Clang! Kobe Bryant Hits NBA Mark for Misses

Mr. October owns Major League Baseball’s strikeout mark. Canton-bound Brett Favre sits atop the NFL’s list of most interceptions thrown.

Kobe Bryant hit the NBA mark for misses on Tuesday night.

The Lakers guard scored 28 points in last night’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. But his 10 for 26 night gives Bryant sole possession of missed shots from the field in NBA history. His 13,421 missed field goals put him four ahead of Hall of Famer John Havlicek.  

Kobe’s stat line shows more misses than Manu Ginobli’s, Chris Paul’s, or Jermaine O’Neal’s shows points. 

Should Kobe lament his ignominious distinction, he might find consolation in the company he keeps. John Havlicek, Elvin Hayes, Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Michael Jordan–some of the best players in the Hall of Fame let alone NBA history–follow behind him on the clanking rankings.

And if that doesn’t cheer Kobe’s spirits, then perhaps he might dust off the autobiography of a one-time rival.

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career,” Michael Jordan wrote. “I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”