Bryant passes Jordan on points list

Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Kobe Bryant has scored more points in the NBA than Michael Jordan.

The Los Angeles Lakers guard passed the Chicago Bulls legend for third place on the NBA's all-time scoring list on Sunday.

Bryant entered the game against Minnesota needing nine points to overtake Jordan and got there on a pair of foul shots in the second quarter.

He knocked down a 3 from the left corner to move within two points of passing him, then had a turnaround jumper rattle out on the next possession after backing a defender down.

Bryant was fouled on his next trip down the court and hit both free throws with 5:24 remaining in the first half.

The game was stopped for a couple of minutes while players from both teams congratulated Bryant and he was given the game ball.

Jordan scored 32,292 points in 1,072 career games for the Bulls and Washington Wizards, averaging 30.1 per game.

Bryant needed 197 more games, passing Jordan in his 1,269th outing and during his 19th season for the Lakers.

Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928) have scored more.