Kobe now sits at 31,434 after eclipsing Wilt's 31,419. In my 2012-13 #KobeWatch preview I estimated Kobe wouldn't score any less than his career average of 25.4 after starting the season hot. Sure enough, Kobe has averaged 27.1 points per game this season, his 17th in the NBA.
With ten games remaining in the season, Kobe still had some room to top Wilt before the end of the year, but with the milestone already reached we can begin to look forward to the big one; Kobe passing Michael Jordan for third on the all-time list.
The all-time leading scorers list looks like this right now,
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 38,387
2. Karl Malone - 36,928
3. Michael Jordan - 32,292
4. Kobe Bryant - 31,434
5. Wilt Chamberlain - 31,419
If Kobe continues at his current pace of 27.1 points per game (conceivable with the Lakers in a tight Western Conference playoff race) for the remaining ten games, he'd finish with approximately 31,705 points at the end of the regular season.
That estimate would put Kobe 587 points behind Jordan's top-three all-time scoring record. If Kobe continues to average, say, 25 points per game next year, it would take him about 24 games at the start of the 2013-14 season to pass MJ, likely around mid-December.
Malone and Kareem are another story, but as we move along in Kobe's historic career we will continue the #KobeWatch. Follow along at 360special.
Link - Kobe on passing Wilt and what it means to him
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