Kobe Bryant goes out in style with 60 points
Kobe Bryant goes out in style with 60 points
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant,
top, and New Jersey Nets' guard Kerry Kittles fight for a rebound in
the first quarter on April 3, 2002, at Continental Airlines Arena in
East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
celebrates after game five of the NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic
at Amway Arena on June 14, 2009, in Orlando. The Lakers won 99-86 for
their 15th title and first since 2002. Bryant had 30 points, 8 rebounds
and 6 assists as the Lakers completed a four-games-to-one victory in the
best-of-seven NBA Finals.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant holds his daughter, Gianna, after the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals on June 14, 2009.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
accepts the best team award on behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers from
musician Stevie Wonder during the 2009 ESPY Awards held at Nokia Theatre
LA Live on July 15, 2009, in Los Angeles.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
rides the Matterhorn Bobsleds with Jonathan Guerrero, 4, and his
father, David Guerrero of Pomona, California, at Disneyland on June 18,
2009, in Anaheim, California The Guerreros were among thousands of
Lakers fans who turned out for a special Disneyland parade honoring the
Lakers' 15th World Championship.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant appears on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at NBC Studios on June 28, 2001, in Burbank, California.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Vlade
Divac, No. 21 of the Sacramento Kings, jumps for the ball against
Bryant during game four of the Western Conference Semifinals at Arco
Arena on May 13, 2001, in Sacramento, California.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
hugs his fiance, Vanessa Laine, while in the locker room after
defeating the Indiana Pacers in game six of the 2000 NBA Finals to win
the series 4-2 on June 19, 2000, in Los Angeles. Bryant later married
Laine and the couple have two children.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant,
center, is restrained by teammate Ron Harper, left, and assistant coach
Jim Cleamons after a confrontation with New York Knicks guard Chris
Childs on April 2, 2000, at Staples Center. Both players were ejected
and the Lakers went on to defeat the Knicks 106-82.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Lakers
player Shaquille O'Neal, right, hugs teammate Bryant on June 14, 2000,
after the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers in game four of the NBA Finals
at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Lakers won the game 120-118
to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant sits on the sidelines during the Euro ABC camp in Berlin on July 7, 1999.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
eyes the basket during the NBA Slam Dunk contest on February 8, 1997,
at Gund Arena in Cleveland. Bryant is the youngest player to win the
contest.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Kobe
Bryant pounds his chest after the last NBA basketball game of his
career, against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, April 13, 2016.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Kobe
Bryant plays against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, October
28. In November, Bryant announced his intention to retire at the end of
the current NBA season.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
broke a bone in his left knee in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies
on December 17, 2013. Bryant finished the game, but team doctors
determine that he fractured the lateral tibial plateau of his left knee.
The injury benched him the rest of the season.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Kobe
Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is injured in the second half while
playing the Golden State Warriors on April 12, 2013. The injury took him
out of the rest of the 2012-2013 season.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
vies with Argentinian forward Leonardo Gutierrez during the USA men's
basketball preliminary round match in the London Olympic Games on August
6, 2012.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama hugs Bryant after the United States played France at the Olympics on July 29, 2012.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
reverse dunks over Grant Hill, No. 33, and Marcin Gortat, No. 4, of the
Phoenix Suns at Staples Center on January 10, 2012, in Los Angeles. The
Lakers won 99-83.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
dunks in the third quarter against the New Orleans Hornets in game five
of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs on
April 26, 2011, at Staples Center.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
joins a teaching session for fans during a promotional tour of South
Korea at Korea University on July 14, 2011, in Seoul, South Korea.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
U.S.
President Barack Obama chats with Bryant at a Boys and Girls Club in
Washington on December 13, 2010. Obama welcomed the Lakers to honor
their 2009-2010 season and their second consecutive NBA championship.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
shoots a jumper over Carmelo Anthony, No. 15 of the Denver Nuggets, in
the fourth quarter of game one of the Western Conference Finals during
the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on May 19, 2009. The Lakers
defeated the Nuggets 105-103.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant,
top, and New Jersey Nets' guard Kerry Kittles fight for a rebound in
the first quarter on April 3, 2002, at Continental Airlines Arena in
East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
celebrates after game five of the NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic
at Amway Arena on June 14, 2009, in Orlando. The Lakers won 99-86 for
their 15th title and first since 2002. Bryant had 30 points, 8 rebounds
and 6 assists as the Lakers completed a four-games-to-one victory in the
best-of-seven NBA Finals.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant holds his daughter, Gianna, after the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals on June 14, 2009.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
accepts the best team award on behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers from
musician Stevie Wonder during the 2009 ESPY Awards held at Nokia Theatre
LA Live on July 15, 2009, in Los Angeles.
Hide Caption
15 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
rides the Matterhorn Bobsleds with Jonathan Guerrero, 4, and his
father, David Guerrero of Pomona, California, at Disneyland on June 18,
2009, in Anaheim, California The Guerreros were among thousands of
Lakers fans who turned out for a special Disneyland parade honoring the
Lakers' 15th World Championship.
Hide Caption
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant appears on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at NBC Studios on June 28, 2001, in Burbank, California.
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23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Vlade
Divac, No. 21 of the Sacramento Kings, jumps for the ball against
Bryant during game four of the Western Conference Semifinals at Arco
Arena on May 13, 2001, in Sacramento, California.
Hide Caption
18 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
hugs his fiance, Vanessa Laine, while in the locker room after
defeating the Indiana Pacers in game six of the 2000 NBA Finals to win
the series 4-2 on June 19, 2000, in Los Angeles. Bryant later married
Laine and the couple have two children.
Hide Caption
19 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant,
center, is restrained by teammate Ron Harper, left, and assistant coach
Jim Cleamons after a confrontation with New York Knicks guard Chris
Childs on April 2, 2000, at Staples Center. Both players were ejected
and the Lakers went on to defeat the Knicks 106-82.
Hide Caption
20 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Lakers
player Shaquille O'Neal, right, hugs teammate Bryant on June 14, 2000,
after the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers in game four of the NBA Finals
at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Lakers won the game 120-118
to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series.
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21 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant sits on the sidelines during the Euro ABC camp in Berlin on July 7, 1999.
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22 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
eyes the basket during the NBA Slam Dunk contest on February 8, 1997,
at Gund Arena in Cleveland. Bryant is the youngest player to win the
contest.
Hide Caption
23 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Kobe
Bryant pounds his chest after the last NBA basketball game of his
career, against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, April 13, 2016.
Hide Caption
1 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Kobe
Bryant plays against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, October
28. In November, Bryant announced his intention to retire at the end of
the current NBA season.
Hide Caption
2 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
broke a bone in his left knee in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies
on December 17, 2013. Bryant finished the game, but team doctors
determine that he fractured the lateral tibial plateau of his left knee.
The injury benched him the rest of the season.
Hide Caption
3 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Kobe
Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is injured in the second half while
playing the Golden State Warriors on April 12, 2013. The injury took him
out of the rest of the 2012-2013 season.
Hide Caption
4 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
vies with Argentinian forward Leonardo Gutierrez during the USA men's
basketball preliminary round match in the London Olympic Games on August
6, 2012.
Hide Caption
5 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama hugs Bryant after the United States played France at the Olympics on July 29, 2012.
Hide Caption
6 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
reverse dunks over Grant Hill, No. 33, and Marcin Gortat, No. 4, of the
Phoenix Suns at Staples Center on January 10, 2012, in Los Angeles. The
Lakers won 99-83.
Hide Caption
7 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
dunks in the third quarter against the New Orleans Hornets in game five
of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs on
April 26, 2011, at Staples Center.
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8 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
joins a teaching session for fans during a promotional tour of South
Korea at Korea University on July 14, 2011, in Seoul, South Korea.
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9 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
U.S.
President Barack Obama chats with Bryant at a Boys and Girls Club in
Washington on December 13, 2010. Obama welcomed the Lakers to honor
their 2009-2010 season and their second consecutive NBA championship.
Hide Caption
10 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant
shoots a jumper over Carmelo Anthony, No. 15 of the Denver Nuggets, in
the fourth quarter of game one of the Western Conference Finals during
the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on May 19, 2009. The Lakers
defeated the Nuggets 105-103.
Hide Caption
11 of 23
23 photos: Kobe Bryant's career
Bryant,
top, and New Jersey Nets' guard Kerry Kittles fight for a rebound in
the first quarter on April 3, 2002, at Continental Airlines Arena in
East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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Story highlights
- Kobe Bryant scores 60 points in final NBA game
- He says: "I can't believe how fast 20 years went by"
- Bryant won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers
(CNN)Fans
final vision of Kobe Bryant in a purple and gold uniform was like many
before as the Lakers' legend scored a spectacular 60 points in his
farewell NBA game.
The
third-leading scorer in NBA history, hit in recent years by injuries
that made too many of his final contests a struggle, completed his
glorious 20-year career with the style that made him a five-time NBA
champion.
The 37-year-old showed
the tenacity, toughness and talent that made him one of the all-time
greats in basketball history. And unlike many games this season,
Bryant's heroics helped to bring victory. The Lakers trailed the Utah
Jazz for most of the night, but Bryant sparked the Lakers in the fourth
quarter, rallying them single-handedly to a 101-96 win.
Bryant, who left the game with 4.1 seconds remaining, was swarmed on the court afterward by former teammates and coaches.
"I
can't believe how fast 20 years went by," he told the Staples Center
crowd after the game. Bryant thanked the Lakers' fans, his teammates and
his family.
He recalled how it was his dream to play for the Lakers, his favorite team growing up.
"You can't write something better than this," he said.
Bryant, who made 22-of-50 shots, laughed in his farewell speech because he'd been told for two decades to pass the ball.
On the last night, his teammates were: "Don't pass it!"
Bryant,
who Magic Johnson referred to in a pregame ceremony as the greatest
Laker, finished his speech with "Mamba out," a kiss, and a literal mic
drop.
How great was Bryant on
Wednesday? He outscored the Jazz in the fourth quarter 23-21. With his
team trailing with just under six minutes to go, Bryant scored 17
consecutive points for his team.
Bryant
got the ball with his team down one point and 40 seconds remaining. It
was a scene NBA fans have seen so many times before. Bryant dribbled the
ball up court, surveyed the defense, headed to his left then reversed
course to use a screen. With his man respecting Bryant's ability to
drive, the legend pulled up from just inside the 3-point line with 31
seconds remaining.
As soon as the
ball left his shooting hand he knew it, the Jazz knew it, 19,000 Lakers
fans knew it and the growing TV audience knew it.
Quintessential Kobe. He knocked it down. Another game-winner for a highlight reel full of mesmerizing moments.
Hot ticket
Most
remaining tickets for the game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles
were selling for four figures on reseller StubHub, according to a
spokesman for the company. One ticket was listed for $27,500, Kevin
Burke said in an email.
Outside the arena, festive fans chanted, "Ko-be! Ko-be!"
One fan, who with his two buddies paid $4,200 for three $34 tickets, told CNN they came from Oregon to watch the final game.
"He's the greatest of our generation," he said. "He's been a great inspiration for all of us."
Bryant announced this season
would be his last in a poignant letter written in the form of a poem on
The Players' Tribune in November.
"This season is all I have left to give," he wrote in "Dear Basketball." "My heart can take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind. But my body knows it's time to say goodbye.
"And that's OK. I'm ready to let you go."
Looking back
The
Charlotte Hornets drafted Bryant as the 13th pick of the 1996 NBA draft
after he entered the league straight out of high school. He was traded
to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. What followed was a career with a list of
achievements so exhaustive, it has its own Wikipedia page.
A quick look at some of Bryant's accomplishments:
-- Third all-time scorer in total points, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.
--
Scored 81 points on January 22, 2006, against the Toronto Raptors, the
second-highest total in NBA history. Only Wilt Chamberlain (100) has
scored more in a game.
-- Won five NBA championships, 2000-2002 and 2009-2010.
-- Won two Olympic gold medals -- in 2008 and 2012.
-- NBA MVP in 2008.
-- 18 All-Star selections.
-- Two-time NBA scoring champion (2006, 2007).--
-- Four-time NBA All-Star Game MVP.
-- Six 60-point games, second to Wilt Chamberlain
Staying with one team for an entire career is rare. Staying on one team for a 20-year career? That's extraordinary.
According to ESPN's Arash Markazi, just 11 players
across the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL have done so. Kobe's career with the
Lakers compares to the likes of Derek Jeter with the New York Yankees,
the late Tony Gwynn with the San Diego Padres, Cal Ripken Jr. with the
Baltimore Orioles and Steve Yzerman with the Detroit Red Wings.
Troubled times
Bryant's
career was not without controversy. In July 2003, he was charged in
Colorado with one count of sexual assault in a case involving a
19-year-old hotel worker. The charge accuses Bryant of "sexual
penetration or intrusion and (that) he caused submission of the victim
through actual physical force," according to Eagle County District
Attorney Mark Hurlbert.
The charge was dropped in September 2004.
The woman involved in the criminal case also sued Bryant. They settled for an undisclosed sum.
Bryant
also feuded with teammate Shaquille O'Neal to the point where the
Lakers traded O'Neal to the Miami Heat in 2004. The two later explained
that it was a case of two strong-willed people involved in a
long-running workplace dispute. They can now fondly reminisce about the
three consecutive titles they won as teammates.
The two hugged after Wednesday night's game
Today's Lakers are a mess
It had been tough during Bryant's farewell tour.
The
Lakers' season was nothing short of abysmal. Young and rebuilding, Los
Angeles lost 65 games, the most in its 68-year franchise history. And
some of the defeats were really bad -- the Jazz downed the team by 48
points on March 28, tying for the largest loss in the Lakers' history.
A fan pays tribute to Bryant's long career during Monday's game against Oklahoma City.
Additionally,
Bryant's numbers dipped. This season was his worst shooting year in
terms of field-goal percentage. Injuries slowed him down.
For three consecutive years, his season was ended by injury. There was the ruptured Achilles tendon in April 2013. In 2014, he
missed all but six games after breaking a bone near his left knee. And
then a torn right rotator cuff in January 2015 required surgery.
And
while he's played through injuries in the past, the wear and tear has
become evident, with an occasional night off needed for rest. But as the
end approached, Bryant did his best to play through pain so fans across
the country could see him one last time.
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