The date was November 11, 2005, and the Los Angeles Lakers were in Philadelphia, taking on the 76ers. Despite this being just the sixth game of the season for both teams, it was always a big deal when Kobe returned to Philly.
Also, fans gathered in anticipation of seeing the Kobe-Allen Iverson matchup. On this November evening, the matchup that took over the headline was not Kobe-Iverson, but Kobe and Andre Iguodala.
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How would Iguodala fare against The Black Mamba? And how would Kobe respond to this challenge?
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Today, the retired Andre Iguodala is well known for his defensive abilities, especially against LeBron James in the NBA Finals. Iguodala did, in fact, win a Finals MVP strictly for his defensive effort on LeBron in 2015. But before Iguodala became the Golden State Warriors’ defensive specialist, he was known for being a high-flying slam dunker for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Once the game started, it was clear that Kobe wasn’t quite himself. Kobe missed all his shots in the first quarter, going 0-7, while getting just one point from the charity stripe. The biggest reason behind Kobe’s struggles was Iguodala.
The future four-time NBA champion used his quickness and physicality to smother Kobe every time he had the ball. At halftime, Kobe only scored seven points on 3-14 shooting. This certainly wasn’t up to The Black Mamba’s standards.
In the second half, Kobe continued to struggle against Iguodala’s defense, shooting only 4-13. This brought his total shooting percentage for the game to just 7-27. After the game, Kobe’s legendary coach, Phil Jackson, noted that Iguodala’s efforts against his star player were the “greatest defensive performance” he had ever seen on Kobe.
This truly upset Kobe. Coming back to his hometown and struggling, only to hear his coach praise the player who managed to stop him, fueled his determination to make a statement in their next matchup.
Kobe declares 50 for Iguodala
The stage was set for their rematch on January 6, 2006, and this time the game would be played in Los Angeles. Before the game, Kobe would showcase his famous Mamba Mentality firsthand when he walked into the 76ers locker room and told Iguodala’s teammates to give him this simple message:
“Tell him 50 tonight.”
Kobe’s pre-game declaration set the tone for what would become an unforgettable night. As the game began, Kobe was locked in.
Kobe first nailed a jumper over both Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert. Then, after the 76ers’ Kyle Korver connected on a three, Kobe answered with a three of his own.
Later on with the Lakers leading 22-16, LA had the ball with the shot clock running down. Kobe looked to get the ball, but Iguodala was draped all over him. The Black Mamba shook off Iguodala and drilled a long three.
Kobe would connect on three more field goals in the first quarter, including a fallaway jumper over Iguodala at the top of the key, and a sick crossover to shake off Iguodala, finishing with the 20-foot jumper.
Kobe, who made just seven shots in the previous matchup, had six made buckets in the first quarter, shooting 6-10 overall and 2-2 from downtown.
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Kobe wasn’t just a shot chucker, as most believe. And this was true in the first quarter of this game as well. With the quarter winding down, Kobe pushed the ball up court and found Smush Parker for the wide-open slam dunk.
The Lakers led 37-22 after one quarter of play, with Kobe scoring 14 points. Iguodala could tell things were going to keep getting worse for him, as he knew the defense he was playing on Kobe was, in fact, better than in their previous game. But that doesn’t matter when a player of Kobe’s caliber has found their rhythm.
Kobe stayed on the floor to start the second quarter and this was a good decision. Once again, Iguodala guarded Kobe and The Black Mamba took it right at him, drilling a turnaround fadeaway right in Iguodala’s face.
76ers’ head coach finally decided Iguodala had enough for now and gave him a breather. John Salmons now had the task of slowing down one of the greatest scorers in NBA history… he would have no better luck than Iguodala.
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Kobe quickly went to work, drilling a jumper from 21 feet, while also drawing the foul from Salmons. The Black Mamba would eventually get a mini-break and when he returned, it finally looked as if he cooled off, as he missed a few shots and committed two turnovers.
But Kobe never let anything faze him. He ended the quarter strong, nailing a long-distance three and converting an old-fashioned three-point play, as he made a rainbow shot while being fouled by Chris Webber.
At the half, the Lakers led the 76ers 67-52 and Kobe had 24 points on 10-18 shooting. Kobe wasn’t the only one doing it for the Lakers, as Parker had 21 points in the first half himself. As for the 76ers, Iverson was doing his best to duel Kobe, scoring 25, but his performance wasn’t nearly as impactful as The Black Mamba’s.
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Kobe’s first made bucket in the third came with 8:34 remaining, and it was a jumper from 22 feet with, you guessed it, Iguodala guarding him. Even when Iguodala got help from his teammates, they still couldn’t stop Kobe.
Kobe easily beat Iguodala off the dribble with a crossover and Samuel Dalembert came over to help, but his block was ruled a goaltending. Like the second quarter, Kobe would be relatively quiet throughout the quarter, but turn the jets on to finish the quarter out strong.
Kobe grabbed a rebound after a Webber miss and took it the full length of the court, beating Iguodala and finishing with an and-1 reverse layup. On the Lakers’ next possession, Kobe continued his attack, scoring in the paint over nearly the entire 76ers team.
Kobe’s next bucket was a jumper over Iguodala, where he was fouled as well and his last two made shots of the quarter were both three-pointers, giving The Black Mamba 18 points in the quarter on an incredible 7-9 shooting.
The Lakers led 94-75 after three quarters, with Kobe dropping 42 points, eight shy of his promise to Iguodala. The question now that had to be asked was, would Kobe even play in the fourth, to attempt to reach 50?
Kobe falls short of 50
Kobe would return with 5:49 remaining and the Lakers leading 106-87. His first shot was a 28-foot bomb from three. Kobe would make one more three, this time from 26 feet, giving himself 48 points in the game. The Black Mamba would exit with 3:49 remaining as the Lakers held a comfortable 23-point lead.
Kobe may have come up two points short of his 50-point declaration, but this was even more of a statement than actually reaching 50. The fact Kobe could have scored 50 but chose not to, shows how much of a killer he was, as he knew the message was received by Iguodala, loud and clear.
The Lakers ended up winning the game 119-93. This put LA’s record at 16-16 up to that point in the season.
All of these years later, Iguodala still is finding himself having nightmares over the Kobe game. He once told Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco about the Kobe masterpiece and DeMarco went to find and watch the game. He brought it up to Iguodala that he watched it and Iggy recalled the conversation:
“DeMarco said, ‘Bro, you played amazing defense. He made some crazy shots’. I’m like, ‘I told you, man. That wasn’t all on me but I take them all. Because it was for me. But man, oh man, that was impressive. Man, you be having nightmares about that.”
It’s okay, Iguodala, Kobe Bryant has given many players nightmares. He was simply that good.
