Kobe: Before/after Philly All-Star Game snub
Kobe Bryant numbers broken down.
On Feb. 10, 2002, Philadelphia hosted the NBA All-Star Game and from the start, the fans treated Kobe Bryant not as a native son, but as annoying opponent, booing him throughout.
At the time — about a third of his career to date — he had risen to be among the best players in the game, but hadn't yet been first-team All-NBA (which he has done 10 times since).
Below are his career totals — regular season and playoffs combined — at the time of that All-Star Game and in his career since then. (We've also included his numbers in Philadelphia B/A that All-Star Game.)
It's no surprise his points per game have exploded since then, but it is interesting to see that his overall field-goal percentage hasn't . Moreso, it is better three-point shooting and the fact that he has been more the center of the Lakers' offense since then, taking an average of 22 shots a game. (Thanks for heading to Miami, Shaq!)