Los Angeles Lakers: Top 8 Kobe Bryant moments
By Jason Elbaum
1. Scoring 60 points in his final NBA game on April 13th, 2016.
It wasn’t exactly what he imagined, but Kobe Bryant said farewell to the game of basketball as only Kobe Bryant could. The Lakers were well out of playoff contention and playing their final game of the season against the Utah Jazz, and Kobe had already announced earlier in the year that he was retiring at the end of the season.
Celebrities from all walks of life came out to watch the legend on the floor at Staples Center one last time, and they were not disappointed. Even despite battling countless injuries throughout the last years of his career, Kobe Bryant dominated in his last game and scored 60 points to lead the Lakers to victory.
Say what you want about Utah’s defense on Kobe throughout the night, but a 37-year-old man scoring 60 points in an NBA game is impressive no matter how you slice it. Down by one with under a minute remaining, he confidently stepped into a pull-up jumper from the elbow to give the Lakers the lead for good in classic Kobe fashion.
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It was a farewell to remember for Kobe Bryant and all Laker fans, and now his greatness will be immortalized with his jersey hanging in the rafters at the Staples Center. It’ll be an emotional night for the franchise watching perhaps its greatest player officially become part of its incredible history.