A few months before they would meet in the 1982 NBA Finals, the two sides again engaged in a tense meeting at the Great Western Forum on Feb. 26. In the end, Magic and Kareem led L.A. to a hard-fought double overtime win over the Sixers.

Kareem was in rare form as Philadelphia had no one to guard him, and the big man went on to finish with 41 points and 19 rebounds. Magic, meanwhile, notched a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Lakers also got 24 points from Jamaal Wilkes to win their sixth straight game. Super-sub Andrew Toney led the 76ers with 27 points, while Dr. J finished with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Lakers and 76ers would meet in NBA Finals again

The two sides would eventually meet in the NBA Finals and once again the Lakers came out on top, defeating the Sixers in six games, just as they did two years prior. It wouldn’t be until the following year, when the 76ers added Hall of Famer Moses Malone, that they would finally get their revenge on the Lakers on the NBA’s grandest stage.

But on this night in Lakers history, it was Magic and Kareem who were once again unstoppable as they kept the Lakers on the path to their second NBA championship of the decade.

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Bryant scored 35 points on the night as he continued his torrid bucket-getting pace that season, and also notched 10 assists and seven rebounds to flirt with a triple-double that put Rush in the unexpected position to deliver a victory for Los Angeles.

Making Rush’s heroics even more unexpected was that they came on a team with Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Gary Payton. Even Rush himself admitted after the game that Phil Jackson wasn’t exactly intending to free him for a game-winner following a feed from then-rookie Luke Walton, via ESPN:

“The play was designed for Kobe to create something,” Rush said, “and he got doubled. I’m running around, trying to find an open spot. Luke found me and I took the shot. I’ve knocked down that shot a thousand times in my life, but I haven’t been in that position since college.”

Bryant usually took the last shot, but this time he set up Rush, who was clearly up for the task.

Kareem Rush & other stats

Rush’s game-winning three gave him eight points on 3-for-5 shooting in 15 minutes off the bench. Walton finished with a truly bizarre line of two points, making his only field goal attempt, to go with five rebounds, five assists and four steals.

O’Neal also contributed to the Lakers’ victory, giving them 16 points and eight rebounds while defending the paint for four blocks, while Gary Payton contributed 14 points and eight assists to help key the victory.

Nuggets rookie Carmelo Anthony had one of the first of what would be many scoring duels with Bryant in the loss, dropping 35 points on 14-of-25 shooting to go with four rebounds and a block to surprise the more talented Lakers before ultimately falling in defeat.

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In 2011, the NBA introduced an amnesty clause that would allow every team the opportunity to release one player and completely clear them from their salary cap. The player would still receive their salary, but the team would get some cap flexibility. With the Lakers struggling that season, the always outspoken Cuban suggested that the Lakers should consider using the provision on Bryant.

Insert Michael Jordan “And I took that personally” meme here.

No one is quite sure why Cuban thought it was a good idea to make such a suggestion right before Kobe was set to enter the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Feb. 24, 2023. But the Lakers legend made sure he regretted it.

Bryant finished with 38 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists as the Lakers left Dallas with a 103-99 victory. In the fourth quarter, Kobe went a perfect 5-of-5 from the field for 14 points, with seven of those coming in the last three minutes, along with an assist on a Nash 3-pointer, to help ice the game.

But Kobe left his greatest shot for after the game as he went on his Twitter page and sent a very direct message at Cuban:

Amnesty THAT

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) February 24, 2013

Much like his idol Jordan, Kobe was someone who could find any reason for motivation to absolutely dominate a player or a team and he didn’t have to look hard in this instance. While Cuban’s may have made some sense on paper, and when thinking about the average player, those types of rules simply don’t apply when it comes to the likes of Kobe Bryant.

This contest was the Lakers’ third consecutive win and Bryant would continue to prove that even in his 17th NBA season, he was still the standard bearer of the league who could dominate any team on any given night. Kobe would continue like this throughout the remainder of the season, putting out unbelievable performance after unbelievable performance until his body literally couldn’t take it anymore, all for the purpose of getting the Lakers to the postseason.

Kobe made a career out of making people eat their words and Mark Cuban learned that the hard way on this day.

This wasn’t Lakers star Kobe Bryant’s best game against Mavericks

This wasn’t even Bryant’s best game against Cuban and the Mavericks as earlier in his career, the legendary Lakers guard outscored Dallas’ whole team with 62 points in three quarters.

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From there on out, they would form a dynamic duo alongside a stellar supporting cast that featured Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, and Luke Walton. On Feb. 24, 2008, the Lakers played their final game at the KeyArena at Seattle Center, as they faced off against the Seattle SuperSonics.

Gasol not only solidified the Lakers hopes at a championship run, but also provided a jolt of energy to a team that needed it. The Spaniard was the ideal fit to play alongside Bryant, with a basketball IQ and fundamental base that could sync with Jackson’s triangle offense.

This would mark only his ninth game with the Lakers, but Gasol was able to lead the Lakers to a comfortable victory.

The Lakers got out to a 34-18 lead by the end of the first quarter, with their starting lineup of Bryant, Gasol, Fisher, Odom, and Walton. On the other hand, the SuperSonics relied on younger scorers in Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, along with Earl Watson, Johan Petro, and Nick Collison.

Los Angeles came out ready to play against Seattle, in what was a final stop before they returned to Staples Center. The starters led the way for the Lakers, turning into a game that didn’t require a massive takeover from Bryant.

Walton had 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists in what can now be deemed a Lonzo Ball-esque statline. However, it would be Odom and Gasol that would stamp the Lakers victory, as they were able to help the team hold onto their lead.

The Lakers managed to outscore the SuperSonics by seven points over the second and third quarters, taking a 93-70 lead into the fourth. From there, Los Angeles cruised to what would end as a 111-91 victory, improving their record to 39-17.

Gasol finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks, while shooting 10-for-18 from the field. Odom also had a strong all-around performance, contributing with 19 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal.

Last game Lakers played in Seattle

A young Durant finished with 15 points on 4-for-13 shooting. The game was the last the Lakers played in Seattle. They finished 128-83 all-time against the SuperSonics franchise.

The 2007-08 season would go on to be the last for the organization, as they were relocated to Oklahoma City. Coming off of a disastrous season in which they finished 20-62 the year prior, P.J. Carlesimo took over as head coach.

Seattle’s front office used their No. 2 pick to draft future superstar Kevin Durant, though he only played one season for the Sonics.

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When you play that long you are obviously going to set some records. Kareem’s scoring record is one that stood until 2023 when LeBron James passed him, but on Feb. 23, 1986, he made history in another way. As the Lakers took on the Philadelphia 76ers, Kareem passed fellow Hall-of-Famer Elvin Hayes to become the NBA’s all-time leader in games played with 1,304.

Abdul-Jabbar capped off the historic night with 28 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and seven blocks as the Lakers pulled out a hard-fought 117-111 overtime win over the Sixers.

The Lakers also got 34 points and 11 assists from Magic Johnson, as well as 22 points from Byron Scott in the victory to improve their record to to 41-14. Michael Cooper and A.C. Green each added 10 points off the bench, as the Lakers needed every bit of help on this night.

The Sixers’ big man duo of Moses Malone and Charles Barkley gave everything they had to get the win. Barkley finished with 24 points and 18 rebounds, including 11 on the offensive end, while Malone had 27 points and 12 boards. Point guard Maurice Cheeks also added 18 points, nine assists, and four steals, but it just wasn’t enough in the end.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record ended up being broken

Nonetheless, the story on this night was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was clearly far from done as he showed in this performance. He would go on to finish his career with 1,560 games played in his career, a number that was ultimately passed by Robert Parish, who finished his career with 1,611.

Regardless, Kareem’s longevity and consistency remains something to be marveled at.

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