Kobe Bryant birthday

Kobe Bryant would be 44 years old on Tuesday. Here's a look back at memorable Mamba Mentality quotes and epic Kobe performances from his NBA career.

After taking a 2-0 series lead in 2009 NBA Finals, Bryant gave one of the signature soundbites from his career: “The job’s not finished.” It didn’t take long for Bryant and Co. The team beat Spain by a score of 118-107 in the gold medal game as Bryant chipped in 20 points and six assists. Bryant earned a second gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012. The Lakers honored Bryant by retiring both his No. Bryant’s final game was the full Kobe experience. He hit a game-tying floater in the final seconds of regulation before draining a mid-range jumper at the overtime buzzer to put Los Angeles up 3-1 in the series. Bryant put together the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history with an 81-point masterclass against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. One of the first pieces of official NBA hardware Bryant earned came from the 1997 NBA Dunk Contest in Cleveland, which he won as a rookie. Bryant lobbed up an alley-oop to O’Neal in the closing minute of a Game 7 Western Conference finals victory that blew the roof off Staples Center and sent the Lakers to their first Finals appearance since 1991. He went 28-for-46 overall, 7-for-13 from 3-point range and 18-for-20 from the free-throw line in a 122-104 victory. From there, he created one of the most storied careers in basketball history across his 20 years in the NBA. [“The Last Dance,”](https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/last-dance-episodes-5-6-kobe-bryant-appears-michael-jordans-warts-explored) MIchael Jordan had his sights set on Bryant going into the 1998 All-Star Game.