The Lineup: 9 ESPN “Mamba Moments”

Kobe Bryant (foreground, left) appeared on the cover of the premier issue of ESPN The Magazine (March 23, 1998). His cover co-stars included (l-r) Alex Rodriguez, Kordell Stewart and Eric Lindros. Kobe Bryant will attempt to pass Michael Jordan for third place on the NBAâ€™s all-time scoring list tonight when his Los Angeles Lakers visit the defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs (9:30 ET, ESPN). Bryant needs 31 points to pass Jordan, whose 32,292 points rank behind only Karl Malone (36,928) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387). Since entering the NBA in 1996, Bryant - aka "The Black Mamba" - has appeared on numerous ESPN platforms in a variety of ways. Front Row revisits some of those moments in the photo gallery above. Laurel Daggett and Ana Livia Coelho contributed to this post. Bryant has appeared in three "This Is SportsCenter" spots, including two from 1996 featuring current ESPN NFL analyst Keyshawn Johnson and SportsCenter anchors Karl Ravech, Kenny Mayne and Stuart Scott. Last winter, Bryant and former President Bill Clinton (left) were panelists for ESPN Town Hall: Kids and Sports. At the 2009 ESPYS, singer Stevie Wonder presented Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers the Best Team Award. In 2000, Bryant co-starred with Stuart Scott and former SportsCenter anchor Rich Eisen (holding cup) in a "This Is SportsCenter" commercial. Here's a photo from the shoot - see the commercial on the next page. This spot was shot in ESPN's Bristol, Conn. headquarters and featured a "Jordanesque" theme. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGkYT4mwtdg&feature=youtu.be In October 2005, Bryant and former Lakers head coach [and current Knicks executive] Phil Jackson were featured in this photo illustration for this ESPN The Magazine cover. Bryant and LeBron James (right) attended the 2006 ESPYS. This file photo of Bryant facing Tim Duncan and the Spurs dates back to 2006. The old foes face off on ESPN tonight with Bryant poised to pass Michael Jordan on the NBA's career scoring list.

This file photo of Bryant facing Tim Duncan and the Spurs dates back to 2006. The old foes face off on ESPN tonight with Bryant poised to pass Michael Jordan on the NBA’s career scoring list.

Related Articles