Kobe-isms Or Mamba-isms?

Kobe Being Kobe: Mamba Moments

With Kobe hanging it up after 20 seasons in the NBA, we look back at 20 incredible things that made Kobe, well, Kobe.

3: Kobe Can Control His Reflexes

Getting hit in the face with a Spalding would leave a mark. If you were staring at one coming at you, inches from your face, the natural instinct would be to duck, or at least flinch. Which made Kobe's wholly unnatural reaction to Matt Barnes faking a pass right between his eyes on an inbounds play back in 2010 in Orlando all the more awesome.

We've seen others dunk, we've seen others hit game winners and stockpile multiple championships, but when have we seen a player so locked in during a game that he controls his reflexes to the point of submission? Years later, Bryant was asked why he wasn't fazed at all by Barnes' fake aimed right at his nose. "He's crazy," Bryant said. "But he's not that crazy." Guess it takes one to know one. - Dave McMenamin

11: How Kobe Beats L.A. Traffic

Living in Newport Beach when you play for the Lakers doesn't make much geographical sense. The team practices in El Segundo and plays in Downtown Los Angeles, meaning you'd be spending most of your day in your car driving from home to the practice facility and to Staples Center. That is, unless you're Kobe Bryant and make about $25 million annually.

Bryant's seemingly never-ending 45-mile commute in traffic from his home takes only 20 minutes when he takes a private helicopter from John Wayne Airport in Santa to LAX for practices in nearby El Segundo or to a helipad near Staples Center for games. Bryant has said the helicopter rides from his home to practices and games saves him over an hour of travel time so he can spend more time with his wife and two daughters. - Arash Markazi

14: What's In A Nameplate?

Maybe he doesn't notice it because it's been such a constant. Through all of the changes in his status - from contender to champion, from No. 8 to No. 24 - it has remained in place. It's the nameplate above his stall in the Lakers locker room.

It's been there ever since the Lakers moved to Staples Center in 1999. You can tell it's the original one because the typeface for the other names has changed over the years. "BRYANT" remains pressed in a taller, thinner typeface. He also has the lone stall with a combination lock; all the others are key-only. It's a silent testament to the way he became a fixture in the midst of a transitory league.

Kobe takes great pride in his longevity, so it surprised me when I once asked him about his unique nameplate and he said he doesn't pay any attention to it. - J.A. Adande

Complete list (ESPN.com)