For 20 years, the city of Los Angeles and the NBA watched Kobe Bryant develop from a young 17-year-old student fresh out of Lower Merion High School into the sensational future-Hall-of-Famer he’s become. On “Mamba Day,” April 13, a day Nike and Los Angeles popularized to be a day to honor the legendary Black Mamba, the NBA world was lucky enough to see one last mesmerizing and mind-blowing game in Bryant’s career.
Thankful and dedicated fans cheered on Bryant filling all 19,067 seats in the Staples Center to watch him and the L.A. Lakers face off against the Utah Jazz.. Celebrities like Jay-Z, Jack Nicholson, G-Eazy, and Jeremy Piven were among the loud fans nearly all dressed in purple and yellow jerseys sporting either No. 8 or No. 24 in honor of Bryant’s two numbers.
Video From NBA (YouTube)
Although he started off cold, Bryant found his rhythm and got into his infamous vintage-Kobe mentality. The sold-out Staples Center erupted into “KO-BE” chants one last time. The crowd’s energy and the pressure of wanting to give the Lakers’ organization one final memorable performance pushed Bryant to produce one of the best games of his career.
The five-time NBA champion went 22-for-50 to score 60 points for only the sixth 60-point game of his career. On top of that, Bryant hit the final shot of his career, a free throw with 14 seconds left, to help the Lakers prevail and win 101-96. Nobody, even Bryant himself, expected to see such a high-scoring performance from the Mamba after averaging a career low 17.6 points per game and 35.8% field goal percentage this season.
Earlier this season, former teammate Shaquille O’Neal challenged Bryant to score 50 points in his final game, to which he told him, “Um, no.” Like he has in the past with clutch games while battling injuries, Bryant gave everything he had left in him, and it was the perfect ending to his career, which is arguably one of the best in NBA history. Kobe got to leave on his terms, and he’s made it very clear since his retirement announcement in November that he’s very at peace with his decision.
Before the game, former Laker Ervin “Magic” Johnson led a special ceremony honoring Bryant with highlights of his amazing plays and messages from coaches and players all sharing their love and respect. Most of them rightfully pointed out that no other player did it like Bryant, and no other player put so much heart and soul into the game as he did. Magic even called him the greatest to wear purple and yellow, since Bryant did put up five championship banners during his 20 years with the team.
Before the game, former Laker Ervin “Magic” Johnson led a special ceremony honoring Bryant with highlights of his amazing plays and messages from coaches and players all sharing their love and respect. Most of them rightfully pointed out that no other player did it like Bryant, and no other player put so much heart and soul into the game as he did. Magic even called him the greatest to wear purple and yellow, since Bryant did put up five championship banners during his 20 years with the team.
After the game, Bryant thanked the crowd in a speech and waved goodbye to the Staples Center one last time as he walked off the court that featured his number and signature for the game. Finally, he enjoyed one last champagne shower in the locker room with teammates.
Finally, he enjoyed one last champagne shower in the locker room with teammates.
