Although it’s been a rough year for the Lakers, their leader is still having a fine individual season. Kobe Bryant came into Saturday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings averaging more than 27 points per game. He also came into the game just a few points shy of Wilt Chamberlain for fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list and midway through the second quarter, Bryant’s foul-line jumper vaulted him past Wilt “The Stilt” with 31, 421 career points.

“What a journey,” said Bryant, who scored 19 points and dished out 14 assists in the Lakers’ 103-98 win over the Kings, according to ESPN.com. “It’s been a very, very long journey. I’m certainly extremely appreciative of all the support and the Laker faithful, the ‘Laker Nation,’ from being a 17-year-old kid to a 34-year-old man and all the support they’ve given me throughout my career.”

Bryant was humbled and honored by his new position in the NBA history books and was especially moved by passing a hall-of-famer such as Chamberlain.

“I remember the first time I met him when I was about eight years old,” Bryant said. “The first thing that struck me was that, the first thing I thought of was he was ‘Bombata’ from [‘Conan the Destroyer’]. That was the most impressive thing to me. He was just such a warm-hearted gentleman and I have nothing but praise for him, obviously. To pass him up is a huge honor, to say the least.”

Bryant now trails only Michael Jordan (3rd), Karl Malone (2nd) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1st) on the scoring list. There’s no question that he would love to be in that number one spot, but for Bryant, the more meaningful number is the amount of championships he finishes his career with.

“I just want No. 6, man,” Bryant said. “I’m not asking for too much, man. Just give me a sixth ring, damn it.”

Bryant may be able to catch Jordan, but as he’s said previously, Bryant is still considering retiring after next season. Although he hasn’t made a firm decision one way or the other, he’s happy with the career he has had and is proud of all he has accomplished.

“Honestly the biggest thing I take out of it is just the longevity,” Bryant said. “That’s the thing I’m most proud of is being able to play for so many years and still be playing at a very, very high level. That’s the thing that I’m most proud of. Michael and I have obviously had two completely different career paths, but the common denominator, the thing that we both share is our passion for the game and our commitment to the game.”

Bryant will add to his career point total when the Lakers take on the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.