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Kobe Bryant Is Done … Now What For The Los Angeles Lakers?

By Gerald Bourguet

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 13: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers walks towards the tunnel after scoring 60 points against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center on April 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 13: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers walks towards the tunnel after scoring 60 points against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center on April 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Now that Kobe Bryant has officially played his final NBA game, what’s next for the Black Mamba and the Los Angeles Lakers?

Kobe Bryant
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 13: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers walks towards the tunnel after scoring 60 points against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center on April 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Wednesday night in Los Angeles, an NBA career of 20 years, five championships, 48,637 minutes and 33,643 points came to an end. In Kobe Bryant‘s curtain call, the playoff hopes of the Utah Jazz — much like the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 2015-16 season in general — took a backseat to Black Mamba’s Farewell Tour as it reached the final stop.

Shots were launched (50 to be exact), chants of “KO-BE! KO-BE! KO-BE!” rang through Staples Center, standing ovations were had, tears were shed, and after a 60-point performance that served as the most enjoyable finale we’ve ever seen from an all-time great…Kobe’s NBA career was over.

Now what?

All season long, the Lakers had been building up to this moment. Magic Johnson never got his farewell tour, and Jeanie Buss made damn sure that wasn’t the case with No. 24. But now that it’s over and Lakers fans are left to stare at that 17-65 record amidst a swirl of Black Mamba memories, what’s next for the two sides of a historic pairing that’s endured for two decades?

One thing is certain: Change is coming. Kobe’s face has become synonymous with the Lakers organization in a way that no one other than Magic can claim, and even if the last three years have been a stark departure from the success this franchise is used to, fans still tuned in to watch their superstar, their one remaining saving grace and their very identity take the floor on a nightly basis.

But with Kobe’s career officially over, the Lakers have become a common franchise again, with no current star power in the middle of a youth-centric rebuilding movement — despite the expectations of being a prestigious organization in a massive TV market. The question is, now that the Black Mamba era is over, what’s next for Kobe, the Lakers and head coach Byron Scott?

Next: A Fond Farewell To Kobe

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