Lakers: One Very Underrated Part of Kobe Bryant's Incredible NBA Career

Kobe Bryant was a man of many talents, but people don't talk enough about one in particular.

There are enough great stories of Kobe Bryant to fill up the entire internet. He deserves each and every single one.. He’s got buzzer-beaters, championship rings, mind-blowing lay-ups, and everything in between. Kobe could do it all, and more.

However, one aspect of his basketball prowess is sometimes overlooked. Kobe was an underrated dunker. 

Although he’s rarely mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, and Dominique Wilkins, his highlight tape measures up. It might be even better.

It’s not just emphatic tomahawk slams in the open court. Kobe could hammer home artful dunks in traffic. He could punish cement-footed centers standings under the rim. Kobe would blow by the best on-ball defenders in the game and thunder home a powerful jam. Hell, he almost killed Steve Nash in a playoff game (probably not an accident).

In the words of NBA announcer Kevin Harlan, Kobe dunked “with no regard for human life”.

Kobe’s dunk library also includes posterizations of the 7’6” Yao Ming and future three-time NBA Defense Player of the Year Dwight Howard. When the Black Mamba was rising to the rim, it was best to get out of the way.

One of Kobe’s many, many accomplishments, which many understandably forget, is he won the 1997 Slam Dunk contest. As an 18-year-old rookie. 

His through-the-legs one-hander helped him beat out Michael Finley and Chris Carr for the title.

Kobe’s life and legacy have much to celebrate, just don’t forget about his prodigious dunking ability.