Kobe Bryant hits 32,000 career points

The Los Angeles Lakers are not a very good basketball team, which has caused many NBA observers to term the franchise's 2014-15 season little more than a chance for longtime superstar Kobe Bryant to build on his already very impressive career statistics. Bryant is still a ways off from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA scoring record, but he's set to pass some big names and reach other milestones throughout the 82-game schedule. Not all his records will be fully positive, but they all speak to the impact that Kobe has had on the sport and league.

It's unclear if Lakers fans will take comfort in this historic silver lining to a lost season, but it figures that at least a few notable milestones will occur on nights in which the Lakers look pretty good. That's exactly what happened in Tuesday night's road game against the Atlanta Hawks. The Lakers got off to a fast start and led by 15 at the half, only to see the hosts battle back and turn it into a close game in the final minutes. With the Lakers up 105-102 and roughly 1:20 left on the clock, Bryant backed down Thabo Sefolosha, fought through some quality defense, and nailed a turnaround jumper through a foul to give his team a two-possession lead. The shot also gave Kobe 32,000 points for his career, putting him alongside Kareem, Karl Malone, and Michael Jordan as the only players to reach the milestone