Hakeem Olajuwon, who saw Kobe Bryant pass him for eighth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list on Friday night, talked about the guard's legacy and praised his work ethic.

Olajuwon was interviewed by Lakers.com prior to Friday's game against the Kings.

"Kobe's accomplishments speak for themselves. His work ethic, his determination to be the best ... when you talk about Kobe, you talk about his work ethic and how great it is for someone to maximizing his potential," Olajuwon said.

"Kobe has reached his whole potential, and maintained it, pushed it as far as it can go. When he passes me on the all-time scoring list, I think there's no question that it is well-deserved. He's just a great, great scorer. Just to be mentioned as one of the all-time scorers is a huge accomplishment for me."