MINNEAPOLIS - Kobe Bryant has shot more than 11,000 free throws in his NBA career. Dewayne Dedmon Jersey . He has been at the line in critical moments with championships hanging in the balance.Still, when he stepped to the line midway through the second quarter of a December game against the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves, the weight of Air sat on his shoulders. And it was heavy.You get up there and the crowds really waiting to see you score nine points, so dont (screw) this up and completely kill the moment, Bryant thought as he prepared to move past Michael Jordan on the NBAs career scoring list.Bryant scored 26 points in the game, vaulting him past Jordan for third in league history and leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 100-94 victory Sunday night.Bryant needed nine points to pass Jordan and, after missing four of his first five shots, he knocked down a pair of free throws with 5:24 to play in the first half to join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone on the NBAs career scoring podium. Bryant shot 7 for 20m but scored 10 in the final five minutes and hit a 3-pointer with just over a minute to play that helped seal the victory.I congratulate Kobe on reaching this milestone, Jordan, the owner of the Charlotte Hornets, said in a statement given to The Associated Press. Hes obviously a great player, with a strong work ethic and has an equally strong passion for the game of basketball. Ive enjoyed watching his game evolve over the years, and I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes next.Magic Johnson also posted his congratulations on Twitter and said Bryant was a top-five player in league history.Thats the most important thing to me, is playing for the respect of the greats and feeling like Im a part of that culture and a part of that brotherhood, Bryant said.Shabazz Muhammad had 28 points and nine rebounds for the Timberwolves.Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928) have scored more points than Bryant.The Timberwolves stopped the game and owner Glen Taylor presented Bryant with the game ball, but what made the night even sweeter was Bryants dagger with the shot clock winding down and Andrew Wiggins — Minnesotas 19-year-old rookie and the No. 1 overall draft pick — right in his face. It gave the Lakers a 97-94 lead with 1:02 to play, and the Lakers closed it out at the line.I witnessed greatness tonight, Wiggins said. A living legend passed Michael Jordan, who everyone thinks is the best player of all-time. Thats a big accomplishment. Im glad I was there to witness it.Bryant has spent the past 18 years measuring himself against, and being compared to, the man widely considered the best to ever play the game. Jordan shot a higher field goal percentage, won six titles to the five that Bryant has now and climbed past Wilt Chamberlain into third on the list in 1,039 games to Bryants 1,269.Bryant reached the milestone in Minneapolis, the place the Lakers called home for their first 12 seasons until moving to LA in 1960. As usual, there were purple-and-gold clad fans all over the Target Center, and they gave Bryant a rousing standing ovation when he knocked down the two free throws just past the midpoint of the second quarter to give him 32,293 career points.He exchanged hugs with teammates and several Timberwolves, a few of whom were just 1 year old when Bryant entered the league straight out of high school in 1996. He was serenaded with Kobe! Kobe! chants as he left the court and a huge crowd gathered around the Lakers bus outside the arena to cheer for him.It was different, Bryant said. Im so used to being the villain all the time on the road it took a minute to kind of adjust. It felt good to be appreciated like that.TIP-INSLakers: Carlos Boozer had 22 points and 13 rebounds and Wes Johnson had 12 points and six assists. ... Bryants first career game came against the Timberwolves as an 18-year-old in 1996, when he went scoreless in six minutes.Timberwolves: C Ronny Turiaf will have surgery on Tuesday to address a hip injury that has kept him out for most of the season. Saunders said a timeline for recovery would be determined after the surgery, but there remains a real possibility Turiaf will not return this season. ... Wiggins had 16 points and received his Western Conference rookie of the month award for November.UP NEXT:Lakers: Visit Indiana on Monday night.Timberwolves: Visit Washington on Tuesday night.(A previous version of story had an incorrect spelling of passed in first paragraph.) Buddy Hield Kings Jersey . Fans can also watch the game on the newly launched TSN GO (currently available to Bell TV and Rogers customers), which gives TSN subscribers the freedom to live stream the networks programming from their smartphones, tablets, and computers at no additional charge – just as they would watch Canadas Sports Leader on TV at home. The following week, MLS ON TSN is at BMO Field in Toronto to deliver live coverage of TFCs home opener vs. D.C. United on Saturday, March 22 at 4:30 p. Bogdan Bogdanovic Kings Jersey .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at LeBron James and the Miami Heat winning their second straight NBA championship. https://www.kingslockerroom.com/Mike-Bibby-City-Edition-Jersey/ .com) - James Harden needed just seven made field goals to drop 35 points on the Philadelphia 76ers, leading the Houston Rockets to a 104-93 win on Monday.Randa Markos remembers the moment she was finally free of The Ultimate Fighter house. For six weeks, the Iraqi-Canadian was cut off from her loved ones, as she was locked up in the Las Vegas home with 15 other womens strawweight fighters and given no free access to the outside world. As a result, life during that time consisted of little more than training, eating and sleeping — not to mention the occasional bit of drama. As with previous seasons of the popular reality series, Markos and her fellow cast members were denied any communication with their families and forced to surrender their phones. In the past, this kind of isolation has some driven some fighters to their breaking points. Its also yielded a few out-of-competition brawls, as well as damaged property. Markos knew exactly what she was getting herself into before entering the infamous house, but admitted it was still tough being cut off from her loved ones. "I was mentally prepared for it, so I knew if it got really bad to just stay grounded," said Markos during an interview in downtown Toronto. "As the weeks went on, I started to miss my family a lot. It wasnt so much that I was missing them, but I was just worried something might have happened. I wanted to make sure everything was OK with them. That really affected me, not being able to call my family, talk to them and see how they were doing. "I got my phone back and was like, How do I use this thing?" she laughed. "It had been so long. Id never been that far away from my phone. I wanted to call out, but forgot how. First thing I did was call my husband and then I called my family." Markos will be featured on The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned, which premieres tonight. Over the course of the shows 20th season, the group of 16 athletes will be winnowed down to two finalists who will then battle for the inaugural UFC womens 115-pound title at the live finale at Las Vegass Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Fri., Dec. 12. The coaches, lightweight champ Anthony Pettis and challenger Gilbert Melendez are set to lock horns in the co-main event of UFC 181 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Dec. 6. Though being cooped up proved to be a tough, yet rewarding, experience for Markos, her absence was equally challenging for her loved ones. Markos husband, Jeff Thomas, said it was difficult not being able to see his wife on her birthday. "After the first week, I was just like, I miss her and cant talk to her — especially with her birthday coming up. I cant even wish her happy birthday. This is crazy," said Thomas. "Wed never been away from each other for that long in the longest time. It felt really different. "I sort of knew it was her goal to get in. Shes always said, I want to see how far I can get before we have kids. I knew how bad she wants to have kids, so I knew shed do anything to get to where she wanted to bee. Richaun Holmes Jersey. When that opportunity came, it was just the next step for her." Of course, being separated from her family was only part of the challenge. Over the month and a half long filming schedule, TUF cast members can potentially fight as many as three times, provided they keep winning. This means they have to keep their weight constantly on point due to the short turnaround between bouts. Then there are potential personality clashes with other athletes. To make matters worse, theres no real privacy to speak of, as everything is committed to film. Markos said her time on the show made her both a better and tougher fighter, but admitted watching herself on television will be an awkward experience. "You come out of there a lot stronger," said Markos. "For anyone who went in there, youre coming out stronger mentally and physically. It was a great experience. So people made it hard, but it was still one of the greatest experiences. "I dont know how Im going to come across to people. Whats done is done and I cant change it. So Im just going to sit there, watch it and hope for the best. There are a few things I said where I was like, Why did I say that? It sounds so stupid." The experience will no doubt be equally surreal for Thomas, who has to watch his wife compete against the top fighters in the world. Though he has faith in Markos skills, Thomas said he gets anxious before each of her fights. "When it starts, Im nervous as all hell," Thomas said. "I dont like seeing her get punched in the face. I dont like seeing her get hit — nothing like that — but I know her style. Once she gets to a certain point in the fight, I know its over and she won. Then I dont have to worry anymore. If she gets her (opponent) on the ground — and once I see that shes looking comfortable in there — its less stressful. But its never fun to watch her get punched in the face." For Markos, the hard part is done for now. With her stint in the house behind her, shes focused on improving her overall game. Though she learned a lot from her TUF coaches, she admitted shes still only scraped the surface of her potential. "I dont think Im where I want to be right now," Markos said. "I know I have a lot of improving to do and Im constantly wanting to learn every day. So they helped me out a lot with things I wasnt sure about. So I definitely came out of there with a huge amount of knowledge. "Its the most important thing in my life right now, just having that opportunity and being able to show everyone that Im a Canadian and Im also from the Middle East. I like to show all the little girls that look up to me at my gym that you dont have to be like some other people are. Just be yourself and just be respectful. It means a lot to me that I can go out there and show people who I am as a person, not just as a fighter." ' ' '