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THROWBACK: When Kobe Bryant Tore His Achilles While Pushing Lakers to Playoffs 11 Years Ago on This Day
Relive the heroic moment when Kobe Bryant made two clutch free throws with a torn Achilles in a game against the Golden State Warriors, leading one of his most iconic quotes of all time.
In 2013 on the same day in the month of April, there was one of the most iconic basketball games was played. Struggling to find the pace of the 2012-13 season, the Los Angeles Lakers were after the Golden State Warriors in a tug of war on their way to make it to the playoffs.
What is also known as one of Kobe Bryant's courageous games ever played, the game saw his iron will as he played despite having his Achilles torn.
On April 12, 2012, the Lakers were playing against the Warriors while Kobe was in his 17th season of his NBA career.
His play time clocked a full 48 minutes in which he scored 34 points with five rebounds and four assists. How impressive it could be that he had 9 of 21 from the field along with 12 of 16 from the free throw line.
The Lakers win that kept alive the playoff dreams, saw Kobe Bryant hit two free throws after having his left ankle hurt with 3:08 still left in the game.
It all happened in the midst of the critical game, Kobe Bryant's left knee suffered a hyperextension, but the determined player opted to remain on the court. This decision was fueled by the Lakers' urgent need for a victory to secure their eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference. 
Despite experiencing a more serious injury while executing a familiar move to drive to the hoop, Bryant persevered through the discomfort to make a significant impact on the game.
Even after falling to the court in obvious pain, he managed to hit his free throws before receiving assistance from the team trainer to head to the locker room.
Interesting enough, the ‘pray for the bear’ quote also came after this game when Kobe Bryant found out that he was eventually termed as injured and put out one of the grestes quote through his Facebook.
He wrote: "If you see me in a fight with a bear, prey for the bear. I've always loved that quote. That's 'Mamba Mentality.' We don't quit. We don't cower. We don't run. We endure and conquer."
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