Kobe Passes Shaq on NBA All-time Scoring List

The Los Angeles Lakers lost on Monday night to the Philadelphia 76ers by a score of 95-90. It was another tough loss on the road, something that the Lakers have become known for this season. The loss, however, overshadowed a milestone met by one of the greatest players to ever wear the purple and gold.

With the help of 24 first-half points, Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant surpassed former teammate Shaquille O'Neal on the NBA's all-time scoring list. After eclipsing O'Neal's 28,596 career points, Bryant moved into the fifth spot on the list.

The points came on a long two-point jumper with about five minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, Bryant's scoring frenzy came to end after halftime. The 24 point total that he racked up would only increase by four in the final two quarters, finishing the game with 28.

Now that he's leapfrogged O'Neal and landed in fifth place, the next target for Bryant will be another former Lakers great. Currently in fourth place is Wilt Chamberlin, who stands at 31,419 career points. In order to pass Chamberlin, Bryant will need another 2,846 points.

Although it's more than likely that Bryant could elevate himself to as high as third on the list before his playing days are over, the chances of him unseating Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the king of NBA scoring seems unlikely. The likelihood of Bryant scoring another 9,814 points while overcoming injuries and age doesn't seem to be very high.

As for O'Neal, he took the social media route to showing how he felt about Bryant's accomplishment.

"Congrats to Kobe for being the greatest laker ever thanks for making us the greatest laker one two punch ever and congrats on passin me up 2," O'Neal said via his personal Twitter account.

Is it just me, or was there a hint of bitterness in that tweet?

Regardless, O'Neal is now in Bryant's rearview mirror as he continues to carve his niche as one of the greatest NBA players to ever grace the hardwood.

Gil Alcaraz IV is a Los Angeles native and long-time Lakers follower. For more Lakers coverage, follow him on Twitter.

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