Raptors by the numbers: Kobe Bryant's impressive career against Toronto

Four games into his professional career an 18-year-old Kobe Bryant came off the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers and scored 10 points in a 93-92 loss to the Toronto Raptors in 1996.

You could say it was the calm before the storm. Over the next 20 years, Bryant tormented the Raptors: in 32 career games against Toronto, Bryant averaged 27.2 points and always seemed to be at his best.

But no more. Bryant, 37, announced his intentions to retire from the NBA at the end of this season, bringing to an end one of the most fascinating, star-crossed careers basketball has ever seen. He will make his final visit to Toronto on Monday and to recognize that, here are five games against the Raptors that tell the story of Bryant's career, which includes one of the most famous regular season games in NBA history.

December 17, 2000 - Lakers 104 Raptors 101 OT

Coming off his first championship season, Bryant was rapidly rising to superstar status. This was the first game Bryant really went off on the Raptors, scoring 40 points to lead the Lakers to an overtime win and outduelling fellow young stud Vince Carter, who scored 31.

Kobe was well on his way to winning two more championships alongside Shaquille O'Neal in 2001 and 2002 to complete a three-peat, and in the process taking his place as the best shooting guard in the game.

December 28, 2004 - Lakers 117 Raptors 99

Now a three-time champion, Los Angeles belonged to Bryant after the Lakers traded O'Neal in the offseason following a drawn-out power struggles between the Lakers' two stars.

The Lakers were Kobe's team and he was going to make sure everyone knew it. He scored 48 points to blast Toronto. That kind of offensive explosion from Bryant became routine, even if it might have come at the expense of team success. In the stretch from 2004-05 to 2006-07 Bryant scored in bunches, twice averaging more than 30 points per game over a season. but his Lakers didn't make it out of the first round of the playoffs.

February 1, 2008 - Lakers 121 Raptors 101

This day is significant for two reasons for Bryant and the Lakers. Kobe tore up the Raptors again, this time for 46 points. However, that was the secondary story. Los Angeles acquired Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies and the team took off. Kobe clicked with Gasol instantly and the Lakers made the NBA Finals that year where they lost to the Celtics, before reboundng to win back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

March 8, 2013 - Lakers 118 Raptors 116 OT

The championship count up to five, Bryant was desperate to match Michael Jordan's six. A super-team with Gasol and offseason acquisitions Dwight Howard and Steve Nash was supposed to be his best chance to get it done.

It didn't work out as well as anticipated. Gasol and Nash struggled with injury and Howard never quite fit. Through the drama, though, Bryant sure had his moments, as evidence by his 41-point outburst against Toronto. All that extra work took its toll on his body. Near the end of the regular season, Bryant tore his Achilles tendon and he hasn't been the same player since.

January 22, 2006 - Lakers 122 Raptors 104

Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points in a single game has long been viewed as one of sports' unbreakable records. No one has come closer to topping it than Bryant. Of course, it came against the Raptors. Kobe poured in 81 points in one of the most captivating individual performances ever.

At his peak, Bryant was as dominant a scorer in the NBA as anyone in the league's history. The Raptors can attest to that better than most.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr