NBA names Kobe Bryant ‘Western Conference Player of the Week’

With the five championships rings and a fifth place standing on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant likely thinks little of the NBA granting him Western Conference Player of the week honors.

Yet, it still illustrates how Bryant has elevated his play in the past week even to his lofty standards. In the past four games, Bryant averaged 33 points, 8.8 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game in all memorable performances. He led a comeback effort against Atlanta that entailed a rim shattering dunk. Despite an elbow injury, Bryant still scored 30 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Bryant then led the Lakers from a double-digit deficit against both New Orleans (41 points, 12 assists) and Toronto (42 points, 12 assists), the first Laker to do so since Jerry West accomplished that feat in 1970.

Bryant also won another Western Conference Player of the Week award this season two weeks ago while averaging 31.3 points, six assists and 7.7 rebounds per game.

RELATED:

Lakers’ Dwight Howard, former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy friendship passes the text

Earl Clark awaiting his return to Orlando too

Dwight Howard believes return to Orlando will be “emotional”

Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@dailynews.com