Madeleine Coles
Staff Writer
NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant has retired from professional basketball after playing 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, an NBA record for most seasons played with the same team. He has left highlights and memories that will last for decades.
Bryant, who began his career in the NBA directly out of high school, won his final game against the Utah Jazz on April 13, by a score of 101-96. Bryant himself scored a season high of 60 points in the game.
Bryant quickly established himself as one of the best in the game and before long had earned the nickname, the “Black Mamba,” and the respect of being addressed by his first name.
The game was played at the Staples Center in front of 18,000 fans that paid top dollar to witness this historic event. The game was televised on ESPN 2 and featured a number of celebrity guests who came out to show support for Bryant during his last game. Retired Lakers player Magic Johnson gave a speech about Bryant before the game and showed a tribute video featuring multiple basketball legends and longtime Lakers fan Jack Nicholson.
In the first quarter, yet another tribute video was shown, this time with messages from famous musicians like Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Snoop Dogg (who was also in attendance at the game.)
The win for the Lakers came after a disappointing 17-65 season, but that didn’t stop the crowd, or Bryant, from their excitement. This was not a regular season game, this was a ceremony, honoring one of the best to ever play.
During his career with the Lakers, Bryant won five NBA championships, four All-Star MVPs and led the NBA in scoring during two different seasons. He also played on the U.S. national team at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, winning the gold metal both times.
The 37-year-old Bryant ended on top despite what some might call a controversial career. In 2003 Bryant was accused of sexual assault, but the case was later dropped. He has also been plagued with accusations of being a “ball hog” for the majority of his career.
Despite those accusations, the crowd and Bryant’s team alike didn’t seem to mind giving Bryant control of the ball in his final game, allowing him to take 50 shots against the Jazz, the most any basketball player has attempted since the 1983-84 season. His whole career, Bryant has been told to share the ball and pass to his teammates more. In his final game, he was told to do the opposite. This game was not about the Lakers, it was about Kobe.
After the game, Bryant addressed the crowd of fans before giving a final speech to his teammates in the locker room. After he showered and dressed, Bryant returned to the court with his wife and daughters, posing for pictures before writing “Laker for life” on his jersey number, 24, on the floor of the court.
The NBA will never be the same without him, but it is what it is today because of him.
