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You could not have scripted it better. In Kobe Bryant's final game of his NBA career, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 101-96 behind a shocking, amazing, unbelievable 60 points from Bryant on an NBA-record 50 shots.
Here are five things we'll always remember from Kobe's last game.
1. Kobe Bryant scored 60 freaking points in his final NBA game: It was an otherworldly performance, especially since he started 0-for-5 from the field. Bryant scored 15 points in the closing minutes to bring the Lakers back from down 10 to up five to lead them to a win. There will be those that will look at Bryant setting the record for the most shots in recorded NBA history (at least since 1984) with 50 shots and believe it takes away from the performance, but that ignores how insanely difficult it is to shoot 50 times in a game. Nothing better encapsulates Bryant's career than his indomitable will to take over a game.
And that's just what he did on Wednesday.
2. The stars were out: Kanye West was in the building. Jay-Z was in the building. Jack Nicholson had his usual seats, as did Jeremy Piven. Snoop Dogg? In the house. Magic Johnson was there and introduced Kobe. Shaquille O'Neal was there, in person, cheering on his former teammate. Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom (looking healthy), DJ MBenga, Adam Morrison ... it was a cavalcade of former teammates in the house to honor the Black Mamba.
The tribute videos came at seemingly every timeout. Paul George, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, they all gave videos that thanked Bryant for being a part of the game and wishing him well. Somehow, in the midst of this berserk game that was basically Bryant convulsed into Black Mamba extract and shot into the veins of everyone watching, there was also all this emotion and gravitas to the moment. It wasn't just a random 60-point game. It was emotional, and a circus, and a star-studded affair.
It was very Los Angeles Lakers.
3. This was the bigger game of the night: The Warriors broke the all-time record for most wins, and yet all anyone was talking about was Kobe going off for 60 points. That's unbelievable, but also very indicative of the NBA. It's a player's league, a personality league. Bryant's performance and the emotion behind it overshadowed what was a much more important contest historically than two teams who are not playoff bound playing out the string after what was a terrible season for the Lakers wrapped around a stunning performance from Bryant.
But when people remember this season, they'll talk about all the Warriors moments, about their dominance, it'll be about all 73 wins. When people talk about the last night of the season? The Warriors blowing out a hapless Grizzlies team missing its two best players and a host of others won't even register. What will register is the most prolific scoring performance by a player in his last NBA game, ever, and all the little moments that made Wednesday night special.
4. Bryant fought through struggles: In the third quarter, Bryant airballed a shot badly and was really off. He finished with 15 points on 14 shots, but you could see him struggling with fatigue headed into and out of timeouts. Bryant admitted after the game that he was exhausted. Those are 37-year-old legs with 20 years of pro basketball and seven Finals appearances along with countless playoff games trying to pull it together and keep his energy up to shoot effectively. Somehow, he was able to recover and do that. That determination is yet another way that the night reflected Bryant's incredible career.
5. It was storybook: Bryant knocks down a crazy fadeaway 3-pointer, then throws an outlet pass assist to Jordan Clarkson for a dunk for his final play as a Laker. That his last play was an assist on a night he shot 50 times, in a win to finish the worst Lakers season in history simply dripped with irony. But it was also incredibly fitting that he got to finish the game with determination, won it with his volume scoring, and walked off a winner.
If you had written this story before the game, readers would say it was a work of fiction. Instead, Bryant walks into the sunset the best way possible.
He walked off on his terms.
