This afternoon rookie DeMar DeRozan got humbled while attempting to guard a legend.

Kobe Bryant, one of the best to ever play in the NBA, lit up the rookie to the tune of 26 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.

Ouch.

Bryant was dominant from the opening tip to the final buzzer and only struggled when he was shooting from behind the arc (1-6).

Sure, Toronto threw Hedo Turkoglu, Marco Belinelli and Antoine Wright on Bryant for stretches, but for the most part whenever DeRozan was on the court he was given the responsibility.

So, did Bryant get amped about playing against the rookie? Not a chance. He just wanted to put his team into position to get a much needed road win.

“Nothing,” Bryant told me with a smirk when I asked him what goes through his head when a rookie barely two years removed from playing high school basketball is guarding him.

“If I wanted to take advantage of him you would have seen me in the post all night long scoring (on him). I wanted to make sure my guys stayed involved and got into a good rhythm and we did that for the most part.”

While part of that may be true, I’d argue Bryant’s complete game was more of a testament to the lesson he gave DeRozan. Often times the rookie is one dimensional during a game and shows flashes of his potential when he gets points while dunking, getting to the free throw line or hitting jumpers, but this evening Bryant showed his complete repertoire.

On offense, Bryant was able to get his teammates in a grove by dishing out nine assists while Jordan Farmar, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum attempted 39 field goals. Throw in a game-high 27 points for good measure and it’s clear Bryant was dominate within all aspects of the Lakers offense.

One of the most impresses stats is Bryant had a hand in 20 of Los Angeles’ 45 field goals which backs up his claim that he wanted to get his teammates into a groove.

Besides his brilliance on the offensive end he managed to provide an all-around gem by helping his team out on the glass by snagging a game and career-high 16 boards.

While the game was sure to be a humbling experience for DeRozan, he can take solace in the fact he got the chance to learn from a legend while his team managed to pick up a win against one of the top teams in the NBA.

Hopefully the rookie is able to brush off a rough night on the defensive end chalk this up to yet another learning experience.