Before this NBA season started, I wrote an article predicting the decline of Kobe Bryant this year.
Knowing that Bryant was about to start his first season with more than 1,000 games under his belt, I looked to NBA history to tell me what might happen.
A careful analysis of the performance of past NBA stars in the seasons following their 1,000th career game proved to be fascinating.
Its all in the article, if you're interested, but the numbers pointed to a 33% decline in points and rebounds, and a 25% decline in assists.
For Kobe that would mean a stat line of 16.7 points per game, 3.7 rebounds per game, and 3.5 assists per game.
Now, 34 games into the season, Kobe's stat line sits at 25.4 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, and 4.4 assists per game.
His scoring is actually UP one tenth of a point from his career average, while his rebounds and assists have taken minimal drops of about 7%.
So it is only fair that I now point out the unbelievable season that Kobe Bryant is having.
He is defying NBA history and accomplishing things that have never been done before.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Gordon Garner
Kobe Bryant Defying All Odds: 1,000 Games and Still Going Strong
January 4th, 2011 by Gordon Garner Leave a reply »
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