Los Angeles Lakers

5 Kobe Bryant moments Miami Heat fans will never forget

Published Mar. 30, 2016 5:15 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

On Wednesday night, Kobe Bryant will face the Miami Heat for the last time. It's the 20th career meeting between Bryant and Heat star Dwyane Wade, a series that Wade currently leads 11-8.

Ahead of their final duel, Wade shared his favorite Kobe memory -- and naturally, it's one that went in Miami's favor.

Via Palm Beach Post:

“We was getting our butts kicked by the Lakers that year when they had (Gary Payton) and Karl Malone and Shaq and Kobe. It was the second half, late in the game — and I had two fouls early so I didn’t play much — and then I got an opportunity for my first time guarding Kobe one-on-one in transition and I was so nervous.

“But I ripped him. For me, that was it. That was the Holy Grail. I ripped him and I went down and scored or whatever. Inside, I felt so good. It didn’t mean nothing to him. They were up 30 or 40. But to me, it meant the world.”

It's a forgotten possession in NBA history that means the world to one of the sport's most important players. Unfortunately, video of that play is incredibly hard to come by.

But on the bright side, Bryant has had a number of mythical moments against the Heat. From his Christmas Day reunion with Shaquille O'Neal to going toe-to-toe with LeBron James, Kobe's definitely left his mark on Miami.

To celebrate Bryant's ultimate matchup with Miami, we're running through our favorite Kobe memories against the Heat. They didn't all turn out in the Lakers' favor, but each one is a moment we'll never forget.

Honorable mention: Wade bloodies the Black Mamba

This technically wasn't a Lakers vs. Heat game, obviously, since Wade's foul took place in the 2012 All-Star Game. And it didn't take place in either Los Angeles or Miami. But we'd be remiss not to mention the time Wade broke Bryant's nose. It's an iconic moment in Kobe's career against Wade.

5. Kobe works out all by himself

Late in the 2010-11 season, Wade and LeBron James got the best of Bryant in a close 94-88 game. Kobe's response was a complete and total mindgame. He stuck around after the game -- on the road, no less -- and got up shots in the gym long after it had emptied. The message to the Heat: You'll have to work at least this hard to beat me. Unfortunately, we never got to see Kobe take on Miami in the NBA Finals.

4. Christmas Day 2005 is no time to be jolly

For the second consecutive season, Kobe and the Lakers faced Shaquille O'Neal's Heat on Christmas in 2005. Where the first game featured a brief acknowledgement between the two starts prior to tip-off, there were no such pleasantries on the second go-around. And that tension was absolutely beautiful.

3. A duel with LeBron ends poorly

Let's ignore the result of this game, Lakers fans, and instead appreciate how much fun Bryant's fourth-quarter performance was. He scored 13 of his 22 points in the final frame, doing everything he could to keep L.A. close. But LeBron's 39-point outburst was simply too much to overcome.

2. Making Shaquille O'Neal feel right at home

In Shaq's first game back in Los Angeles, Kobe reminded his former teammate what he was missing by pouring in 42 points. The two dapped up before the game, as well, in an extraordinarly halfhearted display of camaraderie:

We've seen more enthusiasm in a grocery store checkout line.

1. One of the best buzzer beaters we've seen

It's an upset, but Shaq's return to Los Angeles isn't No. 1 in our hearts. Instead, it's this miraculous last-second shot from Kobe that we'll always think of first when we remember Bryant's history with the Heat.

Now we just hope that Bryant can make it through his final game against Wade's crew in one piece. That's not a joke about Kobe's health, by the way; it's more about what Heat rookie Justise Winslow has in store for Bryant (via ESPN.com):

"I want to be able to go home and tell my homeboys that we killed Kobe," Winslow said. "That's how you approach those games. Afterward, you can reflect. But in that moment, you're trying to get after it a little bit. So you [finally] get a chance to play against the best, growing up as a kid a person you idolized."