Kobe Bryant Passes Shaquille O'Neal for 5th-Most FGs Made in NBA History

While the Los Angeles Lakers were getting thumped by the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, there was one bright moment for the Purple and Gold.

A second-quarter jumper by Kobe Bryant made history as he passed former teammate Shaquille O'Neal for the fifth-most field goals made in NBA history with 11,331, per NBA TV, which sent out this tweet: 

It's been a tough road back to the court for the 37-year-old, who appeared in only 41 games over the past two seasons because of injuries. He was questionable for the start of this season, too, after he suffered a leg contusion during the preseason.

In the season opener, Bryant recorded 24 points on 8-of-24 shooting to draw closer to his former teammate. He needed just two field goals Friday.

Bryant and O'Neal played together for eight seasons in Los Angeles, winning three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. 

Though they made their field goals in different ways, with O'Neal being a menace down low and Bryant a pure shooter, the amount of shots the future Hall of Famers made was even briefly. Bryant finished 5-of-12 with 13 points and now leads O'Neal by three field goals on the all-time list. 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15,837), Karl Malone (13,528), Wilt Chamberlain (12,681) and Michael Jordan (12,192) are still ahead of Bryant on the list. While it would take a full season of good health from Bryant, surpassing Jordan late this season remains a possibility. 

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.