- published: 11 Apr 2012
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The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team and is commonly abbreviated "SG". Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team. Some teams ask their shooting guards to bring up the ball as well; these players are known colloquially as combo guards. Kobe Bryant, for example, is a shooting guard who is considered by many to be as good a playmaker as he is a scorer; other examples of combo guards are Jamal Crawford, Allen Iverson, and Jason Terry. A player who can switch between playing shooting guard and small forward is known as a swingman.
Notable shooting guards include current NBA players Michael Redd, Ray Allen, Manu Ginóbili, Vince Carter, Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Richard "Rip" Hamilton, and former NBA stars Michael Jordan, George "Iceman" Gervin, Clyde Drexler, Sam Jones, Earl Monroe, Reggie Miller, Penny Hardaway, Jerry West, John Havlicek and Brandon Roy.
Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978) is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He decided to declare his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest.
Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals was followed by O'Neal's trade from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following O'Neal's departure Bryant became the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. He was awarded the regular season's Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award on both occasions.