason is not his performance on the court, but his mindset outside it.

The secret behind Bryant’s enduring legacy

According to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant was driven by his hunger to get better. He didn’t work hard just for the sake of winning. In other words, the 18-time All-Star had so many missed field goals because he took so many shots.

The Mamba didn’t care about the outside world’s judgment. Therefore, he wasn’t afraid of failure or the negative opinions of the public as a consequence of failure. On the contrary, Kobe’s only aim was to better himself every single day.

“To miss so much and yet feel confident enough to shoot again and again embodies the best qualities of human beings…,” Abdul-Jabbar explained.

“We love Kobe because he wasn’t afraid to take the shot,” he added.

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Do you agree with Kareem’s interpretation of Kobe’s greatness? Let us know your thoughts below.